FAQs

What source are the point spreads taken from?

Generally we pull the point spreads from CBS Sports. The point spreads for all games in a given day are locked in at the same time earlier that day or the day prior.

What happens if the game is a pick (i.e., neither team is favored)?

In that scenario, the participant owning the winning team will move on with that same team.

Is it possible to capture the tournament champion?

Absolutely! The unique aspect of this pool is consistent throughout the entire tournament. If your team is the underdog in the title game, you can win by either winning the game outright or capturing the national champion if the favored team does not cover the spread.

How will my teams be assigned to me?

We use a randomizing team assignment algorithm for this. For the "Standard Eight Bracket" format, you'll get eight total teams, two of them from each region, one from the top half of the region, one from the bottom half of the region, and none of your teams will share the same seed.

Has anyone ever lost all of their teams in their first games?

Since this site went live, in 2013, it has only occured six total times. To put that into perspective, 1% of participants have been skunked.

Has anyone ever owned all four of the Final Four team?

This has never happened... Yet. On a couple of occasions a participant has had 3 out of the 4 teams remaining.

How does the Capture Pool handle the extra four teams who make the tournament (effective 2011)?

Bracket participants are assigned a seed in each bracket. If there will be a play-in game for a team to get to the typical 64-team backet, the Bracket participant will automatically be assigned the winner of the play-in game.

Can a participant have more than one entry?

Yes and no. You can participate in as many brackets as you'd like. However, you cannot have two entries in the same bracket.

How will I know who my teams are? Is it easy for me to keep track of my teams throughout the tournament?

That is the great thing about this pool. You don’t have to do anything! Participants will find out who their teams are right through this website; just check out the Bracket details page. Also, throughout the tournament, be sure to log-in and follow your teams. This site will have in-game updates on scores, automatically updated Bracket & Tournament pages, and will feature the ability to smack-talk your competitors right from the site.

Why should I play at all if I might be randomly assigned all low seeded teams. Worded another way - Is it bad to have low seeded teams?

Some may argue that it is better to have at least a couple low seeded teams as opposed to four #1’s. In the first couple rounds, the point spreads are significant. A #2 versus #15 seed matchup might have a spread of 26.5 points. So, that #2 seed may win big, as expected (e.g., 20 points), but can still easily be captured. As the tournament progresses, the point spreads shrink, making it tougher to capture. The point spreads level the entire playing field from the first tip to the final buzzer.

What was the highest number of Captures in one tournament?

In 2017, there were 22 Captures (almost 36% of the games). The number varies year over year, but the capture is definitely the most exciting part of this pool (hence the name).

How do I set my picture like others I've seen around the site?

The Capture Pool will automatically pull your Gravatar image and display it on multiple pages here. Feel free to sign up there, associate the same email address you have on file here, and upload your favorite image to then see it around the Capture Pool here.