Image via Complex Original
25. Above The Rim
That's where the players in all this Madness want to be, tongues wagging, about to throw down a poster-worthy dunk. But bartenders know that the rim of martini glass can also be where it's at, if you've got a good palate and a little finesse. For a bracket alternative, try matching up classic cocktails, improved with a little something-something right at the edge. You could try salt, sugar, chocolate syrup, the sweat off your headband... get creative!
24. Lace ’Em Up
College uniforms tend to come with standards for footwear, but some ballers will always find a way to beat the system. Keep track of who has the sickest kicks in the tournament, and create the Sweet Sixteen of ill sneakers.
23. The Upset Special
Another great side game is to pick the upsets only. Let everyone select one low seed to knock off a high seed in each round. You might want to consider weighing the odds when determining the prizes, though; UCLA might come in as a 12, but they're not likely to play like one.
22. Don't Cry Out Loud
What would sports be without the human interest angle? As the tournament moves on, keep a log of all the tearjerking stories run during pre-game and halftime. Then create a special bracket based on who had the worst childhood.
21. Better Refs at Foot Locker
No game is immune to bad officiating. For every ridiculous call, take a shot. As the games progress, every call will seem like the worst call you've ever seen.
20. It's Dickie V Baby!
The legendary announcer has coined numerous phrases used to describe the college game, including Diaper Dandy (great freshman player), PTP (a prime time player) and Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roo (awesome dunk). A complete list can be found on Vitale's website. Hand these out to guests and offer a door prize for who can work the most into casual conversation; eg., I will only make out with a PTP.
19. The Old College Try
So your school isn't in the tournament? That doesn't mean you can't show your spirit. Arrange for various fun activities that pit your guests against one another in the name of their respective alma maters or favorite teams. Activities can include a wing eating contest, a pig-in-a-blanket eating contest or a cupcake eating contest. Activities can also include drinking.
18. Anger Management
Run a side pool on which coach is likely to explode with rage over a bad call during his game. Bonus points can be given for a button popping off his shirt, a chair being thrown, his face literally turning purple, or an all-out coronary.
17. So You Think You Can Cheer
This one requires a little homework, but it's well worth it. Present your guests with profiles on the respective cheering squads for all tournament favorites. Then present the scenario that the earth is going to explode in approximately ten minutes, and there is room for only one of these squads on the last space ship bound for the moon. Now that's a bracket.
16. Raffle House
For a quick and easy side game, have people pay a buck to draw a team name out of a hat. The teams appear in the hat according to their seed, so a #16 would be in there 16 times, while a #1 appears only once. At the end of the tournament, the person(s) holding the winner gets the pot.
15. And 1
This is the term for when a player is granted a free throw after a made basket, due to a foul incurred during the act of shooting. It's a good thing. Have an And 1 tournament of your own by seeing who can improve upon a classic cocktail by adding just one ingredient.
14. Who's The Man (or Woman)?
In any protracted tournament like this one, you need some clear indicator as to who is ahead at any given point. Your party needs an item of clothing that the current points leader can rock during his or her moment in the sun. Just think the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. In this instance, might we suggest a velvet smoking jacket with solid gold lapels?
13. Regionalisms
When it comes to picking the menu for your gathering, why not go with the four regions of the tournament. The West, East, Southeast and Southwest all offer a wide variety of food and drink options. And if you're trying to get people to root in a certain direction, you can stick all the good stuff there.
12. I Just Pick the Cutest Uniforms
Every year some chick says it, usually as she's taking your money. Test this time-honored tradition by filling out a bracket based on your opinion of the team uniforms. Then compare this bracket to your real one just to confirm that you not only know nothing about basketball, but you have no taste to boot.
11. Slam Dunk Contest
This is entirely self-explanatory. Just be sure the rim is low, and the ice packs are handy.
10. Flying Coach
Have your guests dress as their favorite sideline general, past or present. Some examples would include a white wig and red sweater for Bobby Knight, a velour Jordan track suit for Bob Huggins, or a pinky ring and money clip containing several thousand dollars in unmarked bills for Rick Pitino.
9. Where the F%&k is IUPUI?
This tournament is as much about the schools as it is the basketball. Provide your guests with trivia on all the schools in the field of 64. Who knows, maybe you'll have a new school to root for once you learn the jello shot was invented there.
8. Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
Feeling like the tournament is a little too tame? Create a bracket containing all your party guests, seeded according to fighting prowess, and place your bets on who wins in a cage match. A hypothetical cage match. Yeah, totally hypothetical. Unless you have a cage handy.
7. Pop A Shot
Legend has it that Michael Jordan once held his kid's birthday party at a Chicago pizzeria that had a Pop-A-Shot game, the ultimate arcade basketball classic (all due respect to NBA Jam). A busboy challenged him to a match, and Jordan, ever the competitor, agreed. At the end of a minute, the score read Jordan 44, Busboy 45. Hersey Hawkins later held his kid's party at the same pizzeria, and the busboy wiped him out, telling him "don't feel bad, I beat Jordan." All you need to recreate this hoops fairy tale is a basket, a ball, a stop watch and a world-renowned basketball icon. That last part may be hard to come by, but we're sure you at least have a friend who THINKS he's a world-renowned basketball icon.
6. Cut Down the Cyber Nets
You may not have handled an actual basketball since ninth grade gym class, but stick a game controller in your hand and you're Christian Laettner. Showcase this ability with a video game b-ball tournament playing side by side with the real thing.
5. Academic All-Americans
There is much debate over the relationship between academics and sports in American universities. Unfortunately for academics, sports are just so much cooler. But just for fun, try picking NCAA tournament winners based on average SAT score. Then after you've had a nice chuckle with that one, go watch Memphis beat the living hell out of Princeton.
4. The Trifecta
A three-point shot can be a game-changer. Try having your own tournament to see who can create the best shot using three ingredients. Just be sure to limit the judges' alcohol consumption overall -- you need clear heads in the championship round.
3. Wall of Fame (and Shame)
First thing through the door, everyone must hand over a bracket. This is the real one, the one that's paying for your next pair of Jordans. These brackets are then stuck up on the wall so there will be nowhere to hide for that person who picked Eastern Washington to knock off Duke in Round 1.
2. Must Call Backboard
Games of horse need not be relegated to the driveway. Set up some wacky scenarios in your home, and find out who can bank an olive off the family portrait, through the paper towel roll and into a martini glass.
1. Mascot Mayhem
What if the ten guys on the court all sat down and refused to play? Well, naturally, the tournament would then be decided by the mascots. Fill out a bracket based on who would win in this epic battle royale. Most of these tussles will be straight forward: jayhawk beats giant orange, wildcat beats jayhawk, gator beats wildcat. We're still trying to figure out what that Western Kentucky thing is, but we're pretty sure it's tough.