How do match-ups/picks advance in the bracket?

Match-ups in the bracket have predetermined rankings determined by data collected by Swift Alert. The players then get to determine which seeds advance by voting for their favorite picks in different tournament rounds.

Each round (ie: the tournament round where all 64 seeds are still in contention), will have the players vote on the song they want to see advance (or, the song they think has the best chance of advancing since that is how points will be scored!) The song that gets the most votes from all players advances in the bracket.

What are seeds and how are they determined?

Tournament “seeds” are a predetermined ranking by the Swift Alert team. For our song tournament, for example, each song gets a “seed” ranked 1 through 16. There are four #1 seeds, which are the top songs in the tournament and theoretically the most likely to advance in the bracket. The #16 seeds are the lowest ranked songs, and may have the toughest time advancing based on predetermined data.

Brackets/seeds are a new concept to me… where can I learn more?

This Wikipedia page is a helpful spot that explains the concept of brackets.

How do I score points?

Points will be awarded after each round based on the songs that advance in the bracket. If you correctly picked the song that advances in the matchup, you will score points! So - when you make your picks, it is up to you whether you want to just stick to your favorites to hope they advance in the bracket, or be strategic and pick the song you think will advance based on the votes coming in from all players.

How do I track my score?

Once the game starts, you will see your submissions live in the app in the “Live” round in Bracket Battle. Once rounds close, shortly after you will see your picks marked correctly or incorrectly throughout the game with the number of points earned!

How many rounds are there and how long are they open?

The number of rounds depends on how big the bracket is, but for a standard bracket field of 64, there will be 7 rounds to participate in:

• Pre-Tournament Round (asks about your overall bracket predictions before the picks start)

• Round 1 (Round of 64 )

• Round 2 (Round of 32)

• Round 3 (Sweet 16)

• Round 4 (Elite 8)

• Round 5 (Final Four)

• Round 6 (Championship)

Rounds will be open for around 24 hours, and you’ll want to participate in as many rounds as possible to score as many points as you can. If you miss a round, that’s okay! You don’t have to participate in each one to be able to play.