Maryland basketball and March Madness go hand in hand, and this year is no different … except for the teams involved, of course.

Gone are the Maryland Terrapins; they’re taking a rare break from their almost yearly inclusion in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They’ve been replaced by the likes of Coppin State, Mount St. Mary’s and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, which earned its first trip ever to the tournament.

It figures to be a short tournament for all three teams, but it’s still fun to fill out your bracket and dream about a March full of Maryland dominance.

Speaking of brackets, workplaces from coast to coast will be knee-deep in them as office pools make their annual bid to sap American productivity. Most office pools are innocent, victim-free, low-stakes affairs. Even so, CFO.com’s Marie Leone says they’re not entirely risk-free.

“The key to avoiding any trouble related to office pools,” writes Leone, “is summed up in two words. … No, not ‘Drake Bulldogs.’ Rather, ‘common sense.’ “

And for the record, I’ve got North Carolina winning it all.

What about you? Does your company allow office pools?