2016 Women's NCAA It’s that time of the year again when everyone works from home so they can sit with their computers in their laps and their eyes on the TV watching college tournament games. And though watching the games is plenty of fun, every year my husband and I ramp up the intensity with a bet. The bracket winner gets an hour massage and more important, bragging rights. (I’m looking forward to ANOTHER massage).

My husband and I are also in a bracket where losers owe winners a drink. My friend and her family fill out their brackets and the winner gets their request granted from the rest of the family. Maybe sister has to play games all day with winning brother, mom cooks favorite dinner and dessert for winning daughter, this fun competition gives another good reason to gather as a family and have fun.

I’m not good about keep up with the college teams during the season. (In the past I was always busy coaching, and this year I was watching the team that I used to coach, my son’s high school team and my daughter’s college team, so I didn’t have a lot of extra watching time.) So, I have to admit my picks are pretty arbitrary. I often choose my teams by names of colleges that are more familiar, teams that I remember watching in the past. Sometimes it’s by their mascot. Sometimes I’ve seen a team play once and liked either the coach or the way they played defense. And sometimes I choose an underdog, just because.

With high school, and most college, seasons over, it’s time to dive in and enjoy a little March Madness! And even though it’s Friday today, it’s not too late to grab a friend, design your own challenge, print out some blank brackets (below), and ramp up the fun with a bet.

Go Huskies! Go Ducks!

Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket (SBNation.com)

Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket (NCAA.com)