The Registration Process
Each player must complete the registration process to become eligible to play. The registration is a simple process that involves age and email verification, contact information, screen name creation, and password selection. Once you create a username (your email address), choose a password, and select your screen name, you will then be given the opportunity to play the Bracket Challenge game.

Tournament Information
The Men's NCAA College Basketball Tournament runs from the first Thursday of tournamet games through the championship game, which is typically, the first Monday in April. On "Selection Sunday", the NCAA Selection Committee will announce the bracket pairings for the first round games. There will be "play-in" games before the field of 64 teams start play on Thursday. The winners of these games qualify for the final spots in the Men's NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Shortly after the play-in games have completed, the system will have the complete bracket pairings available for all players. At that time, each player will be allowed to login and make their selections for the entire bracket for the Bracket Challenge.

The Bracket Challenge (Pick In Advance) Game
All of the Bracket Challenge picks will be displayed for selection on 1 page. This makes it easy for the player to see things on the whole. Once logged in, you can view your Bracket Challenge bracket, view an updated bracket (with the actual winners). Anyone who makes a confirmed perfect (all picks correct) bracket in advance of the tournament matching all of the actual tournament winners will receive "the prize" or a split portion of "the prize" if multiple people win.

Making Selections

• Each player will be allowed to make picks 24/7 leading up to the scheduled tip-off of the first game of the first round.
• Once the first game has started for the tournament, you will not be able to make selections.
• Making your selections is extremely easy.
• For every match, there will be two teams available to be selected.
• Simply choose the team you think will win the match and select the team from the selection options for that game.
• Predict the answer to the tie breaker question, listed on the "picks" page.
• Upon selecting all the games, you can then click on the "Save Picks" button.
• You will get a message that also confirms your selections with a time/date stamp.
• You can see your confirmed picks for the whole tournament by clicking on the "View / Print Picks" link on the picks page.

Scoring
All of the players playing in the Bracket Challenge game will use the same scoring method. Each round has a specified point value for correct winning selections. (See the Scoring Method section above.) Each Player will have point score for every round, and a total point score (this is the total points earned for all rounds in the tournament). Players are ranked according to their cumulative point score. Players are ranked on the standings page, which can be accessed via the "Standings" link at the top of most pages on the website. The player with the most points at the end of the Bracket Challenge will win game.

Selecting Teams Close To The Deadline
Any player attempting to make team selections close to the deadline, risks the chance of not getting in his/her changes on time. We are not responsible for late entries, server congestion, faulty Internet connections, etc., which may cause the changes to your roster to not be made.

Special Reserved Rights
Any player caught or suspected of system tampering, game interference or breaking our terms and conditions, may be removed without refund from the site at any time and without notice. Sponsor also reserves the right to pursue legal and criminal action upon those member(s).

Winning The Bracket Challenge Game
Players are ranked according to their cumulative point score. The player with the most points at the end of the game (See the schedule) wins. The player with the highest number of cumulative points at the end of the season wins the grand prize (if stated or offered). In the event of a tie between two (2) or more entries, the winning entry will be determined by the following tiebreakers, in order of listing:

Tiebreaker #1 - Closest predicted score of championship game (Either total for game or for each team, depending on the contest selection.)

Tiebreaker #2 - Earliest datestamp of picks

In all cases, an entry that does not win a tiebreaker is eliminated from consideration. Odds of winning prizes depend on the total number of eligible entries received and the relative College Hoops knowledge of all entrants.

Important Winner Information
All prize winners may be required to submit valid identification including their photo, social security number, and legal identification to Sponsor and to execute an affidavit of eligibility and a liability/publicity release within thirty (30) days following first attempted notification. They will also be required complete tax Form 1099-M in order to comply with Federal and State tax laws. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and awarding of the prize to the entrant with the next highest score. Contestants agree to Sponsor's use of their names and likeness for advertising and publicity purposes, without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners. Prizes are not transferable and must be accepted as awarded, no cash equivalents, no substitutes.

It is the responsibility of the Entrant to keep all mailing and e-mail information up-to-date and accurate. Winners should allow up to 6-8 weeks after they return their signed, notarized affidavit to receive their prize. Prize is not transferable. No prize substitution except at Sponsor's sole discretion due to prize unavailability for any reason and only then for prize of comparable value. Sponsor reserves the right to award the actual cash equivalent of any prize in lieu of the prize itself. Prize returned as undeliverable or otherwise not claimed within fourteen (14) days after being sent will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. All entries will be declared made by the registered user of the e-mail address.

By accepting a prize, the winner grants permission to Sponsor and Promoter (which permission shall be confirmed in writing upon the request of Sponsor and/or Promoter) to use their names, photographs, likeness, voices, prize information and/or biographical information for publicity, advertising, trade and promotional purposes at any time or times, worldwide and on the World Wide Web without further compensation, or notice, review or approval, unless prohibited by law. If a winner is disqualified, an alternate winner will be selected. Sponsor is only obligated to contact a single alternate. In all instances in which Sponsor notifies, or seeks to deliver a prize to or otherwise attempts to contact an alternate winner, if such alternate winner is unavailable or disqualified or if the prize is returned as undeliverable, within the time frames otherwise allotted for the initially selected="selected" winner, then Sponsor may choose either not to award the prize or to donate it to another person or entity, in its sole discretion.

ENTRANTS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SPONSOR, PROMOTER AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENCIES HAVE NEITHER MADE NOR ARE IN ANY MANNER RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION OR GUARANTEE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, RELATIVE TO ANY PRIZE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ITS QUALITY. EXCEPT FOR A STANDARD LIMITED WARRANTY THAT THE PRIZE MANUFACTURER MAY INCLUDE WITH THE PRIZE. THE PRIZE IS AWARDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE). This may be printed and read at your convenience.

Notification
Winners will be notified by e-mail or regular mail within 30 (30) days after the date the winners are determined and may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and acceptance of these legal restrictions and a publicity/liability release (unless prohibited by law) within fifteen (15) days following attempted notification. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any prize notification returned as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

This Game may not be used in connection with any form of gambling. The Game is strictly for entertainment purposes only.

Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected on-line entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. Sponsor reserves the right to halt or modify the contest at any time during the contest period if events beyond their control compromise the contest's fairness or integrity. In the event that a scheduled game is canceled or preempted for any reason, no points will be awarded for that day on the affected basketball teams.

Sponsor is not responsible for typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of this contest, including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of the winner or the distribution of the prizes.

Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the contest, refuse to award points or prizes, and require the return of any prizes, if entrant engages in any conduct Sponsor deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the contest or detrimental to other entrants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during contest registration or prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points or prizes through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points or prizes, tampering with Sponsor's administration of this promotion, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, recompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on this Web site. Entrant further acknowledges that the forfeiture of prize(s) and/or return of any prize(s) shall in no way prevent Sponsor from pursuing other avenues of recourse such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct.

Sponsor reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the contest. This contest is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NCAA or any NCAA basketball team. This is a skill contest designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in Sponsor contests and college basketball. This contest may not be used for any form of gambling.

Internet Problems
If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, terrorism, work stoppage, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. In such event, Sponsor further reserves the right to award prizes to the players with the most points as of the termination date.

Technology Problems
Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. Sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this contest.

Conduct and Decisions
By participating in the Contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor personnel. Persons who violate any rule, gain unfair advantage in participating in the Contest, or obtain winner status using fraudulent means will be disqualified. Unsportsmanlike, disruptive, annoying, harassing or threatening behavior is prohibited. The Sponsor will interpret these rules and resolve any disputes, conflicting claims or ambiguities concerning the rules or the Contest and the Sponsor's decisions concerning such disputes shall be final. If the conduct or outcome of the Contest is affected by human error, any mechanical malfunctions or failures of any kind, intentional interference or any event beyond the control of the Sponsor, the Sponsor reserves the right to terminatethis Contest, or make such other decisions regarding the outcome as the Sponsor deems appropriate. All decisions will be made by the Sponsor and are final. The Sponsor may waive any of these rules in its sole discretion. ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTESTANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY CIRCUMVENT, DISRUPT OR DAMAGE ORDINARY AND NORMAL OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST, TELEPHONE SYSTEMS OR WEBSITE, OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, COMPANY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PARTICIPATE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

In the event that any legal or regulatory authority challenges the contest, Sponsor reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, Sponsor shall have no liability to any players who are disqualified due to such an action.

Additional Information
Prizes will only be awarded to entries whose accounts are paid in full if applicable. Winners of $600 or more during a calendar year must furnish a Social Security Number before payment is issued. Any delinquent account over 14 days will be dropped from the league. Any entry that is incomplete, late, does not include a validly issued User ID will be disqualified. You must be 13 years or older to participate.

Sponsor reserves the right to use all entrants' names for publicity. Winners automatically grant to Sponsor, and their affiliated businesses and sponsors, the right to use their name and likeness in advertising and promotion of this event without further permission or compensation. Residents of Missouri are not required to comply with the terms of this paragraph.

Email Change Of Address Policy
It is the sole responsibility of the Entrant to notify the Sponsor if his or her email address changes.

Disclaimer
Sponsor, and this Web site, are in no way connected with, affiliated with or endorsed by the NCAA, or any of its affiliated teams, players, or players union. All references to any professional basketball name or term is purely nominative and not intended to imply connection affiliation or endorsement.

Pooltracker addendum

Scoring Disputes
Pooltracker will post the scores shortly after every "playing day" in every round, unless unforeseen complications arise. Scoring disputes must be emailed to [email protected] 24 hours prior to start of each round. Any disputes arriving after this time will not be addressed. All scores are final following the start of the next round. Pooltracker reserves the right to deny any scoring inaccuracies at any time due to circumstances beyond our control. It is each player's responsibility to confirm their own selections.

Winning Strategy
There is a great deal of strategy that goes into the game of the BRACKET CHALLENGE. No one strategy has proven to be the best. Some players wish to select their favorite teams. Some players will want to pick the highest ranked teams to meet in the finals. There are many different strategies that have won. College Hoops is a great sport, so whatever your strategy, remember to have fun and enjoy the game.

Special Reserved Rights
Any player caught or suspected of system tampering, game interference or breaking our terms and conditions, may be removed without refund from the site at any time and without notice. Pooltracker also reserves the right to pursue legal and criminal action upon those member(s). This Game may not be used in connection with any form of gambling. The Game is strictly for entertainment purposes only. Pooltracker is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected on-line entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. Pooltracker reserves the right to halt or modify the contest at any time during the contest period if events beyond their control compromise the contest's fairness or integrity. In the event that a scheduled game is canceled or preempted for any reason, no points will be awarded for that day on the affected basketball teams. Pooltracker is not responsible for typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of this contest, including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of the winner or the distribution of the prizes, if prizes are offered.

Internet Problems
If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, terrorism, work stoppage, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Pooltracker which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, Pooltracker reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest.

Technology Problems
Pooltracker assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. Pooltracker is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this contest. ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTESTANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY CIRCUMVENT, DISRUPT OR DAMAGE ORDINARY AND NORMAL OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST, TELEPHONE SYSTEMS OR WEBSITE, OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, COMPANY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PARTICIPATE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Telephone and Delivery Disclaimer
Participants are restricted to use of ordinary and typical computer equipment and Internet access. The Company disclaims all liability for the inability of a participant to complete or continue an entry due to equipment malfunction, busy lines, inadvertent disconnections, acts beyond the Company's control, or otherwise. The Company disclaims any liability for received entries due to technical difficulties or transmission errors. The Company disclaims all liability for any delays, misdelivery, loss, or failure in the delivery of any item sent by mail, courier, express, electronic transmission, or other delivery method. The Company is not responsible for mechanical, technical, electronic, communications, telephone, computer, hardware or software errors, malfunctions or failures of any kind, including: failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed transmission of online entries, traffic congestion on telephone lines, the Internet or at any website or lost or unavailable network connections which may limit an online entrant's ability to participate in the Contest, and any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in or downloading any information necessary to participate in the Contest.

Disclaimer
Pooltracker, and this Web site, are in no way connected with, affiliated with or endorsed by the NCAA, or any of its affiliated teams, players, or players union. All references to any professional basketball name or term is purely nominative and not intended to imply connection affiliation or endorsement.