2013 Sears ESPN Bracketbuster Game

[WuShock Reaper]

I am guessing that the teams for the Sears ESPN Bracketbuster Game 2013 will be announced this week or perhaps next week and decided to take a look at what might happen to this year’s pool of teams. Now I realize that a few of us hate this event, but I like it and I think it is good for the Shockers to participate. Over the last 10 years we have had some very good games and we usually get another good game in return. This is two less non-conference games we have to worry about scheduling and we know we won’t be likely getting a trash team that hurts our RPI. In fact, the last 10 years our Bracketbuster Opponent has averaged an RPI of about 60. In addition, we have had 8 TV games which helps with visibility and awareness for our basketball team.

What we know from past seasons:
2012 had 142 participants - NCAA Tournament: 17 berths; 7-17 overall record
2011 had 110 participants - NCAA Tournament: 14 berths; 13-14 overall record
2010 had 98 participants - NCAA Tournament: 12 berths; 10-12 overall record
2009 had 102 participants - NCAA Tournament: 12 berths; 3-12 overall record
2008 had 102 participants - NCAA Tournament: 13 berths; 5-13 overall record


What might happen this season:
I am guessing that we will have 144 teams participate this year.

We lose four teams in Virginia Commonwealth, Butler, Nevada and Fresno State. This hurts as the first three have been very good.

The event is likely to pick up six teams in Belmont, North Dakota, Denver, Seattle University, Longwood, and Nebraska-Omaha. Belmont is the only really bright star, but North Dakota and Denver do have a little luster.

In addition, we might (but doubtful) pick-up four more teams and they are: Norfolk State, Savannah State, Georgia Southern, and Western Carolina. Mostly trash teams with the exception of Norfolk State which had a nice little run late last season.

Lastly, I have six teams that are my dream schools to pick up for this year. They are: Gonzaga, Harvard, BYU, Middle Tennessee, Bucknell, and Princeton. It would sure help the event to pick up a couple of these teams to replace the ones we lost.

Just a few of my thoughts and as always—Go Shockers!!!

[SubGod22]

There will be fewer teams in it this year as ESPN has kicked out the only other conference that you could argue made it worthwhile in the CAA. If teams are added to make up for that, they suck anyway.

[_kai_]

I'll once again just throw out my disdain for BB, except now that the CAA is out, it's even more of a joke.

[ShoxFan45]

I really, really, have a hard time understanding posters here. Most of the time I feel like I am in the majority with people here. But not with this subject.

People on here voice their opinions for more quality home and home's. We here it all the time. "We don't want to play South Carolina Upstate Tech at home" "I don't like our non conference being filled with patsys"

That is what the bracket buster is!!!!!!!!.... Is it perfect? No way, Davidson was a horrible draw last year, I'll admit that. However I will take a built in home and home, that is usually pretty on par with whatever level we are at for that season. VCU and Davidson are two programs that are pretty darn similar to ours. Lets get real, we would love to have the runs they have had in the NCAA's over the past few years. How is adding a home and home with these programs bad for us?

To me, us complaining about the bracket buster makes us look an awful lot like the KU and K-State fans that hate playing us. Obvious differences in those comparisons.. But still. If we are so above this competition, lets just win the games and move on.

We have actually had pretty good chances to make better cases to our resume because of Bracket Busters, but simply whiffed on them. Wins over Utah State and VCU would have put us a lot closer to getting into the NCAA's those years, and trust me, it wasn't those losses that kept us out of the tournament.

[ShockerFever]

I really, really, have a hard time understanding posters here. Most of the time I feel like I am in the majority with people here. But not with this subject.

People on here voice their opinions for more quality home and home's. We here it all the time. "We don't want to play South Carolina Upstate Tech at home" "I don't like our non conference being filled with patsys"

That is what the bracket buster is!!!!!!!!.... Is it perfect? No way, Davidson was a horrible draw last year, I'll admit that. However I will take a built in home and home, that is usually pretty on par with whatever level we are at for that season. VCU and Davidson are two programs that are pretty darn similar to ours. Lets get real, we would love to have the runs they have had in the NCAA's over the past few years. How is adding a home and home with these programs bad for us?

To me, us complaining about the bracket buster makes us look an awful lot like the KU and K-State fans that hate playing us. Obvious differences in those comparisons.. But still. If we are so above this competition, lets just win the games and move on.

We have actually had pretty good chances to make better cases to our resume because of Bracket Busters, but simply whiffed on them. Wins over Utah State and VCU would have put us a lot closer to getting into the NCAA's those years, and trust me, it wasn't those losses that kept us out of the tournament.

Normally, I'd be on the same boat with you. But now that the CAA has been excluded, there goes a lot more better opponents. Remove the CAA from BB, and we don't get series with GMU or VCU.

Since that has now happened, I challenge you to look at the selection pool this year and determine whether this event is a positive.

[1972Shocker]

The good thing is we don't need the hole pool to be attractive. We just need a handful of decent teams and we need to play well enough to earn a match-up with one of those teams. If we aren't good enough to earn a match up with one of those relatively better teams then we probably aren't an NCAA caliber team anyway.

[SubGod22]

The good thing is we don't need the hole pool to be attractive. We just need a handful of decent teams and we need to play well enough to earn a match-up with one of those teams. If we aren't good enough to earn a match up with one of those relatively better teams then we probably aren't an NCAA caliber team anyway.

That didn't work last year...

[1972Shocker]

That didn't work last year...

It didn't? We got a good opponent, we won the game with a good performance for which we received a lot of love and we received an at-large invite to the NCAA Tournament (maybe we would have anyway but it sure didn't hurt). I would take last year's result anytime.

[_kai_]

It didn't? We got a good opponent, we won the game with a good performance for which we received a lot of love and we received an at-large invite to the NCAA Tournament (maybe we would have anyway but it sure didn't hurt). I would take last year's result anytime.

And what happens if just one other person on Davidson's team decided to show up other than the lanky kid who couldn't miss? We were playing away, against a team that was playing the game of the year for them, the crowd was in it, they had a kid who couldn't miss. If any of the other players wanted to show up and play that day, we could have lost, then what happens? We might not get an at-large bid.

The thing I hate about BB is that our future is being decided by some TV exec. What will give them the best ratings, not which game will be the best match up, and the game you might play not only has nothing to do to help you, but you may have gotten that game because your team was an after thought on which games will bring the best ratings. On top of that, the competition in the pool isn't a standard bell curve. It's weighted on the crap end of the scale, drastically. So you have a handful of teams who are top 50 RPI, a larger handful that are 50-150, then a big lump of teams that are awful. With the removal of the CAA in this group of teams to choose from, the top 50 rpi teams get cut drastically, so that now we have less teams to choose from.

Brackbusters, when it started, and in theory is a great thing. Over time, with the addition of so many teams, it has really dropped the effectiveness of the format. If you don't have teams that are truly fighting for an at-large spot, then what is the point? There are maybe 8-10 teams in the field that even have a chance at getting an at-large bid, and now it's at 140+ schools and the conferences aren't even good conferences.

I would much rather put the scheduling in our own hands, and if it is South Carolina Technical College, then so be it. We'll beat them, get a W, and it'll mess with our RPI a bit. But it stops the possibility that we have an RPI of 28, and get matched up with a school who has an RPI of 60, play them on the road, and lose on national television, and our at-large bid is shot.

If there was a Bracketbuster style event, that guaranteed you would play a team within 15 rpi places of you, from another conference, with a guaranteed home v home, I'd take it in a heart beat.

[SubGod22]

It didn't? We got a good opponent, we won the game with a good performance for which we received a lot of love and we received an at-large invite to the NCAA Tournament (maybe we would have anyway but it sure didn't hurt). I would take last year's result anytime.

We played a team well below us in the RPI and it didn't do anything for us as far as post season goes. And the return game, as per usual, will be below average. Instead of getting a team in our realm, we were given a team that was well beneath us. Davidson isn't a bad program, but that matchup did nothing for us. Other than show that we were a lot better than a team some 30 spots below us. And the end of season RPI definitely showed that.

[1972Shocker]

Davidson isn't a bad program, but that matchup did nothing for us.

I disagree. The way we dominated them in a very tough road environment was a very nice feather in our hat and a nice addition to our resume.

[1972Shocker]

And what happens if just one other person on Davidson's team decided to show up other than the lanky kid who couldn't miss? We were playing away, against a team that was playing the game of the year for them, the crowd was in it, they had a kid who couldn't miss. If any of the other players wanted to show up and play that day, we could have lost, then what happens? We might not get an at-large bid.

The thing I hate about BB is that our future is being decided by some TV exec. What will give them the best ratings, not which game will be the best match up, and the game you might play not only has nothing to do to help you, but you may have gotten that game because your team was an after thought on which games will bring the best ratings. On top of that, the competition in the pool isn't a standard bell curve. It's weighted on the crap end of the scale, drastically. So you have a handful of teams who are top 50 RPI, a larger handful that are 50-150, then a big lump of teams that are awful. With the removal of the CAA in this group of teams to choose from, the top 50 rpi teams get cut drastically, so that now we have less teams to choose from.

Brackbusters, when it started, and in theory is a great thing. Over time, with the addition of so many teams, it has really dropped the effectiveness of the format. If you don't have teams that are truly fighting for an at-large spot, then what is the point? There are maybe 8-10 teams in the field that even have a chance at getting an at-large bid, and now it's at 140+ schools and the conferences aren't even good conferences.

I would much rather put the scheduling in our own hands, and if it is South Carolina Technical College, then so be it. We'll beat them, get a W, and it'll mess with our RPI a bit. But it stops the possibility that we have an RPI of 28, and get matched up with a school who has an RPI of 60, play them on the road, and lose on national television, and our at-large bid is shot.

If there was a Bracketbuster style event, that guaranteed you would play a team within 15 rpi places of you, from another conference, with a guaranteed home v home, I'd take it in a heart beat.

But that didn't happen did it? What happened if we had beat GMU and VCU at home in our BB games. The bottom line is we are getting a better game than we seem to be capapble of getting on own. After that we just need to make sure we win whatever matchup we get. Present a better event (not just a wish list) to participate in and I'm with you 100%

[wu_shizzle]

Just win baby.

[SubGod22]

I disagree. The way we dominated them in a very tough road environment was a very nice feather in our hat and a nice addition to our resume.

I don't see it. We were pretty heavily favored going in and most thought we got the shaft by being sent there anyway. Yes, better than beating an Alcorn State, but not much in the way of boosting our resume. And when we play them next year, we'll kick the crap out of them again.

Have we had one good return game yet from this? Cleveland State was bad, Appy State was bad, Austin Peay was bad, Mason wasn't good. Utah State was down.

BB isn't the absolute worst thing in the world, but I don't see it as some great event either. Especially with ESPN kicking the CAA out of it. This thing is going downhill fast.

[WstateU]

I disagree. The way we dominated them in a very tough road environment was a very nice feather in our hat and a nice addition to our resume.

Additionally, Davidson had a nice (so called neutral court) win over KU on their resume. That win even opened the eyes of a few of my KU friends. Yes, I have several KU friends and the majority of them are good guys and support the Shocks. :)