It’s that time of year again, March Madness has finally returned. One of the most exciting aspects is this week leading up to the tip-off of the games when you have to fill out your bracket. If you’re like me, you will stress over every little decision. If you aren’t like me, you will trust my advice and use this article to build your brackets. Below we’ll take a look at strategy and sample brackets for small, medium, and large pools.

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2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Small Pools (March Madness)

My three picks for you: Houston, Alabama, or Texas.

Houston, assuming Marcus Sasser is healthy and ready to go, should be the favorite to win the tournament, and with good reason. They have been the most consistent team in the nation with only one real slip-up this year. Obviously, monitor injury news for Sasser because if he is out, that completely caps Houston’s ceiling.

Alabama as the number one overall seed will likely get the most picks to win it all among your peers, and nationally, but it’s okay to have that much overlap with these smaller pools. The Crimson Tide have some ridiculous talent and them playing their best basketball is absolutely an unstoppable force.

Texas appears to be playing their best basketball right now and should hopefully be playing the tournament with Timmy Allen back, even though they did not need him to storm through the Big 12 tournament. They rank in the top 20 both offensively and defensively which is the perfect recipe for success and don’t really have many notable flaws. 

Check out an example of a bracket I’m submitting to small pools

2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Medium Pools (March Madness)

My selections for some potential top teams to bust early: Marquette, Kansas, and Purdue.

Marquette seems to be the hottest team in the nation after their Big East title run. Shaka Smart has worked wonders with the talent he brought in – or didn’t bring in – this offseason. One blaring concern for the Golden Eagles is their defense – ranking 47th in KenPom. Since 2012, only three teams ranked outside the top 40 in defensive efficiency pre-tourney have made the Final Four. Playing on neutral courts against new teams can cause offenses to collapse, so it wouldn’t be the craziest thing to see Marquette lose earlier than expected.

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Kansas is not only already a team with little depth, but if Kevin McCuller is hurt that further troubles the hopes for the Jayhawks to make a deep tournament run, especially with Arkansas or Illinois waiting in the second round after a quick turnaround. They showed a bit of fatigue in the Big 12 title game, and I am expecting the same in the second round of the tournament. 

Purdue is simply a team that cannot be relied on for deep tournament runs. Year after year we see great Purdue teams fall short and even with their size and firepower last year, they fell to Saint Peter’s. Zach Edey is a dude but the metrics are lower on the Boilermakers than their seeding, and they have one of the most difficult paths to the Final Four among any top-seeded teams.

Check out an example of a bracket I’m submitting to medium pools

2023 NCAA Tournament Perfect Bracket: Large Pools (March Madness)

Some leverage options I like to either make your Final Four or simply select as your champion: UConn, Texas A&M, and Creighton.

Now, these may seem like some pretty out-there teams, but UConn ranks fourth in KenPom. If you think back to earlier this season, Connecticut stormed through neutral court play against Oregon, Alabama, and Iowa State, beating all three teams by double digits. This team is incredibly difficult to prepare against and their incredible offensive rebounding rank makes me feel confident I can rely on them.

In the Bart Torvik era (since 2008) every champion not named UConn ranked in the top seven on Bart Torvik from January 1st to Selection Sunday. Those teams right now:

1. Alabama
2. Houston
3. UCLA
4. Tennessee
5. Gonzaga
6. Texas A&M
7. Purdue

The Aggies in the second half of the season were a completely different team than in the first half. They draw fouls at an incredibly high clip and Wade Taylor has seriously made strides in his play. Texas A&M does have an incredibly tough draw, matching up poorly against Penn State and then immediately having to face Texas following if they win. But this is a legitimate championship-caliber team who can make waves this tournament.

Creighton is still the same team that people picked as their preseason title selection. They rank in the top 30 both in offense and defensive efficiency which can’t be said about many teams. The Blue Jays’ offense can go nuclear and they had some pretty solid showings in the neutral-court game against some pretty top-tier opponents. Creighton has an incredible draw, presumably facing a weak defensive team in Baylor in a potential second-round matchup before running it back with Arizona, a team they already faced earlier this year. 

Check out an example of a bracket I’m submitting to large pools

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