the buzz log

Well, it's finally here. Selection Sunday is upon us and college basketball is slammin' down serious buzz. Queries on "march madness" are up 57% over the last week and related searches on "march madness bracket," "march madness schedule," and "march madness 2007" are also soaring.

It's the time of year when brackets bust out and become the talk of water coolers around the country. Searches on "2007 ncaa brackets" (+2,228%), "ncaa tournament brackets" (+1,483%), and "2007 march madness brackets" (+230%) have all posted significant gains over the past week. The scientific field of bracketology is also on the rise, up 106% as the nation's foremost bracketologists attempt to decipher the final field of 65.

After the brackets are in place, searches on "printable brackets," "tournament pick'em," and "ncaa basketball odds" begin to creep up the charts. Will you sprinkle your brackets with upset specials and tournament shockers? More importantly, can you pick out this year's George Mason?

If you're able to prognosticate this season's exact Final Four, we salute you. And if you're that smart about hoops, you've probably already scoped out searches "final four tickets" and "final four odds."

Finally, what about the squads not fortunate enough to qualify for the NCAA Tournament? Well, there's always the NIT. The second-tier tourney announces their teams shortly after the superior 65 are revealed. Because the NIT doesn't receive as much pub as the NCAA tourney, fans turn to Search for NIT info. Searches on "nit schedule," "nit brackets," and "nit tournament" always swish through the Buzz on Sunday evening.

We'll leave you with a few hot searches that are bound to bounce through Buzz in the coming weeks...