Bracket Buster
A team that upsets a highly ranked team
Example
That 2006 George Mason team was a bracket buster, for sure
Definitely, they were an 11th seed that made it to the Final Four!
When your bracket is busted
Related Slang
| Bracket | Diagram of tournament games |
| Bracketology | Predicting who will win a tournament |
| March Madness | NCAA Basketball Tournament |
| One and done | Single elimination tournament |
| Final Four | Last four competitors |
| ship | Championship |
| Cutting down the nets | Won a basketball tournament |
| tourney | Tournament |
| Hoops | Basketball |
| RPI | Ratings Percentage Index |
| CFP | College Football Playoff |
Take the pop culture acronym challenge
A bracket buster is a team that upsets a highly-ranked opponent in a tournament, ruining fans' bracket predictions. Fans may use this term in various sports, but you will most often hear and see it during March Madness.
Bracket busters are surprise tournament teams (commonly called a cinderella) that have upset one or more highly-ranked opponents, leaving fans' busted brackets in their wake. For example, a bracket buster in March Madness is often a mid-major school that beats a school from higher-powered conferences, such as the Big Ten, SEC, or ACC, busting fans' predictions.
People may also refer to the result of a game as a bracket buster. For example, your friend might ask, "Did you see that SDST and UNC game? It was a bracket buster!"