Ding dong, Bracket Buster is dead

[shoxrox]

I don't think many teams would be happy if they were one of the best teams heading into BB and the best you get out of it is a match up with a Dakota school out of the Summit League that will struggle to maintain a 70-ish RPI.

Regardless of the relation to the rest of the schedule, a match up with a Dakota school doesn't garner any national attention, will not be a "quality" win, etc. At least with the previous years, you had similar ranked RPI opponents in the matchups. The RPI spread between WSU and a Dakota school will be at least 50, if not higher.

Maybe Illinois State or UNI fans would feel differently if they were in the Top 15 in the country and would be happy with a game like North Dakota State. I, as a WSU fan, do not.

[BCPanther]

In all seriousness, BracketBusters has worked out okay for UNI. We really have gotten some good games and at least one that got us an at large (Bucknell '06).

George Mason, VCU, Old Dominion, Bucknell, and Nevada were all really good games for us. Heck, even Siena wasn't a bad get.

With that said, its run its course and its the right time for it to end. Elgin had the right idea, ESPN just made it too big.

[shoxrox]

I agree too that it has been a pretty decent setup for WSU in most years. We got some pretty good games out of it.

This year, however, is not the year to be clamoring for its greatness.

[TheAsianSensation]

tas, the announcement of match-ups is scheduled for 2/4. do you know when their match-ups are finalized?

I think pretty much everything about everything for BB is finalized that day, 2/4.

[GoShockers89]

This thing is an absolute dumpster fire.

South Dakota State is the best non-MVC road team with an RPI of 61? Awesome, big help.

National television is the only plus at this point.

I hate to point out the obvious, but if Wichita State gets either North Dakota State (59) or South Dakota State (60) in the BB, it becomes the 3rd best non-conference game on their schedule.

It would trail only:

VCU (39)
Southern Miss (40)

It should also be noted that VCU is on the Shockers schedule as the return BB game from 2 years ago.

So in closing, the BB got Wichita State it's TOUGHEST NON-CONFERENCE TEAM and it's 3rd TOUGHEST NON-CONFERENCE TEAM on it's schedule.

Don't be an idiot. The fact that Bracketbuster was still minimally acceptable from a quality standpoint 2 years ago doesn't mean that it's not objectively garbage this season.

But by all means, keep building strawmen and then struggle to tear them down.

[cpacmel]

I am not tearing into Wichita State. I know they struggle to get people to play them. And I know it's nearly impossible to get anyone to come to Koch.

All I did was state the facts.

Without the BB, you don't have VCU on your schedule. That's a pretty good game to have when it comes to resume building, don't you think?

Your gonna get someone this year that is equal to say Tennessee. Just doesn't have the name or conference affliation.

And yes, shoxrox, I do agree with ya. It would be nice if you were getting someone similar in resume and power ranking. But this year it just didn't work out that way. And if it was ISU, I would just be happy as heck we got a shot at VCU 2 out of the last 3 years, including once at home!

Maybe it's the "idiot" in me......but when I look at Wichita State's non-conference schedule I certainly don't think it's a bad thing to add any top 70 school. Sure in an ideal world it would be much better to add a top 25 or even a top 50 school.

If there was no BB this year, who replaces that top 70 school? Another Northern Colorado (315)? Another Charleston Southern (170)? You would hope it would be another Southern Miss (40) or VCU (39), but then again, those schools aren't wanting to schedule teams like the Shockers yearly.

Say it ends up being South Dakota State. And they end up winning the Summit League and finish the regular season with an RPI that is lower than 50. Does that change the view of things? Or is it the fact that Wichita State is #18 and it should be someone with 10 spots or so of that?

[GoShockers89]

Say it ends up being South Dakota State. And they end up winning the Summit League and finish the regular season with an RPI that is lower than 50. Does that change the view of things? Or is it the fact that Wichita State is #18 and it should be someone with 10 spots or so of that?

That was a well thought-out response.

Here is the thing. Yes, if SDSU somehow squeaks into the RPI top 50 by Selection Sunday, I will be glad we played them because that is the only way the Committee will view the win as a positive. If they don't, then this win will be viewed just like our win at Davidson last year (did not make one iota of difference, just another of many wins over RPI 50-100 teams). If we somehow lose the game, it will be viewed disastrously.

The problem is that this event has a bajillion teams in it and we are the very, very best home team in the whole thing. Our prize: a game against a team with a projected RPI around 60 that offers us an "everything to lose and nothing to win" scenario. We basically need SDSU to go undefeated for this to be a winning situation. That is not what the best team in the entire event should have to hope for. They should be guaranteed an opponent that is at least solid on paper (top 50). If this is what we get, what about teams like Indiana State who are truly on the bubble and need a quality opponent to bolster their resume? That is what the event was originally designed for. Now even the rare team that's a lock still can't get a good opponent.

And I do think you are overstating how impressively SDSU will fit into our non-conference schedule.

We have played teams with RPIs of:

39, 40, 71, 79, 84

Tossing in another team with an RPI in the 60s or 70s will help our raw numbers a little, but really doesn't do a whole heckuva lot. It's not like the schedule fell off a cliff after the first two opponents you listed and we are starving for average wins.

Overall, this event served its purpose for a few years but now it offers nothing to participants looking to improve their at-large profile. It is ending at its absolute lowest point.

[TheAsianSensation]

I disagree with the point about the event offering zero help to at-large bid hopefuls. Fringe candidate South Dakota St is about to get their one signature win chance to jump into the conversation! Belmont/Creighton is going to be a mutually beneficial game (actually could be really harmful to Belmont).

The MVC now plays the role of Goliath in this event. MVC is not participating for the quality win chances anymore, we're now stuck providing the quality win chances to everyone else. When it started, we had an emerging CAA....the Horizon with Butler included...the WCC and WAC in full force....and now, the CAA got raided then punted, the Horizon lost their meal ticket, the WCC and WAC partially withdrew, and conference expansion in general caused a separation between the top 10 conferences and everyone else.

Cheer up, Wichita: in 2 years, you're going to have to take a road trip to a school that will have graduated Wolters and their other stars and will be rebuilding, while in the Summit League.

[GoShockers89]

Cheer up, Wichita: in 2 years, you're going to have to take a road trip to a school that will have graduated Wolters and their other stars and will be rebuilding, while in the Summit League.

Ugh, for real. Except this season's BB games will be returned next year (not 2 years from now), as ESPN announced shortly before they told us they were euthanizing this thing.

[cpacmel]

Here is the thing. Yes, if SDSU somehow squeaks into the RPI top 50 by Selection Sunday, I will be glad we played them because that is the only way the Committee will view the win as a positive. If they don't, then this win will be viewed just like our win at Davidson last year (did not make one iota of difference, just another of many wins over RPI 50-100 teams). If we somehow lose the game, it will be viewed disastrously.

How do you really know what effect the Win over Davidson had last year though? I know, I am not going to change your opinion on this event, and I do like a good, friendly debate.....but even if we take it down to just looking at wins from 51-100, doesn't 6-1, look better than 5-1 to the selection committee? And even if you peel the onion back one layer further...doesn't 8 top 100 wins look better than 7 top 100 wins?

The problem is that this event has a bajillion teams in it and we are the very, very best home team in the whole thing.

Technically, if you go RPI wise, the very, very best home team in the whole thing today is Belmont. But I would agree with ya, that you guys are.

Our prize: a game against a team with a projected RPI around 60 that offers us an "everything to lose and nothing to win" scenario.

Yes you have stuff to lose, as in any game. Say ESPN made an announcement that Belmont (14) was being flipped to a home team, and you would were matched up with them instead. A loss to them still gives you stuff to lose (a seed / line or 2 in the Big Dance perhaps).

But yeah, I do know where you are coming from here.

We basically need SDSU to go undefeated for this to be a winning situation. That is not what the best team in the entire event should have to hope for. They should be guaranteed an opponent that is at least solid on paper (top 50). If this is what we get, what about teams like Indiana State who are truly on the bubble and need a quality opponent to bolster their resume? That is what the event was originally designed for. Now even the rare team that's a lock still can't get a good opponent.

To be fair though, Indy State will probably get a team that is within 10-15 of it's RPI (52).

And I do think you are overstating how impressively SDSU will fit into our non-conference schedule.

We have played teams with RPIs of:

39, 40, 71, 79, 84

Tossing in another team with an RPI in the 60s or 70s will help our raw numbers a little, but really doesn't do a whole heckuva lot. It's not like the schedule fell off a cliff after the first two opponents you listed and we are starving for average wins.

Again, I wasn't trying to say that the BB is a scheduling coup for you guys or anyone else. Just pointing out that in the end it will probably give you your best non-conference game and your 3rd best too. That's all I said. And all of these #'s are bound to change too. And it will be fun to re-visit this come March.

Overall, this event served its purpose for a few years but now it offers nothing to participants looking to improve their at-large profile. It is ending at its absolute lowest point.

I guess it's all in the mindset. We can certainly agree to disagree on it man. Even at the event's lowest point, as you claim, if nothing else, it gave you VCU this year. Which is a top 50 win, and your best non-conference win. Sometimes the value lies in the return game.

I do know where you guys are coming from here. In a perfect world, a team with an RPI of 18 should get a game against a like foe (say within 10-15 spots). I just try and look for the positives man. I am off my soapbox.