LNS March Mania

Welcome to my March Madness Bracket Pool!

A brief reminder: Get your bracket(s) in before the pick deadline and make sure to review the pool settings. Only the main 64 teams that make up a standard bracket are included (i.e. the play-in games, or 'first four', are NOT included). Good luck to everyone. If you have any questions, please contact me at john@LNSprint.com

— John Adams

• Members pick all 63 games of the NCAA Tournament.
• The pick deadline is set to March 19, 2026 at 12:15 PM ET.
• Each participant is limited to 2 entries in the contest.
• Points are awarded for each correct pick.
• Points values increase as the tournament progresses, as follows:
• Play-in games are not included or scored
• First Round = 1 point
• Second Round = 2 points
• Sweet 16 = 4 points
• Regional Final (Round of 8) = 8 points
• National Semifinal (Last Four) = 16 points
• Championship = 32 points
• The contest uses a seed point bonus. The seed of the picked team will be added to the points assigned per round. For example, if a member correctly picks a 7 seeded team to win in the Sweet Sixteen round, they will receive 11 points (4 round points + 7 seed points).
• The tie-breaker is the combined number of points scored in the Championship game. Each member must enter a tie-break value when they make their picks.
• The winner is the entry with the most points at the end of the NCAA Tournament.

Additional Rules (These are custom rules added by your pool commissioner that are above and beyond the website rules.)

• The Lakes News Shopper employees and family members are not eligible to win.
• By participating in this contest, you are granting The Lakes News Shopper to use your name and image in any promotional material.