“Madness” may be an understatement. No, it definitely is. Last year, March Madness drew in 52 million visits across the Web. If I were a gambling-gal, I would say this year will see even more action. A lot more. According to Yahoo, searches on the NCAA college basketball tournament were spiking nearly 500% before the first buzzer even blew. #MarchMadness has taken over Twitter. And the President of the free world has his own “Barack Bracket.” So what about you? Here are five tech-savvy ways to get in on all the action, whether you’re an avid fan or just want to look like you know what’s going on.
Got your brackets locked in? Get visual updates of all kinds with the official March Madness App. It’s designed beautifully — and super easy to understand — even for rookie’s. Scroll through each round and check off your favorite teams to make sure you get updates when the games starts, at half-time, and a video recap after. The app will even send you game-time updates, like letting you know when a game is a real nail-biter, and what the hottest plays have been so far. You can even watch games live. If you’re checking the action on your computer at work at the NCAA March Madness Livesite, there’s even a genius Boss Button. That’s right, one quick mouse tap on a little button on the lower left and it looks like you’re slaving away over a powerpoint of Q1 achievements. There’s even a version for class and home. That alone is worth the a look. Download the app for free on iOS and Android.
Even though everyone else is doing it, you really shouldn’t check Twitter all day at work to keep up with your favorite teams. At least not if you expect to keep your job through April. Breaking Sports is an app that brings the news you want right to you, right away. Using some high tech searching, their system reads through Twitter, Reddit, and other news sources to get you the up-to-the-minute details before the ESPN recap. We’re talking more than scores. You’ll get news on injuries, lineups, and even rumors. Just filter the app to to show your favorite teams and players, and it’s game on. Download the app for free on iOS and Android.
After you pick your favorite teams, SportsManias will make background info a slam dunk. It gives you all the stories and stats from your top picks — and also their opposing team — so you know what’s going down on and off the court. You can even pick teams and measure their stats side-by-side with the head-to-head feature when you’re accessing the app on your computer. The news is coming right from top sports writers, so you know you’re getting the latest news from sources right on the ground. It’s also a great Twitter alternative because you can tap into tweets about your favorite teams in real time within the app. All those Cinderella stories? Fuhgettaboutit. You’ll be crying like a baby over all the incredible comebacks and unbelievable upsets before you can remember that you’re at work and everyone in staring at you like you’re a complete lunatic. Oh wait, maybe that’s just me. Download the app for free on iOS andAndroid.
Stats may very well be the most-talked about thing on any sports program. Whether it’s basketball or football, to get the full scoop on probability, you’ve got to look at the numbers. The people at GoodData are number pros — and they’ve compared all of the NCAA data there is to compare — to create Hoopwise. Hoopwise isn’t an app, but it’s definitely a website worth bookmarking.
Their observations go way beyond the obvious, like comparing coach salary to team performance, and even the temperatures of the best teams hometowns. Crazy. Of course, they also have your basic bracket breakdowns too — a great resource to keep an eye on amidst the madness.
Snapchat is taking their March Madness coverage right from the fans. They’ll bring you video mashups of college fans showing their team spirit and some game time clips from the sidelines. If you want to feel like you’re at the game, or at least hanging out with college kids (just don’t be a weirdo), swipe over to the Discover section of Snapchat to get updates from the fans, published by the NCAA. Download Snapchat on Android or iOS.
Posted in TechNow
