Nothing in sports quite compares to the NCAA men’s national basketball championship. The three-week tournament held every March has become a national obsession, complete with the second-largest television deal in sports, countless betting pools and now its own science, Bracketology.

‘(The NCAA Tournament) is one of the great things in sports during the winter,’ ESPN.com Bracketologist Joe Lunardi said. ‘People are really into this stuff.’

During the last decade, Lunardi has distinguished himself as the nation’s leading expert on the NCAA Tournament’s selection and seeding process.

As an editor for the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook during the early 1990s, Lunardi believed the readers of his in-depth, preseason guide would be interested in a feature predicting the NCAA Tournament brackets. In 1995, he contacted the newly created ESPN.com, which published Lunardi’s predictions for the 64 tournament teams.

The feature initially attracted a cult following of basketball junkies like Lundardi. Soon, its popularity exploded on the Internet.

‘It just kept getting bigger every year,’ Lunardi said. ‘It became larger than I ever intended.’

Lunardi said the reason the tournament — and the science of predicting its composition– has become such a phenomenon is because people care passionately about their favorite teams. He said the obsession about a team’s postseason fate is similar to that in the NFL, only intensified because so many more teams compose the NCAA Tournament (65) than the NFL playoffs (12).

‘You have to remember,’ Lunardi said, ‘that fan is short for fanatic.’

The current Bracketology page on ESPN.com, which is updated each Monday, predicts the brackets for the NCAA tournament by seeds and regions. Lunardi uses a system similar to the NCAA selection committee, combining records, Ratings Percentage Index, strength of schedule and quality of victories.

‘The most important factor in selecting a tournament field,’ Lunardi said, ‘is who did you beat, where did you do it and when did that win occur.’

Lunardi receives hundreds of e-mails each week from angry fans, complaining about how their team was on the ‘last four out’ list or not included at all.

‘People don’t understand that what happens to their team doesn’t happen in a vacuum,’ Lunardi said. ‘Everything that happens relates to the other 64 teams.’

Even with all of its criticisms, the current system used by the selection committee does a good job picking the bubble teams, Lunardi said. He suggests more acceptance of quality teams from mid-major conferences but acknowledges nothing can be done unless the schools improve their strength of schedule.

Lunardi loves his role as Bracketologist but understands that all the predictions he makes are just for fun. The tournament is all that really matters.

‘It’s not about what you might do,’ Lunardi said, ‘but what you actually do.’

NO. 15 SYRACUSE (-3.5) AT GEORGETOWN

SATURDAY, 1 p.m., ABC

This matchup at the MCI Center marks this season’s second meeting for these traditional Big East rivals, who are headed in different directions.

Syracuse, led by freshman Carmelo Anthony, needs the win to help its cause for a first-round bye in the Big East tournament. Georgetown needs the win to even have a chance of making the tournament. Look for Michael Sweetney to have another huge game but lose anyway.

PICK: SYRACUSE 76, GEORGETOWN 68

CINCINNATI (+2.5) AT NO. 24 MEMPHIS

SATURDAY, 9 p.m., ESPN

Each team needs this win to help secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Memphis has been hot of late. The Tigers’ resume contains victories over Illinois (77-74) and Louisville (80-73). Cincinnati needs a win in either this game or in a road game against Marquette to show they’re legit.

Senior guard Leonard Stokes should lead the Bearcats to a win.

PICK: CINCINNATI 71, MEMPHIS 67

NO. 5 TEXAS (-4.5) AT TEXAS TECH

SATURDAY, 4 p.m., CBS

Just when everyone thought their NCAA Tourney chances had vanished, Bob Knight’s Red Raiders marched into Stillwater, Okla., and came back from a 12-point, second-half deficit to beat Oklahoma State, 62-57. Andre Emmett is coming off a 30-point game and must have a repeat performance if Texas Tech hopes to upset T.J. Ford and company.

PICK: TEXAS 66, TEXAS TECH 58

CONNECTICUT (+3.5) AT NO. 8 PITTSBURGH

SUNDAY, 4 p.m., CBS

Both teams have much to prove in the most important Big East matchup of the week. UConn tries to pull off its second consecutive road upset after beating Notre Dame, 87-79, on Monday. Pittsburgh needs the win to prove it deserves a No. 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The balance and senior leadership of Pittsburgh will stop the Huskies’ recent hot streak.

PICK: PITTSBURGH 81, CONNECTICUT 67

NO. 1 ARIZONA (-2.5) AT NO. 19 STANFORD

SATURDAY, 7 p.m., NO TV

Arizona may be the nation’s top-ranked team, but the Cardinal can make huge strides for the top seed in the Pac-10 tournament with a win Sunday in Maples Pavilion.

Behind 23 points from junior guard Matt Lottich, Stanford beat Arizona, 82-77, in Tucson on Jan. 30. With another win over Arizona, Stanford will position itself for a possible No. 3 or 4 seed come NCAA Tournament time.

PICK: ARIZONA 82, STANFORD 77

Published on February 26, 2003 at 12:00 pm