Rules & Scoring
The Bracket
BracketBuster uses the standard 64-team, single-elimination NCAA tournament format. Teams are seeded 1–16 across four regions (East, West, South, Midwest), with matchups following the traditional bracket structure (1 vs 16, 8 vs 9, 5 vs 12, etc.).
Making Your Picks
- Pick a winner for all 63 games across 6 rounds
- Picks must be submitted before your pool's lock date
- You can edit picks freely until the lock date
- Once locked, picks are final and visible to all pool members
Scoring System
Points escalate each round, rewarding correct picks in later rounds more heavily:
| Round | Name | Games | Points per Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Round of 64 | 32 | 1 |
| 2 | Round of 32 | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Sweet 16 | 8 | 4 |
| 4 | Elite 8 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | Final Four | 2 | 16 |
| 6 | Championship | 1 | 32 |
Maximum possible score: 192 points (all 63 picks correct).
Leaderboard
The leaderboard updates in real-time as games are completed. It tracks total points earned, correct/incorrect/pending picks, and your maximum possible score based on remaining picks. Rankings are determined by total points, with ties broken by number of correct picks.
Pools & Commissioners
- Anyone can create a pool and become its commissioner
- Commissioners set the pool name, lock date, and member limit
- Members join pools using a unique 8-character invite code
Fair Play
Each user may have only one account and one set of picks per pool. Any attempt to manipulate results, create duplicate accounts, or exploit the scoring system will result in disqualification and account termination.