Bracket (tournament)

The closest British term is draw, although this implies an element of chance, whereas some brackets are determined entirely by seeding.

In such cases, fans may enjoy trying to predict the winners of the initial round and of the consequent later matchups.

This is called "bracketology", particularly in relation to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Some North American professional post-season tournaments are single-elimination format.

The concept is even more visible in college sports, most notably in reference to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, in which millions of casual and serious fans "fill out brackets"—predict the winners of each game in the tournament—in both formal contests, sponsored by various corporations, and informal betting pools among friends or colleagues.

The partially-completed bracket for a 16-player single-elimination tournament . The quarterfinals have been completed, and the semifinals will be Lisa vs. Ernie, and Andrew vs. Robert. The final will be between the two semifinal winners.