Bracket buster
Encyclopedia
Bracket buster, as a generic phrase, refers to an American
college basketball
team, usually from a so-called mid-major
school, which upsets a highly-ranked team in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The tournament schedule is set up as a single-elimination "bracket" format. When the tournament's selection committee announces the teams that are invited to play and the schedule of the games, fans will try to guess the outcome of as many games as possible by filling out the bracket form for each round. This is often accompanied by gambling on the outcome of these predictions; this often takes the form of an informal pool where participants stake a certain amount of money, and the most successful predictor wins the pooled stakes. When a lightly regarded mid-major team upsets a traditional powerhouse team, the result often knocks out subsequent predictions of many players in these informal pools, who are said to have had their brackets busted—hence, the term "bracket buster."
There are numerous examples of a bracket buster teams over the years of the NCAA Tournament, even dating back before the tournament came to be the widespread cultural event that it is today. One early example is the March 18, 1971 Mideast Regional game in which Western Kentucky
defeated its better-known in-state "big brother," Kentucky
, 107–83. The game was more significant to hoops fans in the Bluegrass State, as the Kentucky Wildcats and coach Adolph Rupp
had steadfastly refused to play any other in-state schools (including Louisville
) in regular season games, so the game itself was very significant no matter the outcome. The Hilltoppers later advanced to the Final Four
.
As the tournament field expanded to the now-familiar six-round bracket and 65 teams (including the play-in game), "bracket busters" became more of a phenomenon. The most recent example is George Mason and its improbable run to the Final Four in the 2006 tournament
. Bradley
was another example in the same tournament, having been assigned the 13th seed in their region, only to upset Kansas and Pitt
to reach the "Sweet 16" round, where the Braves were finally ousted by top-seeded Memphis
.
decided to capitalize on the phenomenon with the concept of ESPN BracketBusters. The cable television
network worked with a group of mid-major conferences, including the Mid-American Conference
, the Missouri Valley Conference
, the Colonial Athletic Association
, the Horizon League
, and the Western Athletic Conference
to stage a series of games where possible bracket-buster teams would play each other outside of regular conference play. The idea was to give these mid-major schools more exposure to national audiences than they would otherwise get, and boost their chances of being selected for the NCAA Tournament.
The first series began in 2003, where 18 teams played in one weekend. The matchups for these games was left open as late as possible, in order to determine the most likely teams to benefit. The concept proved greatly successful, and in the 2006 edition of ESPN BracketBusters—with corporate sponsorship by eBay
—featured 100 different teams. So many teams were involved that fewer than half the games were actually televised on the ESPN family of networks. The 2007 edition had O'Reilly Auto Parts
as the title sponsor.
In 2006, two teams that faced each other in an ESPN BracketBusters game—George Mason and Wichita State
—faced each other in the Sweet 16.
The 2010 tournament has featured many bracket busters. In the second round, a ten seed St. Mary's
defeated a two seed Villanova
while Northern Iowa
, a nine seed, defeated the overall top seed in Kansas
. In ESPN's bracket challenge, over 42% picked Kansas to win the tournament, making Northern Iowa's upset one of the biggest in many years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
team, usually from a so-called mid-major
Mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...
school, which upsets a highly-ranked team in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The tournament schedule is set up as a single-elimination "bracket" format. When the tournament's selection committee announces the teams that are invited to play and the schedule of the games, fans will try to guess the outcome of as many games as possible by filling out the bracket form for each round. This is often accompanied by gambling on the outcome of these predictions; this often takes the form of an informal pool where participants stake a certain amount of money, and the most successful predictor wins the pooled stakes. When a lightly regarded mid-major team upsets a traditional powerhouse team, the result often knocks out subsequent predictions of many players in these informal pools, who are said to have had their brackets busted—hence, the term "bracket buster."
There are numerous examples of a bracket buster teams over the years of the NCAA Tournament, even dating back before the tournament came to be the widespread cultural event that it is today. One early example is the March 18, 1971 Mideast Regional game in which Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents WKU in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers currently compete in the Sun Belt Conference. The team's most recent appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was in 2009...
defeated its better-known in-state "big brother," Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
, 107–83. The game was more significant to hoops fans in the Bluegrass State, as the Kentucky Wildcats and coach Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
had steadfastly refused to play any other in-state schools (including Louisville
Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA...
) in regular season games, so the game itself was very significant no matter the outcome. The Hilltoppers later advanced to the Final Four
1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas...
.
As the tournament field expanded to the now-familiar six-round bracket and 65 teams (including the play-in game), "bracket busters" became more of a phenomenon. The most recent example is George Mason and its improbable run to the Final Four in the 2006 tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
. Bradley
Bradley Braves men's basketball
The Bradley Braves men's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2006, reaching the...
was another example in the same tournament, having been assigned the 13th seed in their region, only to upset Kansas and Pitt
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
to reach the "Sweet 16" round, where the Braves were finally ousted by top-seeded Memphis
Memphis Tigers basketball
The Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers compete in Conference USA, in which they have won six regular season and four conference tournament championships. As of 2011, the Tigers have the 29th highest...
.
ESPN BracketBusters
As the phrase became more popular, ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
decided to capitalize on the phenomenon with the concept of ESPN BracketBusters. The cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network worked with a group of mid-major conferences, including the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
, the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
, the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
, the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
, and the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
to stage a series of games where possible bracket-buster teams would play each other outside of regular conference play. The idea was to give these mid-major schools more exposure to national audiences than they would otherwise get, and boost their chances of being selected for the NCAA Tournament.
The first series began in 2003, where 18 teams played in one weekend. The matchups for these games was left open as late as possible, in order to determine the most likely teams to benefit. The concept proved greatly successful, and in the 2006 edition of ESPN BracketBusters—with corporate sponsorship by eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
—featured 100 different teams. So many teams were involved that fewer than half the games were actually televised on the ESPN family of networks. The 2007 edition had O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts
O'Reilly Auto Parts , originally known as O'Reilly Automotive, Inc., is a publicly traded chain of auto parts stores that started with one store in Springfield, Missouri in 1957. It has since grown to include more than 3,469 stores in 38 states. The corporate headquarters of O'Reilly is located in...
as the title sponsor.
In 2006, two teams that faced each other in an ESPN BracketBusters game—George Mason and Wichita State
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
—faced each other in the Sweet 16.
The 2010 tournament has featured many bracket busters. In the second round, a ten seed St. Mary's
St. Mary's
-In Australia:* St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney* St Marys railway station, Sydney* North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney* St. Marys, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide* St Marys, Tasmania, on the east coast of Tasmania-In Canada:...
defeated a two seed Villanova
Villanova
Villanova may refer to:In botany:*Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweed*Villanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...
while Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
, a nine seed, defeated the overall top seed in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. In ESPN's bracket challenge, over 42% picked Kansas to win the tournament, making Northern Iowa's upset one of the biggest in many years.