Bracketology: March Madness, College Basketball, and the Creation of a National Obsession

Description

The NCAA Tournament has become one of the most popular sports events in the country, consuming fans for weeks with the run to the Final Four and ultimately the crowning of the champion of college hoops. Each March, millions of Americans fill out their bracket in the hopes of winning their pool. Even the casual fan gets involved. Yet, there is no true Madness without the oft-debated question about what teams should be seeded where-from the Power-5 Blue Blood with some early season stumbles on their resume to the mid-major that rampaged through their less competitive conference season-and the inventor of Bracketology himself, Joe Lunardi, is here to reveal the mystery and science behind the legend. While going in depth on the ever-evolving Bracketology formula, Lunardi compares great teams from different eras with intriguing results, talks to the biggest names in college basketball about their perception of Bracketology (both good and bad), and looks ahead to the future of the sport and how Bracketology will help shape the conversation.

Joe Lunardi is a college basketball analyst for ESPN. The foremost expert in predicting NCAA tournament results, he hosts The Bracketology Show weekly on ESPN+. David Smale has been writing about college and professional sports for more than 40 years. He is the author of several books, including The Ahearn Tradition and Pauley Pavilion: College Basketball's Showplace. Mark Few has been the head men's basketball coach at Gonzaga University since 1999.