Madness — it’s upon us. This time of year is unlike any other. The story lines, each one fresh and authentic. The drama, the full range of emotion is on display. Lastly, the action. Oh, the action. The NCAA basketball tournament has it all, and it never fails to disappoint.

The only way to absorb all of this is to fully engage, so you better find a TV or two, a couch and your hopefully not already busted bracket and hunker down.

Haven’t watched much basketball all year? Fear not, the tournament is designed for the casual fan. To the dismay of hardcore fans, the announcers will fill you in on everything you missed throughout the season. At this point, you should latch on to a team or a player that is in no way associated with state of North Carolina, more specifically Duke and ‘Coach K.’ (They made an entire documentary on why people hate Duke and it’s totally justified.)

Myself, I would pick Ron Baker from the Wichita State Shockers. Not only is ‘Shockers’ one of the best mascots in the tournament, trailing only ‘Seawolves’ and ‘Jackrabbits,’ old man Ron has literally been in college for eight years. Being the big man on campus for just one year would be enough for me, but Ron has been the man for eight years. Must be nice. (OK, it’s not actually eight years, but it might as well have been.)

Filling out a bracket is a time-honored tradition come tournament time. Sorry I wasn’t there to help you fill yours out, hopefully you picked the correct 12 seeds, and hopefully you entered a pool to really test your skills. And while gambling is illegal, a couple of dollars never hurt anyone.

Back to the bracket, it’s all about the trash talk. All you need to do is win one key matchup and start name-dropping. “Yeah I was going to pick Baylor, but I thought Makai Mason might be too much for them.” You’ll sound like a genius.

Nobody needs to know that you haven’t watched an Ivy league basketball game in your entire life, let alone this season. And trust me, no one blames you. If you pick the correct champion you should at least be in the hunt to win the pool and the compliments of your friends, because dollars would be immoral.

Enjoy the tournament while you can, and don’t rip your bracket up when you lose. It’s only a couple of bucks (I mean compliments) anyway.