Get over your alliances. Out of a field of 64 teams, there is a very slight chance that your favorite team will run through the NCAA bracket and win the championship. Just presume that it won’t happen. Think logistically: If your squad is fairly decent (say an 8 seed) but is playing a #1 seeded team that has the potential to actually win the title, don’t be dumb. Even if you choose against the grain and pencil in your team to the next round, don’t get carried away. Leave it at one upset.

Don’t be the guy with four 1-seeds in his Final Four. If you know anything about college basketball and the big tournament, you should know that all four of the #1 seeds rarely ever make it all the way through their respective regions. Just because they have a 1 next to their names doesn’t mean they’re invincible. Chances are there will only be one or at most two of these teams actually playing in the final two games. We do call this “March Madness” for a reason. Just remember that next time you use your boring, non-Madness method for filling out a bracket.

Be your own man. Maybe you truly look up to your older brother. Maybe you respect the opinion of a close friend. Maybe your uncle always chooses correctly on his bets. Forget all of that. This is different. No. One. Knows. Please fill out your own bracket without the influences of others. By listening to another’s gut pick, you could be choosing against a team that cruises to an easy victory, making your pick look idiotic. Now if it’s your gut call, that’s a different story. But to leave the decision up to someone else who knows just as little about what is going to happen as you do just makes you look like you’re scared to follow your own heart. Who knows? Maybe this is the year that a 16 seed finally gets that win over one of those evil 1 seeds and you wanted to pick that... but you didn’t. Don’t you want the respect of all of your buddies after you choose the Cinderella team of the tournament to advance all the way to the Elite Eight?

Keep your calm. You’re going to have your great picks. You’re going to have your dumb ones. But just remember, everyone is experiencing the same thing with you. There’s a reason that Warren Buffett is offering $1 Billion to any person who can fill out a perfect bracket. It’s impossible. You don’t have to be right with everything, you just have to right enough times to beat out everyone else in your pool. So to help your household through this crazy March, please do not break a vase every time your team loses in heartbreaking fashion.

Enjoy the Madness. The Super Bowl is awesome. The World Series is a thrill. The NBA Finals are heart wrenching. But I dare you to find a postseason in sports that compares to the NCAA Tournament. Nothing can. When you see the look on the players’ faces of a mid-major school once their teammate drains a three pointer to upset an annual college basketball powerhouse, you’ll realize. March Madness is a World War. It takes an incredible season to make it to a bracket with only 64 of over 300 teams that play Division 1 college basketball. But to fight through this war of attrition to remain as the only undefeated team in the bracket, it takes skill, momentum, and a whole lot of luck. Don’t get too caught up in your bracket to become blind to the incredible basketball that you are experiencing - too many people do. Remember to enjoy all of it that you can, because before you know it, April will be here, and I’ve never heard of April Madness.

* The NCAA Tournament (AKA “March Madness”) consists of a field of 64 of the best teams in all of college basketball. Every year, fans fill out their guesses of which teams will advance in the bracket, picking the results of 63 games that are created by the person’s previous selections. The most common results that come from filling out a bracket are disappointment and agony.