RULES AND SCORING

On selection Sunday in mid-March, the NCAA will reveal the tournament bracket. Jackson Cup contestants will refer to the bracket and will select 10 primary teams + 1 auxiliary team. Those 11 teams, as well as answers to 3 simple bonus questions, will be submitted to the tournament commissioner via the submission form on the Home page, or contestants may text or email the commissioner directly. All submissions must be made prior to 10am on the first day of the official 64-team tournament. Selections must include 11 different teams. The same team can not be selected more than once.

Standings will be periodically updated throughout the tournament and can be found on the Current Standings page, the Jackson Cup Facebook page, or various group texts.
Good luck, and may a contestant win that employs absolutely no informed or educated strategy, which is usually the case! 

HOW IT WORKS:

Each of the 10 primary teams selected will accumulate points for each round they win. Points are calculated by multiplying the teems seed # by the round #. For example, if Texas Tech is a 3rd seed in a given year, and they win four rounds of games, they would have a total of 30 points. (3x1) + (3x2) + (3x3) + (3x4) = 30. At the end of the tournament, the contestant with the most points wins. Note: 1 seeds are considered the best teams in the tournament. 16 seeds are considered the worst teams in the tournament. In the Jackson Cup competition, that means RISK YIELDS REWARD. Traditionally, there are mid-to-high level seeds (7ish to 14ish) that go deep in the tournament. Obviously, these teams score big points if they win, especially in later rounds. However, they can just as easily lose, resulting in little to no points scored. Because any team can win or lose on any given day, there is quite a bit of luck involved in picking the right teams. Typically, there is a team that nobody expected to go very far (referred to as a Cinderella Team) that makes it deep in the tournament. Contestants that chose that team tend to separate themselves from the pack, and there is really no rhyme or reason behind who that will be, which is why 3-year olds can win this game. Even ESPN analysts that get paid big bucks to predict Cinderella teams fail miserably from year to year. In short, cross your fingers and pick.  

AUXILIARY TEAMS:

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Contestants may be given the opportunity to utilize an auxiliary team, which can be a welcome opportunity for contestant's whose teams are dropping like flies.
Here's how it works:In addition to the 10 "primary" teams selected, participants are allowed to select 1 auxiliary team. IF the Sweet 16 arrives and at least 5 of the contestant's primary teams have been eliminated in the first 2 rounds, the contestant's auxiliary team will automatically be activated. Contestants who still have 6 or more primary teams in the tournament when the Sweet 16 arrives will have their auxiliary team option eliminated for the remainder of the tournament. For those who benefit from this gracious and humbling opportunity, note that auxiliary teams will NOT be awarded points prior to the Sweet 16. If the contestant’s auxiliary team gets eliminated prior to activation, no points will be awarded and no additional auxiliary may be selected.

BONUS POINTS:

BUT WAIT, THERE'S EVEN MORE!! In addition to the potential of primary and auxiliary team points, contestants will have the opportunity to score up to 150 extra points, as described below. This will give unlucky contestants a small glimmer of hope going into the final rounds.
Here's how it works:25 points will be automatically added to the contestant's total for each of the following that holds true:

1. All 10 primary teams selected by a contestant make it to the Sweet 16 (NOT including auxiliary team)
2. ALL 8 teams that make the Elite 8 are among the list of the contestant's chosen teams (including the auxiliary team)
3. ALL 4 teams that make the Final 4 are among the list of the contestant's chosen teams (including the auxiliary team)

Additional bonus points will be awarded for correctly answering the following questions:

1. From what bracket quadrant will the National Champion originate? (25 points)
2. Will the Champion be a 1 seed? (10 points for YES, 25 points for NO)
3. Will the total score from the Championship Game be even or odd? (25 points)

PLAY-IN GAME CONFUSION:

Please note that a few years back the NCAA created four Play-In games that take place a day or 2 prior to the tournament. The winners of these 4 games are awarded a place in the tournament. NO POINTS ARE EARNED FOR ANY WINS DURING THE FOUR PLAY-IN GAMES. Selected teams only earn points in the games that start in Round 1 of the official 64-team tournament. As a result, if a contestant chooses a team from the 8 teams that are in Play-In games and that team loses prior to the start of the 64-team tournament, contestants will NOT have the opportunity to pick another team. If that possibility is of concern in the selection process, and a contestant is inclined to select a team involved in a Play-In game, the contestant may choose not to submit the 11 picks until after all four of the Play-In games have been played, BUT BEFORE 10am on the day the official 64-team tournament begins.

***SUBMISSION DEADLINE***

All entries must be submitted by 10AM CDT on the day the official 64-team tournament begins. Entries may be submitted via the form on the Home page, or the contestant may contact the Jackson Cup Commissioner directly by text or email. Only one LEGITIMATE entry per person. Dogs, cats and baby dolls are not acceptable participants, however, girlfriends, boyfriends and "friends like family" are welcome to play. If you are a girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse of a family member and ever become an ex-girlfriend, ex-boyfriend, or ex-spouse of a family member, and you win the tournament, you can revel in the fact that your name will be forever etched onto the Jackson Cup plaque of champions. For the rest of you, if the commissioner doesn't know you, and no one else in the group can identify you as related to the family, then your entry will not be accepted.

AT THE DISCRETION OF THE TOURNAMENT COMMISSIONER, ANY FAMILY OR RELATED MEMBER THAT IS DEEMED TO BE INTERESTED IN PLAYING, BUT IS UNABLE TO SUBMIT PICKS PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE FOR UNFORESEEN OR UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BE GIVEN RANDOMLY DRAWN TEAMS AS WELL AS RANDOMLY DRAWN ANSWERS TO THE BONUS QUESTIONS.