Get Ready for March Madness and the College Basketball Tournament of the Year!

Are you ready for March Madness? Believe it or not, the NCAA basketball tournament is just around the corner. Whether you plan to host game-watching parties at home or keep tabs via the office brackets and water-cooler smack-talking sessions, now is the time to start making preparations.

When and where. The opening round of the tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, and will be hosted by the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. The Final Four portion of the tournament will begin play on April 3 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Experts’ picks. Those in the know say the Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, Syracuse Orange, and Villanova Wildcats all stand a good chance of making it to the tournament as a number-one seed. But as always, there are a few underdogs that just might be capable of pulling off the seemingly unattainable in this high-spirited tournament!

Online tools. Visit the official NCAA website for for printable, downloadable brackets so you can form your own bracket competition among friends and co-workers. You can also visit espn.com and cbssports.com, which are great clearinghouses for online bracket contests against millions of fans across the country, expert predictions, and insights.

Don’t wait until the last minute—get a head start on March Madness this year!