Bracketbuster Projections

[MVCfans]

MVCFANS - some questions.... Are there any official or common selection rules for the Bracketbuster pairings?

No intra-conference games and no rematches of previously played games (unwritten rule)

Is the selection solely on RPI or poll ranking? I had read somewhere teams can offer, who the team would like to play, does this have much bearing on the pairings? Is any logic involved in what would be a good game for fans to watch?

ESPN chooses their 13 games for television or ESPN3 broadcast based on matchups they believe will draw ratings. Butler, for example, probably doesn't deserve a TV slot, but I'd bet they will find a way to get them on. Once the TV games are chosen, schools submit preferences and thje conference commisioners arrange games.

I have no idea what teams/conferences are included or have opted out, but I would find match ups with Middle Tennessee and Dayton interesting.

The A-10 doesn't participate. Middle Tennesse State is not in either.

Here is a link to the complete home and visitor list.

link: wp/2011/12/13/863/

[Heinro]

By the numbers it should still be CU vs St. Marys and WSU vs. Murray St. Anything else and the Valley better bail on the Bracket Busters, let ESPN see how crappy the event is when they don't have the Valley any more. Even if Elgin still tries to sell his bad apple, hopefully Marshall will tell Elgin to blow himself and at least get WSU out.

[beatingrillz]

By the numbers it should still be CU vs St. Marys and WSU vs. Murray St. Anything else and the Valley better bail on the Bracket Busters, let ESPN see how crappy the event is when they don't have the Valley any more. Even if Elgin still tries to sell his bad apple, hopefully Marshall will tell Elgin to blow himself and at least get WSU out.

Zo tried that with MSU and Elgin just threatened to leave them out of the ESPN tv package if they MSU decided they wanted out.

[Jet915]

Elgin needs to grow some balls if we get screwed this time around. Bracketbusters is nothing w/o the MVC. Year in and year out it's always the MVC vs. whatever team is good from the rest of the 15 or whatever crap conferences that participate.

[shocker3]

I am still hopeful that CU gets St. Mary's and WSU is at Murray St. If CU gets Long Beach and WSU is at ORU or Iona the Valley gets totally screwed.

At least we will have a good excuse to leave this event, but I bet Elgin won't want to no matter how badly they screw us.

[glm38]

ESPN is pretty powerful in the sports world. It's probably pretty difficult to go against them.

[MVCfans]

Although there have been reports that TV games would be announced tonight, this is from ESPN:

For the seventh straight year, ESPNU will feature five Sears BracketBusters games, while ESPN or ESPN2 will television up to six and ESPN3 will carry two. The 13 Sears BracketBusters matchups will be announced Monday, Jan. 30 with dates, times and networks. The television matchups are selected by ESPN, while a Committee of Conference Commissioners determines the additional non-televised games.

Hopefully, we hear some news before then as games start leaking out.

[AndShock]

The non-TV games usually all get leaked out well before the TV matchups. I remember the TV matchups got posted by accident on an ESPN schedule early one year, but ESPN noticed pretty quick and took them down.

[MSUDuo]

One last prediction...

CU v. St Marys
WSU @ Murray State
UNI @ Cleveland State
MSU v. Lamar
DU @ Ohio
ISUb @ Kent State
ISUr v. Oakland
UE v. WIU
BU v. Tennessee State
SIU v. Ball State

[MVCfans]

One last prediction...

CU v. St Marys
WSU @ Murray State
UNI @ Cleveland State
MSU v. Lamar
DU @ Ohio
ISUb @ Kent State
ISUr v. Oakland
UE v. WIU
BU v. Tennessee State
SIU v. Ball State

This would be among the "best case scenarios" for many of the MVC teams. Certainly could happen, I'm just a little jaded on Bracket Buster is all.