🏀 How CMS March Madness Brackets Work ⛹️
The CMS PTA March Madness Bracket fundraiser is based on the annual NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments — two exciting, single-elimination tournaments that take place every March and feature 68 teams in each bracket. Participants can choose to enter the Men’s Tournament, the Women’s Tournament, or both for double the fun and competition! Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Choose Men or Womens Tournament & Fill Out Your Bracket
Participants will receive a tournament bracket listing all teams in the field. Before the tournament begins, you’ll predict the winner of each game — all the way through the Championship game.
You’ll be picking:
Round of 64
Round of 32
Sweet 16
Elite 8
Final Four
Championship Winner
Once the tournament tips off, brackets are locked — no changes allowed!
Step 2: Earn Points as Teams Win
As the real games are played, you’ll earn points for every correct pick. Typically, points increase with each round (later rounds are worth more), making those Final Four and Championship picks especially important.
The participant with the most total points at the end of the tournament wins!
The CMS PTA will keep 50% of total bracket sales to support programs, events, and resources that benefit all CMS students.
The remaining 50% will be paid out to the top four finishers:
🥇 1st Place: 50% of prize pool
🥈 2nd Place: 25% of prize pool
🥉 3rd Place: 15% of prize pool
🏅 4th Place: 10% of prize pool
The more brackets sold, the bigger the prize pool!
Each tournament (Men’s and Women’s) is calculated and paid out separately and a tie breaker would be determined by the total points scored in the last game, whoever is closest without going over.
Whether you’re analyzing stats or choosing based on team colors and mascots, March Madness is full of surprises — and this is a fun way to get in on the action while supporting CMS.
Let the madness begin! 🏆
