10 steps to building the perfect March Madness bracket

Looking to build the perfect March Madness bracket? Look no further! 

Bracket Fever is easily one of the most intriguing phenomena in sports, bringing together college hoops die-hards and people who haven't seen a sporting event in their lives. And while the odds of building a perfect bracket are astronomical - 1 in 9.2 quintillion, to be precise - that doesn't discourage tens of millions of people from trying.

Here's a handy guide on how to build the perfect bracket using 30 years' worth of tournament stats, compiled nicely in the Washington Post's interactive bracket and tournament history:

1) Favor the favorites - but not all of them

Of the 960 games played in the Round of 64, teams seeded 1-8 have won 75 percent of the time. Broken down another way, if you choose only favorites on the opening Thursday and Friday, you'll probably end up making around 24 correct picks - good enough to rank in the top half of most tournament pools, but probably not at the top - and nowhere near perfect.

2) Take at least one really long shot early on

The lowest of low seeds occasionally pull off a Round-of-64 stunner. Teams ranked 13-16 win their opening games roughly 10 percent of the time. This is where the majority of brackets are busted; it's exceedingly difficult to know which low seed is going to strike, but every year at least one of them does. Keep that in mind as you build your bracket.

3) Believing in the power of 12

Building a perfect bracket requires embracing certain statistical anomalies - and the success of the No. 12 seeds is chief among them. The 12-hole has prevailed a whopping 37 percent of the time in Round-of-64 matchups - and eight times in the previous three tournaments alone. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but dismiss the trend at your peril.

4) 8 vs. 9 is the toss-uppiest of toss-ups

If you get to the part of the bracket where No. 8 faces No. 9 and you feel like it's a coin-flip choice, it pretty much is. The 9-seed has an ever-so-slight 61-59 advantage over the previous 30 years, though the 8-seed is 8-4 over the past three years. This is probably the trickiest part of the bracket to navigate - so get your coin ready.

5) Midnight doesn't always strike in the Round of 32...

Is it momentum? Team chemistry? Dumb luck? Whatever the reason, lower-seeded teams that somehow pull off the upset in the Round of 64 aren't exactly easy outs over the weekend. Teams seeded 9-16 reach the Sweet 16 approximately 32 percent of the time following their first-round victories. So don't be afraid to take that long shot of yours one round further.

6) ... but it does in the Sweet 16

This is where things tend to even out. Teams in the 9-16 range are just 12-53 against teams seeded 1-8 in the Sweet 16 - likely the product of increased preparation time on the part of the favored school. No team seeded worse than eighth has beaten a team ranked better than ninth in the Sweet 16 since No. 10 Davidson's stunning victory over No. 3 Wisconsin in 2008.

7) When in doubt, bet on the SEC in the Sweet 16

Southeastern Conference teams have dominated the Sweet 16 of late, going 13-4 over the past 10 years. The four losses include an 85-84 win by No. 1 Ohio State over No. 5 Tennessee in 2007 and a two-point victory by No. 2 Michigan over No. 11 Tennessee last year. SEC teams are far and away the most successful at this stage of the tourney.

8) Be wary of No. 1s in the Elite 8

It's hard to bet against a No. 1 seed reaching the Final Four, but determining which ones will make it to Indianapolis is tricky. Top-seeded teams find the competition much fiercer in the Elite 8, and are just 48-34 in those games since 1985. While you'll still hit more than half the time by banking on a No. 1, it's far from a slam dunk (pun intended). 

9) Better teams (usually) reach the title game

The best have risen to the occasion when the tournament reaches Indiana. Of the 45 Final Four matchups featuring non-identical seeds, the higher seed has gone 28-17 - and while last year's stunning wins by No. 7 Connecticut and No. 8 Kentucky provide food for thought, they're almost certainly outliers. Trust the stronger teams at this point in the tourney.

10) Picking the champion is easy as 1, 2, 3

A No. 1, 2 or 3 seed has won the national championship 26 times in the tournament's 30-year history - so unless you're looking to buck the odds big-time, it would be wise to stick to a top-three team when picking a winner. But bear in mind that No. 1s have faced off for the championship just six times - so don't be too much of a slave to the seeding.