By bypassing the Blue Devils for the title, you can differentiate your entry. Duke’s prowess has made it the most popular title pick in ESPN’s bracket contest ( 25 percent of entries as of Tuesday) as well as CBS’s. Not going with Duke to win is a smart pool strategy Mock outlines here — while still collecting points by riding Duke to the finals.

Tip 1: Remember, there's no such thing as a perfect bracket. You're going to be wrong at some point. It's going to happen. It happens to everyone. With that in mind, make your picks with conviction. Trust your gut. There's some skill to this, sure. But most of it is luck. So do your best.