Ultimate Bracket Challenge supports two types of bracket-based challenges: Traditional and UBC-style.
UBC-style bracket challenge
The UBC-style bracket challenge features a unique twist on filling out a bracket. For pools using this challenge, users do NOT have pick a team to win in all previous rounds in order to select them later on. For example, you can pick the #16 seed to upset the #1 seed in the 1st Round, but can then select the #1 seed to reach the Sweet 16! This allows users more options in filling out their bracket to implement different strategies. They can go upset-heavy in the 1st Round but then return to picking favorites in the later rounds, or if they like two teams from the same region they can pick one team to reach the Final Four and the other to win the championship!
The main site-wide pool, The Ultimate Bracket Championship, uses this challenge. Private pools can also select this challenge for their pool to add some more variety and excitement. We recommend pairing the UBC-style bracket challenge with Market scoring for a truly new and unique challenge for your March Madness pool.
Traditional bracket challenge
The Traditional bracket challenge uses the normal bracket selection that most people are familiar with. In filling out your bracket, you simply select which team to advance. For each subsequent round, each winner can only be chosen from the two winners of the previous round, once you pick a team to lose you can't select them in a later round.
Two of the UBC's public pools use this type of challenge. Any private pool can choose to use this challenge as well.
Ultimate Bracket Challenge supports a wide variety of scoring options. Our signature unique scoring system is our Market-based scoring, while we also support normal scoring systems with a set number of points for each correct pick by round and an array of options for upset and seed-based bonuses.
Market scoring
Ultimate Bracket Challenge's signature scoring system is a market-based system that rewards not just correct picks, but also uncommon picks. For each game, there are a set number of points (default is 100) for the entire pool, and these points are divided up among all entries that correctly picked that game. For example, in a pool of 50 entries, if all 50 correctly pick winner of a game, everyone gets 2 points each. But if just one entry correctly picks a game, they get all 100 points for that game.
Our main site-wide pool, The Ultimate Bracket Championship, utilizes this market-based scoring system. Private pools can also select this option and we recommend pairing it with the UBC-style bracket challenge for a new and unique challenge.
Normal scoring with Upset Bonus options
For those that aren't quite ready for the Market-based scoring, we offer a fully customizable traditional scoring system. You can choose the number of points awarded for each correct pick by round. In addition, there is a variety of options for rewarding riskier picks by giving more points for correct upset picks. These include using the seed of the winning team or the seed difference for an upset pick, applying the bonus to the round points in different ways (adding, multiplying, or replacing), and setting restrictions on which teams or games are eligible for upset bonus points.