Not at all improved for 2016 (proudly unchanged since 2011)
Now with more FAQ
With "March Madness" just around the corner, you can impress your friends with your useless knowledge of NCAA basketball.
How?
By correctly picking the winners of all 67 tournament games, or at least picking more accurately than anyone else.
After this short introduction there is a link that will take you to the YANC registration form.
Here you will be asked to supply your email address and create a password.
Your email address will not be publically displayed, but when you submit your picks you will create an 'entry name' that will be your public persona, so keep it PG-13.
Once registered, you will receive a short email message containing a link to validate your email.
Clicking on or copying the link to your web browser allows you to sign in and start to work on your picks.
If you decide you want to change your picks before the entry deadline, just return to this page and select the sign in link below.
Your old picks will be replaced and your entry time will be updated, which may affect your standings in the contest.
The tournament format was changed in 2011 by the NCAA to include a 'First Four' round.
These games are now counted in YANC, so sign up early.
Are you ready for the challenge?
If so continue on to the
registration form.
If you have already registered for YANC this year and want to redo your picks (from scratch), just
Sign In, but only up until the deadline.
Standings and
Statistics will be updated shortly after each game of the tournament is completed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "March Madness"?
If you don't know what "March Madness" is, then maybe this isn't the place for you.
If you know but need some tips or other information, try one of the following
helpful websites (opens in a new window) or continue reading this FAQ list.
What is the entry fee?
There is
NO entry fee required to participate in YANC(tm).
I've done this purely for the fun of competition and to try out new methods used to create websites.
Enjoy.
What is the earliest time I can enter?
The brackets will be announced on Sunday March 13 from 5:30pm to 7pm EDT.
Shortly after that the pairings will be entered and you will be able to start entering your amazing selections.
This should be around 11pm (EDT), but no promises.
For now, amuse yourself by reading the rest of the FAQ.
What is the latest time I can enter?
The cut-off time for submitting entries is
TUESDAY due to including the 'First Four' round in the contest scoring.
The deadline for valid entries is
Tuesday, March 15 at 6pm (EDT),
which is shortly before the 'First Four' round of the tournament tips-off in Dayton, OH.
Wait a minute, what is this 'First Four' round kajiggery?
The NCAA decided to change the tournament in 2011 by adding 4 play-in games in place of the single play-in game of recent years.
Matching up in these 'First Four' games will be the 4 lowest rated at-large teams selected by the tournament committee and the 4 lowest rated automatic bid winners.
In addition, instead of playing for the chance to take a 16th seed spot in the bracket as in the past, the 'First Four' games may have different positions in the tournament bracket and may not be evenly dispersed amongst the regionals.
It is anticipated that the 4 automatic bid teams will be playing for 16th seed spots, while the 4 at-large teams will be slotted in 11th to 14th seed spots.
With the NCAA adding these new games I thought it was time to add them to the contest as well.
It should make the contest a bit more interesting.
How are points scored?
You earn points for correctly picking the winner of each game.
Correct answers score points, incorrect answers score no points, it's as easy as that.
First Four games are worth 3 points (4 games x 3 points = 12)
Each second round game is worth 1 point (32 games x 1 point = 32).
Third round games are worth 2 points (16 games x 2 points = 32).
Sweet 16 games (regional semifinals) are worth 4 points (8 games x 4 points = 32).
Elite Eight games (regional finals) are worth 8 points (4 games x 8 points = 32).
National Semifinal games are worth 16 points (2 games x 16 points = 32).
The National Championship game is worth 32 points (1 game x 32 points = 32).
This adds up to a grand total of 204 possible points.
Why so many points for 'First Four' games?
This was all new in 2011 and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
It may very well be different scoring in the future.
What are the prizes?
The prizes are described in detail by links from the registration page.
If the quality of the prizes doesn't impress you, remind yourself just how much your entry fee was.
What's stopping you from keeping my entry fee and not awarding a prize?
I'm an honest person, really.
So you have that and the fact that there is
NO entry fee.
So what do you have to lose?
Nothing except the possiblity of submitting a really bad entry and embarrassing
yourself in front of the entire internet.
What if there is a tie in the scoring?
If there is a tie score, the earliest entry will be declared the winner, so it is to your advantage to enter early.
Can I enter more than once?
You may register an email address once each YANC season.
Once registered, you may return to this page and follow the 'sign-in' link to sign in (duh) and change or update your picks, but only up until the cutoff time for registering.
Can I tell others about your contest?
Sure, tell your friends.
All I ask is that the contest page address is not broadcast on any of the Usenet newsgroups, any blogs, Facebook, or other public forums.
Please use private email or word of mouth.
I host several clients on the same computer and I don't want to crash the server with too much web traffic.
What's a 'usenet newsgroup'?
It's what people used back in the day instead of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to communicate with many othe people by typing one message.
Some of us still do.
See
the Wikipedia entry for more info.
I personally favor
Xnews for a news reader for Windows and
EternalSeptember for a text-only newsfeed, since my ISP dumped usenet in 2009ish.
Both Xnews and Eternal September are free.
Can't beat that.
Are you going to sell my name/email address?
No, I won't be creating a mailing list to sell to some low-life
mass-marketing bozos so your emailbox will be filled with even
more junk email.
Who authorized this dreadful color scheme?
Hey, I'm just trying not to be my boring old self.
I've tried many color schemes over the years because I get tired of looking at the same thing over and over.
The color scheme for 2015 is actually pretty benign compared to past years.
What happened to the smiley doohickies you used to have?
That's so last year.
(Is saying it that way 'so last year' too?)
Do I get anything for reading this far down in the FAQ?
Nope, but drop me an email mentioning this and I'll buy you an adult beverage the next time we're out together.
So I guess the answer is yes.
