All About JR's "World Famous" NCAA Contest

Hi -- I'm JR, and I've run a non-profit NCAA pool every year for as long as I can remember (>20 years). We've grown in popularity every year, finding new ways to expand the prize pool and spreading the joy that is March Madness. In 2021, we had 248 entries ($6,200 in prizes!)... monster growth that has made using traditional websites like EPSN difficult. It's time we found a new home -- Enter JRMadness.com!

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions


The Rules

Each $25 entry into the contest gives you 1 Main Contest entry and 1 "Second Chance" entry -- they are separately scored, so focus on nailing the big one!

Standard Scoring: 1 point for First-round games, and points double each round (1 point, 2 points, 4 points for Sweet Sixteen, 8 points for Elite Eight, 16 points for Finals, and 32 points for the Championship)
Tie Breakers: The first tie breaker is the total number of points scored in the Championship (i.e. Gonzaga 70, Baylor 65 = 135 points). The second tie breaker is total pick percentage (highest number of correct picks wins). Our third tie breaker is most correct "Sweet Sixteen" picks, and we'll move on to future rounds for tie-breakers if we need it (no ties for the main contest!)

If you don't know the rules of filling out a bracket, here is the quick rundown:
1) College teams compete in the tournament based on their respective seed rankings, as determined by the NCAA's selection committee. #1 seeds are the strongest, and #16 seeds are the weakest
2) Your goal is to pick the winner of each match up, round after round, and fill in your picks cascading downward until there is only one team left
3) There are 4 "Regions," each with 16 teams (ranked #1-16) who play each other in single-elimination games until one remains (the infamous "Final Four") - these four teams then compete for the title!

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need any knowledge about the teams to compete. Since the teams are ranked for you, it all comes down to picking the right upsets (and most of these will be complete coin flips). A #1 team has only lost to a #16 team once (sorry UVA fans), and a #2 rarely loses to a #15... but #9 seeds actually beat #8 seeds ~53% of the time. Past tournament winners have consisted of: 22 #1 seeds, 5 #2 seeds, 4 #3 seeds and 4 "Other" seeds (#4, #6, #7 and #8). Remember, the point values awarded double each round, so focus on nailing the winner!



Prize Structure

League Fees: $25 per entry Payment accepted via Venmo (recommended) and PayPal -- Please Contact Me if you need help


Tournament Payout Structure
  • ~35% to Winner
  • ~15% to Runner-Up
  • ~15-20% to Third-Tenth Place
  • Roughly ~65% of total prize money goes to the Top-5 (last year was $2,250 / $1,000 / $500 / $250 / $150)
Special Prizes ($ to be determined based on interest)
  • Most Points Through 2 Rounds (i.e. "best sweet sixteen bracket")
  • Most Points Through 4 Rounds (i.e. "best final four bracket")
  • Worst Bracket - Everyone's favorite... get your money back!
  • Roughly ~10% of total prize money goes to the Special Prizes
Sweet Sixteen Consolation Bracket
  • We will be giving everyone a free second entry once the first two rounds of the tournament have ended (AKA it begins at the Sweet Sixteen games)!
  • This means you'll have a second life in case your top pick is eliminated early. One consolation bracket per main contest entry
  • Roughly ~25% of total prize money goes to the Consolation Bracket (last year was $750 / $500 / $200)
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    • ENTRIES ARE DUE BY THURSDAY (03/17) AT 11:59AM EST!

    This tournament only gets better with more participants, so please feel free to forward this website to your friends/family/coworkers and encourage them to play as well! As always, best of luck... looking forward to another great year!
    -JR