It’s that time of year again, March Madness is upon us. We are tired of hearing about “body of work,” “good wins”, “bad losses”, and of course, “RPIs”, “résumés” and the “dreaded bubble”. Now that the field of 68 has been announced, how the teams got in doesn’t matter, but the excitement of filling out your bracket does.

Welcome to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and some free games you can play. There are many different sites online where you can submit your picks and have a chance to win some great prizes. The old saying goes, “You have to be in it to win it”, so this article will provide you with some links to the most popular sites, and as always followed by great recipe: This time it’s Stout-Braised Short Ribs. Just in time for St. Pat’s.

Playing in a tournament challenge is simple. All you have to do is select who you think will win each of the 63 tournament games that take place. For each game you get right, you earn points. The point value for a correct pick increases with each round of the tournament, culminating with the championship game. Once you’ve made your selections, all you do is sit back, relax and pull for your picks to survive and advance.

Considering the unpredictable nature of the tournament every year, you certainly don’t have to be a college basketball savant to be successful. It’s a fun and easy game to play against friends, family and coworkers. You’ll see the seeds on the bracket, which will give you a better idea of which teams are expected to advance in each round. But don’t be too influenced by those numbers next to each team, because upsets happen every year, and picking the right ones is what separates the haves from the have-nots in Tournament Challenge.

It’s your bracket. Pick whichever teams you want. Want to be bold and take a huge underdog to reach the Final Four? If you know someone who took Butler or VCU to get that far in 2011, it’s likely they’ll never let you forget it, just don’t let people persuade you to go crazy with upsets.

Here are the most popular free games on the internet

2015 NCAA Tournament Contests

 (click on the name for direct link)

- Most Popular -

Yahoo! Tournament Pick ‘em

NCAA.com

Fox Sports $1,000,000.00 Challenge

ESPN Tournament Challenge

CBS Sports Bracket Challenge

Other CBS SPORTS Bracket Games

NBC Sports – It’s Madness

Jiffy Tickets NCAA Bracket Challenge

Athlon Sports Bracket Breakdown

March Madnet Hoops Challenge

March Madness LIVE!

Click Here to watch all the games online

Top of Page

“Other” Tournament Games

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Stout-Braised Short Ribs

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil
6 boneless short ribs (10 to 12 ounces each)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
3 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups chocolate stout or other dark beer
Creamy Grits, for serving

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil until shimmering.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and add 3 of them to the casserole.

Cook over moderate heat, turning, until well browned all over, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining ribs.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the casserole.

Add the onion and carrot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

Add the beef stock and beer and bring to a boil.

Return the ribs to the casserole, cover and braise in the oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Transfer the ribs to a platter and tent with foil.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a blender.

Strain the sauce into a heatproof measuring cup and skim off the fat.

Add the sauce to the blender and puree until smooth.

Return the sauce to the casserole and boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 8 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Return the short ribs to the sauce and simmer over low heat until they are warmed through.

Serve the ribs with the grits.

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