Bracketbuster Projections

[BirdmanBB]

Listening to Banter it is completely clear. Elgin's priority was to get as many teams on ESPN as possible.

[Heinro]

In all seriousness I think ESPN set up this event to screw all the mids. The only team out of these match ups that really has anything to gain is LBSU. Iona over Nevada, not good enough; Davidson over WSU or vise versa, means squat; SMC vs. Murray St., seeding only; VCU or UNI, likely wouldn't have mattered; ORU over Akron, again no help.

ESPN is setting it up to eliminate potential bubble mids.

[thedude15]

What would be so hard to get a REAL bracket buster's event with the MVC, MWC, C-USA, A-10 and CAA creating a pool of teams to make matchups on? Playing in the same pool with conferences like the Southland conference is a joke.

Add in Gonzaga/BYU well basically all non BCS conference teams. Plus if everyone was invoked ESPN could turn this into a 3 day thing with 20+ televised games.

Currently they are 6 RPI top 50 teams in the BB if everyone was included you would add 13 more top 50 RPI teams. That is 9 RPI top 50 vs RPI top 50 match ups right there plus one RPI top 50 vs RPI non-top 50 match up (ie 10 really solid games).

13 new rpi top 50 teams
UNLV Southern Mississippi Temple Colorado state Gonzaga San Diego State Memphis BYU Xavier Middle Tennessee New Mexico Harvard Saint Louis

that would be pretty amazing and really cool but it is not gonna happen .

[BirdmanBB]

Holy !@#$ Elgin said as a part of our TV deal with ESPN, every valley team is locked into the bracketbuster for the next 4 years.

He said it never went to a vote as it was understood by all teams that it was necessary for the deal to happen. He then went on to say that if it went to a vote that it would be pretty close. Well what the hell. If you know going into this thing that likely a majority of valley teams don't want to participate, then maybe its something worth looking into ending.

[Heinro]

Can we get out of that contract? F*** ESPN.

[thedude15]

In all seriousness I think ESPN set up this event to screw all the mids. The only team out of these match ups that really has anything to gain is LBSU. Iona over Nevada, not good enough; Davidson over WSU or vise versa, means squat; SMC vs. Murray St., seeding only; VCU or UNI, likely wouldn't have mattered; ORU over Akron, again no help.

ESPN is setting it up to eliminate potential bubble mids.

true. The only team that could really play their way into at large consideration this year is LBSU but there are several teams that would play there way out of at large consideration. Heck look at Murray State. If they lose vs St Mary's by a couple of possessions or more and then they lose in their tourney will they get an at large?

[Jet915]

Still not sure why they matched up Davidson w/Wichita State. Geographically and RPI wise, Wichita and Oral Roberts makes more sense and so does Davidson and Akron.

[FeartheQ]

Can we get out of that contract? F*** ESPN.

Just win the games on the schedule... Everyone's bracket buster game is probably better than their worst non conference game of the season.

[Heinro]

Still not sure why they matched up Davidson w/Wichita State. Geographically and RPI wise, Wichita and Oral Roberts makes more sense and so does Davidson and Akron.

Big brother (KU) lost to them at home. Unless you buy into my conspiracy of trying to eliminate bubble mids.

[thedude15]

Holy !@#$ Elgin said as a part of our TV deal with ESPN, every valley team is locked into the bracketbuster for the next 4 years.

that is explains why they are gonna screw you. They might start being nicer when there is only a year or two left on the contract. Cause really without the MVC the number of good games basically gets cut in half.