March is finally here. For some that means the onset of spring, and for others that means the continuation of our dark and dreary Chicago weather. But there’s something else in March that never fails to lift our spirits. Only for a few days, though, because soon after our spirits are crushed again while we desperately try to piece together the shambles that remain of our once perfect brackets. Yes, you know what I’m talking about: March Madness.

The NCAA basketball tournament, for most, is much more than just a tournament. I know this because my mother and twin brother spend months studying, speculating and analyzing every team in an attempt to form a perfect bracket. They’re not alone either: the American Gaming Association estimated 70 million brackets were completed in 2016 alone. There is something so compelling about creating a perfect bracket, and one could spend days, weeks, even months creating it. Yet the odds of ever being successful are 9 quintillion to one. Because of this, no man or computer has ever accomplished this feat. So, here is my advice for 2017.

Forget what you know about rankings. Think of them more as a guideline. But relying on them for your decisions is cardinal mistake number one. These rankings are based on season games. And yes, sometimes this can shed some light on the talent and consistency a team might possess. But there is no scale to measure heart, hustle, discipline and even something as thinly defined as luck. March Madness is where magic happens, and I’m sure if you ask anyone who chose Middle Tennessee State, a No. 15 seed, over Michigan State, a No. 2 seed, they’ll agree. After all, this was the matchup that shattered the hopes of millions in just the first round of the 2016 tournament.

Avoid sending all one seeds to the final four. First of all, that’s just boring, and second of all, it’s foolish. Out of the four one seeds in every tournament, one is guaranteed to crack under the pressure. (I hesitate to say guarantee because, well, there simply are no guarantees in the month of March.) Still, in the last 30 years, only once has every one seed made it to the finals. There’s a reason for this. March Madness is a time for underdogs. This month of madness has enough power to lift even the lowest of rankings to the top, and that has been proven time and time again with the final four consisting of No. 11 seed George Mason in 2006, or No. 11 seed VCU in 2011, or No. 9 seed Wichita State in 2013. There is absolutely no telling what March will bring come tourney time.

Lastly, don’t waste your time studying. March Madness fanatic Andy Dieckhoff devoted over a decade of his life towards a basketball ranking system that never once proved successful. My own brother dedicated months studying basketball only to have me, one with very limited knowledge on current team statuses, beat him in the family pool. Kiely Kruse ‘17 won her dad’s entire work pool on the basis of which team had cuter school colors. So, there really is no algorithm. There is no right or wrong. There’s only gut feelings and intuition, and in a lot of cases just pure luck. So next time you’re stuck between a No. 8 seed and a No. 9 seed, choose the one whose mascot is more likely to win in a fight. This strategy could just win you the entire pool.

Selection Sunday will take place on March 12 this year and games will begin on March 14. In this time I encourage you to rest up, hydrate and prepare for magic to happen. Or, if we’re being honest, the madness.