BracketBuster Revisited

[MacabreMob]

Just a look at what was paired up and what coulda been paired up. This oughta set Squirrel and BradleyBrave on a mission to petition BU and the MVC to get out of the BracketBuster.

Here is what you get:

home team rpi, conf rank, team vs road team rpi, conf rank, team television coverage

17 1-Hor Butler vs 15 1-MVC Drake espn2
26 1-WCC St Mary's vs 39 1-MAC Kent State espn2
46 1-Summ ORU vs 71 4t-MVC Creighton espn2
51 2-MVC Illinois St vs 70 2-Hor Wright State espnU
57 3-MVC So Illinois vs 73 3-WAC Nevada espnU
58 4-MAC Ohio vs 67 2t-Col George Mason espn2
78 3-Hor Cleve St vs 133 6-MAAC Marist espnU
87 4t-MVC Bradley vs 118 4-Hor UWM 360
91 3-MAC Akron vs 61 1-Col VCU espn2
92 4-WAC Utah State vs 90 3-BW UCSB espnU
99 1-WAC Boise St vs 105 1t-MAAC Siena 360
104 1-BW CS Northridge vs 134 1t-MAAC Rider espnU
107 1-BS Winthrop vs 62 1-Srn Davidson espn2
131 7-Hor Valpo 86 vs 5 MAC Miami (Oh) espnClassic

Now take a look at what we coulda gotten based on today's RPI and conference standings:

home team rpi, conf rank, team vs road team rpi, conf rank, team television coverage

17 1-Hor Butler vs 15 1-MVC Drake espn2
26 1-WCC St Mary's vs 39 1-MAC Kent State espn2
46 1-Summ ORU vs 62 1-Srn Davidson espn2
51 2-MVC Illinois St vs 61 1-Col VCU espn2
57 3-MVC So Illinois vs 67 2t-Col George Mason espnU
58 4-MAC Ohio vs 70 2-Hor Wright State espnU
78 3-Hor Cleve St vs 71 4t-MVC Creighton espnU
87 4t-MVC BU vs 86 5-MAC Miami (Oh) espnClassic
91 3-MAC Akron vs 73 3-WAC Nevada espnU
94 2-BW CS Fullerton vs 105 1t-MAAC Siena espn2
99 1-WAC Boise St vs 111 1-BSky Portland St espn2
104 1-BW CS Nor vs 110 1t-MAAC Niagara espnU
107 1-BS Winthrop vs 96 2-Srn Georgia Southern 360
119 1-OVC Austin Peay vs 140 2-MAC W Michigan 360
92 4-WAC Utah St vs 90 3-BW UCSB no tv
115 4t-Col ODU vs 118 4-Hor UWM no tv
120 2-WAC NM St vs 113 6-MVC Indy St no tv

[houstonbrave]

At the risk of getting a round of boos(not nearly as good as a round of booze)...I really don't get all the "hate" the BB gets. I agree this year it does not look like it will help us a bunch but in the end I think that is mostly "our fault". We did not play well enough early enough to get a better matchup. If they did the seeds now we would get a better game...if they had done the seeding in mid Jan we would of been in position to get a "worse" game. In the end we need to play well early enough to draw a better opponent and then we need to beat them (and we need to beat UWM). So, if the Valley could get a better arrangement going I would be open to it, but I am not sure what that would be. Would a matchup with the A-10 be better ? I am not so sure...maybe this year but on a regular basis I'm not so sure. If we were out of the BB would we have scheduled another/better game -maybe but I am not convinced.

[real fan]

It may not be good for us this season because we did not get a tv. game but last year we got a lot of good publicity by beating VCU on the road and with a nat"l audience; had we won 3 more games before the pairings were announced I believe we would be happier about this event.

[ph]

Poor BB performance means more than the matchup.

Even though we did good last year in our game, the MVC as a whole shot itselves in the foot, and that sealed our no bid. (That sealed the MVC's fate as a 2 bid league)

[thefish7]

Yeah, but it's not like it's the Bracket Buster's fault that the MVC didn't take care of business last season. Unless the MVC works out an annual series against the A10 or CAA or something like that, I'm happy to stay in it. Wish we'd have gotten a real TV game, but again, it's kind of our fault.

I feel like the hate that a lot of us direct at the BB is the same thing some of us hold Illinois in contempt for... Afraid to play us, because they have nothing to gain.

[TheAsianSensation]

I'm not crazy about this BB.

Think about it - if the MVC is going to be the clear cut #1 conference in this thing, we're going to be fighting each other to get the best opponents. Our #4 and 5 teams will always end up with worse opponents. It's simple math.

Yes, I'm STILL bitter from 2006.