'There's going to be some dark horses': The art of filling out a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket

BALTIMORE - March Madness tips off shortly.

If you haven't done so already, there is still time to fill out a bracket. 

WJZ's Alex Glaze went around asking people for some tips to filling out the perfect bracket. 

"My strategy would be to fill out as many as you can," said Joe Adams, from Cockeysville.

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Is a perfect bracket even a reasonable expectation? 

Whether you believe in multiple brackets, or one bracket, the odds of picking a perfect bracket are not in your favor. 

Nobody has ever predicted a perfect bracket, but that could all change this year.

If you've never filled out a bracket before, know that you don't even have to be a sports fan to have a strong bracket. 

"You're better off just going with numbers. Forget the teams, just pick numbers," said Mike Howard, from Perry Hall.

Next to every team on the bracket is a number.

That number represents the seeding that team is in their region. But seedings can be misleading. 

"Take a 12 over a 5, it happens every year," Howard said. "Stay away from the favorites, but a No. 1 is going to make it to the final, only one number one, probably."

"There's going to be some dark horses," Adams said. "We're hoping one of the one seeds gets knocked off by a 16, like UVa.-UMBC."

Upsets are the name of the game in the NCAA Tournament.

Anything can happen in March Madness. 

"The only year I ever won one was when Maryland won it all because I took them to win," Howard said.

"I don't think I'm filling out a perfect bracket, but I'm always happy if my local loyalties go well," said Dave White, from Cecil County. "I'm always cheering for Maryland. They've got a tough draw this year."

Maryland plays the first game of the tournament, at 12:15 p.m. Thursday on WJZ.