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Bracketology. Joe Lunardi.

 


Bracketology.   Joe Lunardi.

March Madness, College Basketball, and the creation of a national obsession.

 

You might know Joe Lunardi as the unlikely dude who predicts what teams will get into the NCAA basketball tournament.   You may have seen him on ESPN TV or heard him on radio.   In any case, Lunardi, or Joey Brackets, is regarded as one of the foremost prognosticators of which college basketball teams will make the big dance every March.     In essence, he is the chief bracketologist in the college basketball world, even though his appearance may not resemble the typical basketball junkie.   

The book is interesting, often fun to read, mostly light and not too lengthy.    Lunardi discusses his personal background and how he came to appreciate the game on the hardwood.     He also delves into how the brackets became so commonplace in offices, betting parlors and now even sports programming on television.    In addition, the book covers some key components of how teams are selected and what really goes into it.

It seems Lunardi does not go into great detail to explain all of the tools used to determine the 68 schools invited to the tournament.   However, readers will learn about the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) and what the quadrants mean to the selection committee.  

The book probably could have gone into greater detail when it comes to explaining selection process.   On the other hand, though, it might be better to keep that topic more rudimentary so that it keeps the casual basketball fans engaged.

The book is flanked and filled with testimonials from many prominent college basketball luminaries such as coaches, television analysts, administrators and other pundits.    The author adhered to objectivity as some reviews, solicited or not, were not always positive statements.  

The last chapter may actually be the best of the ten.  Lunardi offers his opinion about where college basketball is now and where it is going in the near future or at least where he thinks it could evolve.    It is worth the wait as he discusses topics such as tournament size, scheduling and reconfiguring the selection process.   He even makes salient points about teams finishing in the top third tier should be praised for their success rather than knocked for falling just outside of the pinnacle.

If you are looking for a book that fully explains the nuts and bolts of how teams qualify for the tournament, this might not be the reason to read Bracketology.     However, if you are interested to read about the author, his background, his often-arduous schedule and work ethic along with his varied and keen college basketball observations and experiences, this could be a good choice.

 

You might like to read this book if you are a fan of Joe Lunardi.

You might like to read this book if you are a big five fan and Philadelphia sports.

You might like to read this book if you are a fan of college basketball tournaments.

You might like to read this book if you are a fan of filling out brackets every  M A R C H.

You might like to read this book if you want to learn more about the selection process.

You might like to read this book if you like to gamble and are always looking for an edge.

You might like to read this book if you are a fan of reading about ESPN sports programming.

Read more about the author on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/ESPNLunardi

 

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