If you follow the NCAA tournament every year, you already know how this works. After my fellow analysts and I finish calling the SEC Championship Game in Nashville, Tennessee, we immediately shift gears to analyze the newly revealed men’s NCAA tournament bracket.

As soon as the field is announced, ESPN asks each of us to fill out a full bracket live on air so we can reveal our predictions before the broadcast ends. The catch? We’re given less than five minutes to make every pick.

Needless to say, that’s hardly the ideal way to build a thoughtful bracket. Still, sometimes those first instincts can be surprisingly accurate. This time around, I’m giving you a bit more breathing room than five minutes so you can make smarter choices, impress your friends, dominate your office pool—and maybe even win ESPN’s Tournament Challenge.

Last season, my bracket leaned heavily toward the favorites. I predicted all four No. 1 seeds would reach the Final Four, with Houston and Florida meeting in the national championship and the Gators ultimately cutting down the nets.

The criticism came fast. Many people said I played it too safe and should have picked an underdog to make a run to San Antonio. But when the tournament ended, the results spoke for themselves: all four No. 1 seeds actually did reach the Final Four, and Houston and Florida battled for the title just as predicted.

So… you’re welcome. And yes, I forgive all the doubters.

This year, however, the landscape feels different. Cinderella may have taken last season off, but the gap between the top teams and the rest of the field appears much smaller this time around. That means we could see more surprises throughout the tournament.

While it might be tempting to load your bracket with upset picks, the smarter strategy is to stay selective. Choose only the upsets you truly believe in—especially ones where the underdog can win the first game but might struggle to advance further.

That approach gives you the benefit of hitting on early surprises without risking your entire bracket if those Cinderella stories fade quickly.

Here are my predictions for this year’s tournament. Use them wisely, trust your instincts—and remember, filling out a bracket is supposed to be fun.