I have been fairly successful picking winners and losers in March. Not sure why, it's mostly luck. But after many years of picking 'the bracket,' I wanted to pass along some advice for those of you who find it difficult to compete in the office pool.

There are usually three kinds of pickers. First are those who will pick solely on the seed. In other words, they pick the better seeds to win every game. In the end, all 4 number 1 seeds are in their final four.

Next is the guy who wants to prove he is a college basketball genius. It's easy to identify this guy. He is the dude who picks an excessive amount of upsets. He is also the guy who will let everyone know that HE picked an upset when it happens. Boasting that he was THE ONLY GUY IN THE WORLD who was smart enough to pick the upset.

Third is the person who picks by color or mascot. Popular belief is that this person usually wins the office pool. I have found this to be false.

Here is my advice .. use all three of these strategies in moderation. Picking the better seed is a safe bet. But in the later rounds, it's really not about seeds, it's about match-ups. As for upsets .. go ahead and pick some, but keep it safe. Remember, picking a bracket is like a marathon, not a sprint. Maybe you didn't see the 3 seed going down to the 14 seed in the second round. That's OK, all is not lost. Finally, if a specific game really has you stumped .. go ahead and flip a coin or pick the team's mascot you like best. Just don't do this FOR EVERY GAME.

My final tip is to pick the 4 best teams first. Pick the 4 that you believe will be in the Final 4 .. and work backwards from there. Most pools award points after each round. The key is to keep as many teams alive after each round. If you have all 4 in the end .. you will likely win the pool. Which isn't for any money of course... just a high-five :)