Want to win your March Madness office bracket pool? Here are MailSport's tips and tricks for favorites and upset picks as the NCAA Tournament gets underway

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The time is upon us for workplace productivity to go down with a flurry of pencils sharpening or computer mouses clicking as brackets are filled out across the country: it's time to embrace your inner madness.

March is upon us, and with that brings the most exciting three weeks in American sports with the NCAA Tournament - all leading up to the Final Four and the national championship game held in Phoenix.

But with so many matchups and so little time to choose, the fun could all seem so overwhelming.

That said, there are plenty of tips and tricks out there to use - from handpicking your national champion to predicting who will be the Cinderella of this Big Dance - and we're here to guide you through the process.

Here is the DailyMail.com rundown on the favorites to win the title and the upsets that could crash your bracket early. Happy picking!

The Madness is upon us! DailyMail.com is here to help guide you through this year's bracket

The Favorites

With the four one seeds most likely to march to the title, there's always room for interpretation when it comes to selecting a possible champion.

But then again, in the previous ten tournaments, there were still four won by a team that wasn't one of the top-four teams going into it.

These are the pros and cons for each of the No. 1 seeds - plus a few intriguing teams we could see march to Phoenix.

Connecticut is the top overall seed and is one of the strongest teams in the country

UConn

The reigning and defending national champions are poised to repeat their glory from 2023. If that happens, they'll be the first school to win back-to-back men's college basketball titles since Florida did so in 2007.

Even after losing three starters from last year's squad to the NBA, the Huskies of Connecticut have been dominant all season long and have played like one of the countries' best teams consistently with the deepest roster in the nation. They also just won the Big East Tournament for the first time since 2011 - a year where Kemba Walker led UConn to a national title.

The only thing that might be standing in UConn's way is tradition itself. In addition to the ghost of Florida hovering around them, a No. 1 overall seed hasn't won the NCAA Tournament since Louisville in 2013. Additionally, they have an incredibly tough road to the Final Four - with Iowa State, Illinois, and Auburn all likely to be worthy opponents.

But if there's any team that can go back-to-back, it's this team. The Huskies are favorites and for good reason.

Zach Edey (15) could repeat as National Player of the Year after his campaign with Purdue

Purdue

Led by big man and National Player of the Year favorite Zach Edey, the Boilermakers have been in and out of the top spot in the country throughout the year.

But they're more than just Edey. Purdue has one of the most efficient offenses in the nation and there's certainly a strong cast of supporting characters around the 7-footer.

One thing holding them back this year is their performance on neutral courts. They won every game on those floors, but they were very close calls against some top teams. March demands your best, and a recent loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals will force the team to self-reflect. 

Plus, Purdue has a particularly troubling albatross around its neck. Two years ago, as a two-seed, they lost to 15-seed St. Peter's. Last year, they became the second men's one-seed to ever lose to a 16-seed when Fairleigh Dickinson shocked them. Could the unthinkable happen again?

Jamal Shead (1) and L.J. Cryer (4) are the two-headed tandem guiding Houston forward

Houston

Coach Kelvin Sampson's team was a one-seed last season and fell in the Sweet 16 to eventual Final Four participants Miami. Much like UConn, they lost a number of top players to the NBA draft.

But they too saw players step up - with the Cougars being led by the deadliest backcourt combo in America in the form of L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead.

The two are the offensive engines of the team, while the squad as a whole runs an incredibly tight ship defensively and are one of the more physically intimidating units in the country.

But when Shead and Cryer don't have it going, the team implodes around them. For evidence, just look at the Big XII Championship game - where the guards shot a combined 6-for-29 and they only managed 41 points in the loss to Iowa State. If a team in the tournament can figure out how to shut these two down, it could be curtains.

Harrison Ingram (55) is one of three strong starters leading North Carolina this season

North Carolina

The final one-seed in the tournament is the one that took the longest to figure itself out - the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Led by the trio of Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, and Harrison Ingram, the Tar Heels struggled in early-season losses to strong non-conference opponents (UConn, Kentucky) but picked themselves up and went 17-3 in conference play.

Defensively strong and relatively deep, the Tar Heels have size in each position and can present matchup nightmares all over the floor.

But they've got a highly unpredictable region in front of them and will likely play either Arizona or Baylor in the Elite Eight - presenting a minefield opportunity for North Carolina.

(L to R) Robert Jones of Iowa State, Tyler Kolek of Marquette, Dalton Knecht of Tennessee

Wildcard teams

• No. 2 seed Tennessee (Midwest Region): Dalton Knecht is a superb guard that could lead the Volunteers to a Final Four. However, coach Rick Barnes has been snakebitten in March and the possibility of a re-match with Purdue could be danger
• No. 2 seed Marquette (South Region): If guard Tyler Kolek is healthy, they could surprise Houston in the South region. But without him, the Golden Eagles are at a disadvantage. One to keep an eye on for sure.
• No. 2 seed Iowa State / No. 3 seed Illinois (East Region): Both teams fit here because of how tough the East Region is this year. If a team above them can find a way to pip UConn, then either of these units could stroll into Phoenix.
• No. 4 seed Alabama (West Region): The Crimson Tide know how to score points. A lot of points. Almost to the point where they nearly forget to play defense. They play one of the fastest games in the nation and could force North Carolina to stumble.

(L to R): McNeese State, Samford, and New Mexico could be bracket-busters this season

The Upsets

No need to go too heavy with upset picks in your bracket, but it's good to have one or two in your selections (or more, we don't judge). Here are some suggestions for the teams likely to have their own Cinderella story.

15-seed over 2 seed: Long Beach State over Arizona They rarely ever happen, but the story behind Long Beach State is compelling enough to write about. The Beach are led by Dan Monson - one of the people that helped build Gonzaga into what they are before jumping ship to Minnesota at one of the most inopportune times (as they got hit with sanctions). After being at LBSU since 2007, the school announced he would be fired once the season ends. They won the Big West championship and made the tournament. Let's see if the story rolls on.

14-seed over 3 seed: Morehead State over Illinois Yes, we did just say that Illinois is a wildcard team. But, we're trying to pick one upset for each seed matchup and this is the most likely of all of them. Morehead State's offense is slow. Like, really slow. Like, 356th slowest offense out of 362 teams slow. If that grinding pace can eat at Illinois, there could be an interesting upset there.

13-seed over 4-seed: Samford over Kansas  There's something really wrong with Kansas this year. After being seen as one of the favorites for the title, the team was exposed for a lack of depth outside their starting five. Add to that the fact that stars Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar are injured and that compounds the issue. Samford's a fast team that shoots the ball really well and is top-ten in steals nationally. Take a long think before picking Kansas.

12-seed over 5-seed: McNeese State over Gonzaga  A 5-12 upset is one of the most common in the NCAA Tournament and there are truly some juicy picks here (see also: James Madison over Wisconsin and Grand Canyon over Saint Mary's). But we're going with McNeese State over Gonzaga. The Cowboys are solid on both sides of the court and are great at forcing turnovers. It could cause problems for the Bulldogs.

11-seed over 6-seed: New Mexico over Clemson  This is one of the few matchups where advanced analytics will tell you the underdog seed is actually better than the favorite. New Mexico comes out of the Mountain West Conference, one of the toughest groups of teams this year. The Lobos are strong on both sides of the floor and matchup well with the Tigers.