Bracketbuster- what if...

[RacerJoeD]

Since the demise of the ESPN Bracketbuster games, I have missed the announcements of those late season matchups. Im sure coaches hated them, but as a fan, some of these games were awesome (Murray St vs St Mary's in 2010-11- loudest measured arena noise in CBB history. https://foundation.assp.org/docs/ASSE_N ... ure_13.pdf)

It isn't happening this season, or maybe ever again, but here are my matchups for the dream Bracketbuster this season.

Gonzaga vs Loyola (1 v 22 NET)
BYU vs Murray St (26 v 31)
Davidson vs San Fransisco (36 v 37)
Belmont vs St Mary's (40 v 38)
Chattanooga vs Iona (43 v 52)
Grand Canyon vs Utah St (61 vs 64)
Vermont vs Oakland (65 v 71)
La Tech vs Towson (77 v 80)
Ohio U vs Missouri St (81 v 86)
Wagner vs Santa Clara (83 vs 87)
Wofford vs St Bonaventure (91 v 92)
Drake vs South Dakota St (99 v 96)
Oral Roberts vs Liberty (109 vs 113)
N Iowa vs Morehead St (114 v 117)


What other matchups do you think?

[MissouriValleyUnite]

I miss BracketBusters and the 24 hr Tipoff Marathon. BracketBusters especially made the college basketball season funner, so many great matchups from the mid-late 2000s and early 2010s with soldout crowds. Wichita/George Mason (Sweet 16 preview), SIU/Butler, Saint Mary’s/Murray St, etc. It was big for the Valley.

Gonzaga never played in BracketBusters IIRC. Also, VCU/George Mason/Davidson wouldn’t be in it today as they were in the CAA/SoCon back then. Still, I would love to see a BracketBusters revival.

[RacerJoeD]

Yeah I never knew all the rules (A10 wasn't included, Gonzaga didn't participate, etc)
I just like matching up teams from non P6 conferences at nearly the same NET ranking and seeing what matchups you could get. There are some good ones.

[jsaluki080]

Yeah, why did they stop the bracketbuster games?

Weren't they good for the Valley as our conference usually did pretty well in them, right?

[LanceShock]

In the early days of Bracketbusters, they were a chance for teams on the bubble to have a good quality game to improve their standing on the bubble. As things went along, the pool began to get watered down and the Bracketbuster games ended up not being any better than the kinds of games teams could schedule on their own during nonconference play. The games stopped being a chance for teams to improve their standing on the bubble. That made the games not worth the distraction that they were during the end of conference play.

[BCPanther]

In the early days of Bracketbusters, they were a chance for teams on the bubble to have a good quality game to improve their standing on the bubble. As things went along, the pool began to get watered down and the Bracketbuster games ended up not being any better than the kinds of games teams could schedule on their own during nonconference play. The games stopped being a chance for teams to improve their standing on the bubble. That made the games not worth the distraction that they were during the end of conference play.

Yep. Just like everything ESPN touches.

[Drakey]

The games just became a mechanism to eliminate teams from the tournament.

[RacerJoeD]

Its a catch 22. You need someone with money and broadcasting ability to put it together. Honestly, if CBS wants to take some market share, that would be a perfect spot to do it. It would be a challenge with teams/conferences having their own broadcasting deals, but could be a real coup if done correctly (ie if you get good matchups and broadcast professionally as in not remotely, or shot by college kids and on accessible platforms)

[bleach]

The games just became a mechanism to eliminate teams from the tournament.

This.

[RacerJoeD]

The games just became a mechanism to eliminate teams from the tournament.

That’s true of every game as long as the big $$$ conferences control the flow of money