History of Bracketology in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 1, 2026

Bracketology is the process of predicting the participants and seeding of the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments. It aims to forecast the NCAA Selection Committee's choices for at-large teams and overall seeding. Bracketology also involves predicting the winners of each tournament bracket. While traditionally associated with basketball, the concept has expanded to other areas in recent years.

1995: Blue Ribbon Supplement Includes Bracket Predictions

In 1995, the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook added an 80-page postseason supplement, released the night the brackets were announced, which included Joe Lunardi's predictions of the selection committee's bracket.

February 25, 1996: Lunardi Referred to as 'Bracketologist'

On February 25, 1996, The Philadelphia Inquirer referred to Joe Lunardi as a 'bracketologist,' marking the first known instance of the term being applied to a college basketball expert.

2002: Lunardi's Bracketology Page with ESPN

In 2002, Joe Lunardi had his own Bracketology page with ESPN and teaches an online course at Saint Joseph's University titled 'Fundamentals of Bracketology'.

May 2009: The Final Four of Everything Published

In May 2009, Simon & Schuster published 'The Final Four of Everything,' edited by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir, as a book applying bracketology to various subjects.

2012: Obama's Bracket Predictions

In 2012, President Barack Obama made bracket predictions annually on ESPN in a segment called Barack-etology.

2015: Romney Beats Obama in Tournament Challenge

In 2015, Mitt Romney ranked in the top 0.1 percent of entrants in ESPN's 2015 Tournament Challenge, correctly predicting six of the 'Elite Eight' teams, all of the 'Final Four' teams, both teams in the championship game matchup, and that Duke would win the title, outperforming Barack Obama.

2018: RPI Used for Tournament Selection

In 2018, the rating percentage index (RPI) was used for the last time to determine at-large teams for the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.

2019: NET Introduced for Tournament Selection

In 2019, the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) was introduced as a metric to determine at-large teams for the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, replacing the rating percentage index (RPI).