Selection Sunday is in two days, with the tournament scheduled to tip off on Tuesday. In between those two dates, however, millions across the country will be filling in their brackets, placing bets and frantically doing last minute research. Instead of crunching for info right after the field of 68 is announced, here are a few tips to remember when you make your picks.

Pick upsets wisely. A 14 seed has only won three out of 40 matchups in the last 1o years, while a 15 seed has not won since 2001 and a 16 seed has never won. However, a 13 seed has won in each of the last four years, including twice in 2008 and a total of eight times in the last decade. Seven 12 seeds have also pulled upsets in the last four years alone. That does not automatically mean a 13 or 12 seed is guaranteed to win this year but they are probably going to be a much safer pick if you’re itching to pencil in an upset or two. One likely lower seeded team that many will feel comfortable picking is South Dakota State, featuring Nate Wolters, junior guard, who quietly averaged 21.5 points per game this season.

The Big East’s quantity may not equal their quality: The Big East Conference has been the standard for elite college basketball for the past few seasons, as is evident by its 11 tournament bids last season. However, nine of those 11 teams went home the first weekend and the Big East was suddenly being dubbed the “Little East” or “Big Least.” Even the teams that did advance to the Sweet Sixteen (no. 11 Marquette and no. 3 Connecticut) had to beat other Big East teams to get there (Marquette downed no. 3 Syracuse, while Connecticut beat no. 6 Cincinnati). The Big East is due to have the most teams qualify for the big dance again this year, likely with another double-digit number. The conference could and should fair better in the tournament this year, but it may be wise to remember last year’s lackluster performance when thinking about how far you want your Big East teams to advance.

Experience counts: Even though they are 30-1, the Murray State Racers face a lot of scrutiny for playing in a weak conference. Regardless of their record or unimpressive schedule, Murray State won a tournament game just two years ago with some of the same core players that they have now. Wichita State is another team that features a deep roster of upper classmen, all of whom experienced the Shocker’s NIT championship run last year. Freshmen are not a sure loss, but senioritis does not exist in the tournament. That fact might be enough to sway a pick.

Focus on the big picture: All four number one seeds have only made the Final Four once, in 2008. It’s likely one or two will go down at some point. Don’t get too ridiculous, though. The Final Four is worth more points than the early rounds in most formats. The end result is what matters most.

Alternate Strategy: Look at the matchup and decide which of the two mascots would win in a fight. This can be vexing and mind boggling, especially with matchups like last year’s championship game between a Huskie and a Bulldog.