Conference Strength: How Leagues Are Rated and Why Bids Follow
Not all conferences are equal, and the committee knows it. How league strength is measured and why it drives at-large bids and seeding.
College Basketball
March upsets, the women's game's measurable boom, and the at-large math that decides who's left out. Men's and women's hoops.
The One-and-Done Era: How Freshman Talent Changed College Basketball
A 2006 draft rule sent elite prospects to campus for a single season. How one-and-dones reshaped roster building, the blue bloods, and the math of winning in March.
What a Final Four Team Looks Like: A Statistical Profile
Deep tournament runs aren't random. The statistical fingerprint of Final Four teams — adjusted efficiency, balance, and experience — and where the heuristics break.
Experience and Continuity: Why Veteran Teams Win in March
Returning minutes are one of the better predictors of March success. Why continuity and experience matter in the tournament — and where one-and-done talent still wins.
Bracketology, Explained: How the Committee Picks and Seeds the 68
The 68-team field, demystified: automatic vs. at-large bids, how the committee uses the NET and quadrants, the S-curve, and the bracketing rules that shape March.
The 3-Point Line in College Basketball: A Statistical History
From its 1986 debut to two distance moves, the college 3-point line reshaped how the game is played. A history of the line and the numbers that followed it.
The Women's Game's Statistical Boom: Scoring, Pace, and Audience by the Numbers
Scoring, pace, and three-point volume in women's college basketball, trended over recent seasons from public box scores.
What March Madness Upsets Have in Common: A Statistical Profile
Seed-by-seed upset rates from real tournament results, and the measurable traits that giant-killers tend to share.
How Mid-Majors Beat the Metrics: Scheduling and the At-Large Math
Why a great mid-major can miss the bracket: quadrant math, non-conference scheduling, and the metrics that gatekeep at-large bids.