BracketBusters 2009

[shaunguth]

it still matters little as the only guy going to the NCAA is the MVC tourney winner..
everyone else is battling for an NIT bid...

I wouldn't say it "matters little". We do get a return game from this year's opponent.

[squirrel]

We're fighting Evansville and SIU for priority spot 4 now.

UNI probably has the 1 spot. ISU and CU will be 2 and 3 in either order.

There's 5 games before pairings are made:

UNI:
@ MSU
vs. IlSU
@ InSU
@ BU
vs. CU

IlSU:
vs. SIU
@ UNI
vs. BU
@ SIU
vs. InSU

CU:
vs. DU
vs. InSU
vs. MSU
@ DU
@ UNI

BU:
vs. InSU
vs. WSU
@ ISU
vs. UNI
@ DU

UE:
@ WSU
@ DU
vs. SIU
@ MSU
vs. WSU

SIU:
@ IlSU
vs. MSU
@ UE
vs. IlSU
@ MSU

[squirrel]

it still matters little as the only guy going to the NCAA is the MVC tourney winner..
everyone else is battling for an NIT bid...

Creighton can still develop a fringe at-large resume. Whether or not that translates into a bid is another story.

[TheAsianSensation]

Bradley is going to do just enough to be snubbed out of an ESPN game. Again. It would mark 3 times in 4 years that Bradley would be the best BB team not playing on ESPN.

Calling it now.

[TheAsianSensation]

And while we're here, the at-large hopes of everyone took a major hit yesterday. Because of this, if UNI posts something like 12-2 on the board going into the pairing process, they'll get a marquee game. Regardless of their RPI. To boost their at-large profile.

The new problem is that ISU is probably ahead of BU in the pecking order. And if Bradley can't get a good opponent, they won't make it on TV.

[Bradleyguy10]

We're fighting Evansville and SIU for priority spot 4 now.

UNI probably has the 1 spot. ISU and CU will be 2 and 3 in either order.

What about Drake? Do you think we are fighting EU and SIU for spot #4 but not Drake?

I think Drake is our main concern for #4 and EU and SIU are fighting for 5th.

It all doesn't matter because we are going to win @ ISU and @ CU and be battling UNI until the end!

WE GOT THIS

[squirrel]

SIU, UE, and BU will have solidly better RPIs than Drake more than likely going into the pairings. But when you get to that level, it's sort of up to the coaches, leagues, and commissioner's as to who plays who.

I have provided projections at another board that do include DU as they will have the best record of the 4 projected 7-6 teams. Just the weakest RPI.

[MacabreMob]

I have provided projections at another board that do include DU as they will have the best record of the 4 projected 7-6 teams. Just the weakest RPI.

I'll probably make another projection after this weekend's games. There hasn't been a ton of movement in RPI and conference standings in the past 3-4 days for me to do it again. Since the tv matchups will be announced on the 2nd of Feb, I will make more projections in the final 7-10 days.

Right now, I think it would be great if Bradley could get Nevada. I think the return with them next year would be big draw on the schedule.

[MacabreMob]

Updated with RPI of games played through Sunday 1-25.

HOME TEAM
15 Siena
37 Davidson
52 St Mary's
69 Creighton
84 Niagara
86 Fairfield
91 Evansville
94 Drexel
101 Drake
105 Nevada
107 Wright St
115 Portland St
123 Vermont
124 UW Milwaukee
133 San Diego
136 Rider
143 Long Beach St
149 James Madison
156 Loyola
157 UT-Martin
163 UIC
164 Wichita St
174 Georgia So
176 Boston
179 Murray St
181 San Jose St
184 New Mexico St
186 E Kentucky
199 UC-Santa Barbara
200 Kent
206 Bowling Green
211 Idaho
214 Ball St
220 ODU
227 Valpo
231 Hawaii
232 Towson
242 W Michigan
246 William & Mary
247 Indiana St
253 Marist
257 Winthrop
260 Cal Poly
262 UC-Davis
263 Bucknell
269 Youngstown St
270 UNC-Wilmington
296 Tennessee St
297 Central Michigan
327 SEMO
331 E Michigan

ROAD TEAM
8 Butler
44 Utah St
46 Miami (Oh)
53 George Mason
55 VCU
58 Illinois St
60 Northeastern
63 Boise St
67 Buffalo
75 Northern Iowa
80 UW Green Bay
90 Bradley
92 Hofstra
100 Cleveland St
106 Austin Peay
109 Ohio
117 North Dakota St
119 SIU
130 Akron
146 Missouri St
147 Iona
161 Morehead St
165 Morgan St
168 Loyola (Md)
169 Liberty
175 Pacific
180 Gardner-Webb
190 Montana St
192 Louisiana Tech
205 Manhattan
207 CS Fullerton
210 CS Northridge
215 Canisius
217 UC-Riverside
221 Jacksonville St
230 UMBC
236 Deleware
241 Fresno St
250 Hartford
252 Tenn Tech
255 Appalachian St
261 S Dakota St
276 UC-Irvine
281 Elon
292 Georgia St
294 E Illinois
295 Detroit
304 Toledo
307 St Peter's
314 Fairleigh Dickinson
332 Northern Illinois

[TheAsianSensation]

This will be the 3rd time in 4 years that Bradley will be the "best available" team not to make a TV game.

Book it.

edit: UWM-Bradley was only on ESPN360 last year, right? Can't remember. 2007 was the VCU game and the only time BB delivered for us. 2006 was BB Armageddon. 2005 was the year we were snubbed because too many Valley teams had good records, and then we tailspinned anyways.

[Indy_BB]

My projection...

Butler @ Siena
George Mason @ Davidson
Utah State @ St Mary's
Miami @ Creighton

Bradley @ Loyola - Along the same lines as the previous poster, I think all those east coast teams just match-up better with one another Pushing BU out of the TV games into a regional set.

[BU RICK]

My projection...

Butler @ Siena
George Mason @ Davidson
Utah State @ St Mary's
Miami @ Creighton

Bradley @ Loyola - Along the same lines as the previous poster, I think all those east coast teams just match-up better with one another Pushing BU out of the TV games into a regional set.

I would like that, always liked Loyola basketball. And it would be a good home game for us next season

[Da Coach]

A lot could change before the pairings are announced, but it is looking like Bradley will have to travel a long way to play their Bracket Buster opponent.
The teams that look like they are possibilities--
15 Siena
37 Davidson
52 St Mary's
84 Niagara
86 Fairfield
94 Drexel
105 Nevada
107 Wright St
115 Portland St
123 Vermont
133 San Diego
136 Rider
143 Long Beach St
149 James Madison
156 Loyola
Note that Bradley's current RPI is 90, but they rank 12th among RPIs for the road teams in the Bracket Buster. So their matchup will probably come from the bottom half of that list.
All home teams, except Wright State and Loyola (which appears to have too low an RPI IMO to be matched with Bradley), are located in states that are on the east coast or are far West teams. Those schools are in cities that are not easy to get to from Peoria, making it unlikely any Bradley fans could make the trip, though I would like to make a jaunt out to San Diego or Long Beach!

[squirrel]

We might really want that game in Chicago though.

[MacabreMob]

Here's my prediction as of today. Home team on left. Predictions are not the actual matchups and my predictions will most likely change - so don't be all ticked off at me. Here's my predicted 13 tv games and a couple others:

Siena vs Butler Deuce
Davidson vs VCU Deuce
St Mary's vs Utah St Deuce
Niagara vs N Iowa Deuce
Nevada vs Buffalo Deuce
Portland St vs Boise St Deuce
Vermont vs Northeastern The U
Rider vs Austin Peay The U
Long Beach St vs North Dakota St The U
Boston U vs Morgan St The U
Drexel vs ISU The U
Creighton vs Miami (Oh) 360
Fairfield vs George Mason 360

---couple others---

Evansville vs Hofstra
Drake vs UW-Green Bay
Wright St vs Bradley
UW-Milwaukee vs Ohio U