Take the Bee Final Four Challenge

SANDPOINT — You know March Madness has officially arrived when you start hearing and reading words like bracketologist and Cinderella, and the veins in Dick Vitale’s forehead start to bulge as he shares his wealth of hoops knowledge.

The Daily Bee sports page is also joining in the madness, offering a free chance for a reader to win $50 cash simply by taking the Final Four Challenge.

Are you the sentimental type, filling in your brackets with local favorites like Gonzaga and picking with your heart, seeds be damned?

Or are you among the dare-I-eat-a-peach set, going a safer and higher percentage route with No. 1 seeds, throwing in the occasional No. 2 seed as a long shot?

Whether you stay up late every night to catch highlights of college hoops or you’ve yet to watch a game this season, the odds of winning are probably about the same in the highly-unpredictable NCAA tournament.

However, you cannot win if you do not play.

To enter the Daily Bee Final Four Challenge, simply e-mail the four teams you believe will advance to the Final Four (see brackets below), then predict the final two and eventual champion, along with the final score of the championship.

The winner will be determined by a series of criteria, based in order of importance: A) picking the champion; B) picking both finalists; C) most Final Four teams; D) closest to score of winning team; E) closest to score of runner up.

Send entries to “eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com,” and please include your full name along with your predictions.

Act quickly, as the entry deadline is Thursday, at 10 a.m. The Bee will run a master list periodically, keeping tabs on all who remain alive in the tournament, and shot at $50.