2013 Sears ESPN Bracketbuster Game

[WuShock Reaper]

Okay here is my assessment as we stand today (12/03/12) regarding the 2013 Sears ESPN Bracketbuster Field. First off all, I am still upset with the way teams got home or away games for this year. For example, these teams all had home games last year and they got one this year as well: Murray State, Davidson, Oral Roberts, Utah State, and Vermont. I was really counting on these teams to be possible matchups for the Shockers but that won’t be happening now. I was also counting on New Mexico State in the mix as well, but they dropped out of the event completely.

As a result, the top Top 15 Away/Home Teams (based on RPI #) match-ups has gotten considerably weaker. They are:

Top 15 Away Teams

Tier 1
Stephen F. Austin (#37), Albany (#38), Creighton (#49), Illinois State (#59), Ohio (#71)

Tier 2
Northwestern State (#72), Pacific (#73), North Dakota State (#79), Canisius (#91), Northern Arizona (#96)

Tier 3
Montana (#99), Eastern Kentucky (#100), Bradley (#103), Loyola-Maryland (#104), Weber State (#115)


Top 15 Home Teams

Tier 1
Wichita State (#12), Murray State (#27), Illinois-Chicago (#33), Belmont (#46),UC Santa Barbara (#60)

Tier 2
Long Beach State (#67), Southern Illinois (#82), Western Michigan (#84), Vermont (#93), College Of Charleston (#108)

Tier 3
Davidson (#109), Saint Mary's College (#110), Rider (#120), Eastern Michigan (#126), Akron (#129)


NEXT UPDATE – December 31, 2012

[shocker22]

Let's just hope we get Ohio or possibly Pacific. The away field is CRAP!

[SubGod22]

Let's just hope we get Ohio or possibly Pacific. The away field is CRAP!

The event is CRAP!

[ShockTalk]

Okay here is my assessment as we stand today (12/03/12) regarding the 2013 Sears ESPN Bracketbuster Field. First off all, I am still upset with the way teams got home or away games for this year. For example, these teams all had home games last year and they got one this year as well: Murray State, Davidson, Oral Roberts, Utah State, and Vermont. I was really counting on these teams to be possible matchups for the Shockers but that won’t be happening now. I was also counting on New Mexico State in the mix as well, but they dropped out of the event completely.

As a result, the top Top 15 Away/Home Teams (based on RPI #) match-ups has gotten considerably weaker. They are:

Top 15 Away Teams

Tier 1
Stephen F. Austin (#37), Albany (#38), Creighton (#49), Illinois State (#59), Ohio (#71)

Tier 2
Northwestern State (#72), Pacific (#73), North Dakota State (#79), Canisius (#91), Northern Arizona (#96)

Tier 3
Montana (#99), Eastern Kentucky (#100), Bradley (#103), Loyola-Maryland (#104), Weber State (#115)


Top 15 Home Teams

Tier 1
Wichita State (#12), Murray State (#27), Illinois-Chicago (#33), Belmont (#46),UC Santa Barbara (#60)

Tier 2
Long Beach State (#67), Southern Illinois (#82), Western Michigan (#84), Vermont (#93), College Of Charleston (#108)

Tier 3
Davidson (#109), Saint Mary's College (#110), Rider (#120), Eastern Michigan (#126), Akron (#129)


NEXT UPDATE – December 31, 2012

Projected RPIs might be a better indicator now that we are 25%+ into the season and it takes in consideration teams' level of conference play.

Home teams: WSU #26, Belmont #31, Murray St #64, Akron #70, St. Mary's #75, Ill Ch #76, Valpo #82, Davidson #84, UNI #89

Away teams: CU #16, Ill St #36, Ohio #65, NDSU #80, Loyola MD #92, other teams 100+.

Other away teams you mention: SF Austin #118, Albany #111, NW St #165, Pacific #147, Canisius #164, N AZ #239, Montana #162, E. Kent #143, Weber St #151.

Ranking of top conferences playing in BB: #9 MVC, #10 WCC (only 2 teams), #12 Horizon (lost Butler), #14 WAC (raped by the MWC), #16 MAAC

[KC Shox]

My dream is to become a nationally known mid powerhouse like Butler, Xavier, Gonzaga etc., but until we actually become a NCAA post season regular invitee, we deserve to be included in the BB pool. 3 NCAA appearances in the past quarter century does not translate to a program that deserves to be viewed on the national level as a perennial mid power. Many SNer's have blurred our recent success with the 'where's the love' and 'we're better than that' slants. In fact, for a program many of which believes is better than the BB games, our W/L history in this event stinks. It's not like we dominated these BB games and proven our worth of a program who's got better games to play.

GM is steering this ship in the right direction, our fans our facilities and our recent success are all good positives to grow this program, but we still have work to do.

[Cdizzle]

Seems like refusing to schedule home-and-homes with teams that have more of a chance of hurting us than helping us is about as major as you can be. I say we do it.

[GoShockers89]

They're going to have to do something to either juice this event up or euthanize it in a year or two. Those are just objectively terrible teams and even ESPN is embarrassed I'm sure. The top 3 or 4 teams in the event could very easily be exclusively from the MVC. And this isn't even a year where the league is doing anything at all behind WSU and CU.

I think we finally have some actual leverage as the last non-POS conference in this thing. Now would be a great time to reach out to NBCSports and CBSSports and negotiate a skeleton deal framework, then come back to ESPN and say fix this or we're gonna gtfo. If they tell us to kick rocks, fine- every major cable provider in the country has NBCS and CBSS unlike just two years ago. If they capitulate and either: (1) let us out of this low-major monstrosity; or (2) fix it by coercing the A-10 or someone decent into it, then that's fine too.

I know Elgin is way too much of a weenie to do this though.

[shoxtop]

In fact, for a program many of which believes is better than the BB games, our W/L history in this event stinks. It's not like we dominated these BB games and proven our worth of a program who's got better games to play. .

How many of the teams that beat us still play in the BB? Off the top of my head, VCU, USU, and GMU are all gone, are there any left in BB that we've lost to?

[Aargh]

But...but...this is the only way Elgin can get Evansville a chance to be on ESPN.

[ABC]

In fact, for a program many of which believes is better than the BB games, our W/L history in this event stinks.

And we are 8-0 in the return games. That needs to be taken into consideration. I think we are approaching a perennial power, but not there yet. The NIT team should have rec'd an invite as should of the team the year before. In my opinion at least one of Turgeon's other teams should have rec'd an invite.

And if all of the programs that can even remotely be considered peers have left the BB, then we really do have to evaluate if this is the best thing. Do we need BB to schedule Davidson and Utah State?

[ShockTalk]

And we are 8-0 in the return games. That needs to be taken into consideration. I think we are approaching a perennial power, but not there yet. The NIT team should have rec'd an invite as should of the team the year before. In my opinion at least one of Turgeon's other teams should have rec'd an invite.

And if all of the programs that can even remotely be considered peers have left the BB, then we really do have to evaluate if this is the best thing. Do we need BB to schedule Davidson and Utah State?

Utah St will be going to the MWC.

[martymoose]

Wow, this is bad....maybe we can play Creighton 3 times.

[WuShock Reaper]

Wow, this is bad....maybe we can play Creighton 3 times.

That was what I was thinking. In addition, let's move the game to Kansas City. They get half the tickets and we get half the tickets.

[WuShock Reaper]

They're going to have to do something to either juice this event up or euthanize it in a year or two. Those are just objectively terrible teams and even ESPN is embarrassed I'm sure. The top 3 or 4 teams in the event could very easily be exclusively from the MVC. And this isn't even a year where the league is doing anything at all behind WSU and CU.

I think we finally have some actual leverage as the last non-POS conference in this thing. Now would be a great time to reach out to NBCSports and CBSSports and negotiate a skeleton deal framework, then come back to ESPN and say fix this or we're gonna gtfo. If they tell us to kick rocks, fine- every major cable provider in the country has NBCS and CBSS unlike just two years ago. If they capitulate and either: (1) let us out of this low-major monstrosity; or (2) fix it by coercing the A-10 or someone decent into it, then that's fine too.

I know Elgin is way too much of a weenie to do this though.

According to ESPN, the return games from this year must be played next season. I would suspect there will be some type of changes to the event if it is to continue. My suggetion would be that they move the event to the last weekend of the year December 28 and 29, 2013. Then allow teams to have games from early November to, let's say December 16 and then match them up. I think more teams would be willing to participate who have chosen not to in the past since it won't fall during their regularly scheduled conference games.

[ShockerPrez]

#1. Whoever we play, we need to demolish them.
#2. Hopefully, our business will have been taken care of to the point where this game does not meaning anything. (Staying in the top 25 will indicate whether we have)
#3. Go to Elgin's office with a fat stinky hog of a woman and a camera.
#4. Lock the door.
#5. Produce photos of Elgin with said fat stinky hog woman
#6. Hand Elgin a piece of paper stating that WSU does not have to participate with this stupid BB thing ever again.
#7. Return to Wichita and celebrate.
#8. Go on to glorious NCAA success