Statistician’s Simple Secrets to Winning ‘March Madness’

Want to own your office "March Madness" pool this year?

You might want to play by the odds.

Nate Silver, the stats guru behind ESPN's FiveThirtyEight, shared a few simple rules for any basketball bracketeer with Business Insider on Friday.

"People want to have a 'magic formula,'" Silver noted, "but our view is that relatively simple things can be better."

Travel distance, injuries and seeding should be your guide to most picks — but don't be afraid of "prudent risks" as the difference among lower-seeded teams are often actually very small.

His biggest piece of advice: Don't let school pride guide your picks.

Watch his breakdown below:

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