Bracketologist, NCAA selection committee report cards

Joe Lunardi looks at the misses and makes between the selection committee and himself over the past 13 years. How does each side hold up?

Originally Published: April 4, 2007
By Joe Lunardi | Special to ESPN.com
I have been projecting NCAA Tournament brackets, in one forum or another, since 1995. In those years -- a baker's dozen, if you can believe it -- I generally have regarded what comes from the NCAA selection committee as gospel. Even in periodic disagreement, I have voiced my (and, by extension, your) concerns and then pretty much moved on to the next season.

But do we really -- I mean, really -- hold the committee accountable? Oh sure, there is the national gnashing of teeth on Selection Sunday and Monday, along with the requisite coach or two or three who plays the sympathy game. Some are magnanimous; others less so. But we hear pretty much the same stories, with only the names changing from year to year.

And then the Tournament begins. And most everyone forgets about who was or was not selected. Or how poor seeding decisions might have an impact on the competitive balance of the Tournament. Or that travel and geography, not always properly considered, can have a tangible impact on the outcome of games.


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Joe Lunardi | email

Senior Writer, ESPN.com
  • Resident college basketball bracketologist for ESPN
  • Contributor to SportsCenter, ESPN Insider
  • Published first public bracket in 1995

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