Welcome
Bienvenidos! You've have arrived at the official home of The Official 436 Bracket Challenge.
Made possible through a large infusion of government cash and funding from viewers like you, the Bracket Challenge was established early in 2005 in hopes of bringing the pomp and pageantry (and rampant illegal gambling) of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament right into our home -- the venerable 436 Laramie Trail -- in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Through the tireless work of our dedicated staff we have established a pool that not only embodies all that is great about throwing your money away, but also adds a new level of accessibility to the pageantry of the tournament by putting a familiar face on the bookie.
We sincerely hope this year's tournament experience is a pleasant one for you and your friends and will strive to consider your requests for making next year's pool even better. (Unless your request is to expand the tournament to 96 teams. In that case, you're not invited back.)
Happy Bracketing!
Entry form
Click here to make your selections. The picking and calculating is handled by Brian's sweet web form. All you have to do is enter your email and a password. We'll send scoring updates to that email address throughout the tourney. (And then send you lots of spam chain letters afterward.)
Rules and Regulations
1. All brackets submitted to the Rules Committee before tip-off of the first game on Thursday, March 18, 2010 shall be deemed eligible. Entries may by submitted in paper or electronic form, with the preferred method being the online form at brianhelge.com. (Smoke signals have been disallowed after some confusion last year.)
2. Entry fee shall be $5, paid upon completion and submission of entry form. Multiple entries are allowed.
3. Prizes: Winner's share will vary according to number of entries received. Second place will win $10, winner receives the rest. (In case of a tie for first, no second place prize will be awarded. In case of a tie for second, each will receive $5.) Some pools will give the last place finisher some money. Not us. We're just going to laugh at you.
4. Scoring: Each entry shall receive points on a round-by-round
basis. Person with most combined points at the end of the tournament is
the winner. Points will be awarded on the following scale:
First Round winners: 5 points
Second Round winners: 10 points
Sweet 16 winners: 20 points
Elite 8 winners: 40 points
Final Four winners: 80 points
Championship game winner: 160 points
We'll update the leader board in this page's sidebar as often as
possible during the tournament. For up-to-the-minute scoring, check out
the official leaderboard at brianhelge.com.
5. Ties will be broken using the score of the final game. Closest participant to the combined final score wins.
6. All complaints and problems should be taken up with Rules Committee before start of next round of games.
Wall of Champions
2009 (17 contestants): Sean C., 650 points
2008: Tim P., 680 points
2007: Steph, 800 points
2006: Tim B., 380 points
2005: Danny H., 675 points
Thanks to our sponsors!
I'm Rick Neuheisel and I approved this pool.
And I'm Pete Rose. Better count me in, too.
And I'm John Daly. I bet you $30 million I win this.
And I'm Charles Barkley. I'm faster than a referee.
And I'm Tim Donaghy. I have the mafia on my side.
And I'm Bernie Madoff. I'll collect the cash.
