Chicagoist Tournament Challenge

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is right around the corner! After conference tournaments conclude this weekend, the official brackets for this year's March Madness will be released Sunday evening.

We'll all then spend most of Monday and Tuesday filling out dozens brackets until one feels just right -- the perfect mix of first round upsets, a Cinderella team in the Elite Eight and Final Four match-ups we've waited all season to see. Of course, it'll look perfect on paper only until the games begin.

Think you've got what it takes to pick the best bracket? You'll once again have a chance to prove your hardwood superiority by competing against other Chicagoist readers and Chicagoist staff in the Chicagoist Tournament Challenge.

To participate, go to ESPN's Tournament Challenge and either register or sign-in. Create an entry and then search for the Chicagoist Group. The password to join is: chicagoist.

Last year, D. Sandell beat out 64 other entries to take home the Chicagoist Tournament Challenge prize. There once again will be some sort of awesome prize awarded to the reader with the best score, so please limit yourself to one entry. We'll announce the winner on the site the day after the championship game.