Bracketology 101 from the UW's resident bracketologist.

5 points of advice from Laura McLay, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin�Madison. Excerpt:

2. Instead of records, use sophisticated ranking tools. The seeding committee uses some of these ranking tools to select the seeds, so the seeds themselves reflect strength of schedule and implicitly rank teams. But some ranking methods are better than others. I like the LRMC (Logistic Regression/Markov Chain) method from some of my colleagues at Georgia Tech. The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a really bad ranking method.

Okay. Whatever that means! I can barely tolerate basketball, the indoor game with unusually large people � men in silky skorts � in a cramped, squeaky place. But: Wisconsin! So I looked at the NYT interactive tool, and I made it so Wisconsin plays Michigan State in final game. I used some sophisticated ranking tools to make that happen.