Bracket Busters column

[Capitol Shock]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/6057242/bracketbusters-games-happen

Interesting the discussion involves so many Valley teams.

[AndShock]

I love Andy Katz after the love he's given us, but this is a poor article.

#1. Missouri State can't host.
#2. Why exactly does Indiana State get the best road team?
#3. If we get a CAA team, I'd rather it be George Mason. George Mason isn't even mentioned in that article and they're about 20 RPI spots better than VCU.

[Ta town]

I don't know how many times I have to say it.

Wichita State and the valley shouldn't demean themselves with bracket busters. Spin it however you want. It's just a chance for espn to let everybody know why the little guys come up just shy of being an at large team.

You don't prove a thing beating another perceived mid major. Heck Katz even said the WSU/VCU game wouldn't change a thing.

The fact that he has listed 5 valley teams as t.v. Games he would like to see tells you we get these games in league already. Tough games to win that will get you zero respect even if you do.

[WSUShokker]

I really used to like BB and I still do for just the basic interest in a OCG game against a team we typically dont play. Its still better than our buy games at the beginning of the year.

But.... I dont see it helping us in anyway though....It stands the chance of doing much more damage than good. Another home loss would be horrible

[vbird53]

The concept needs some tweeking. I'd like to see it occur in the non-con (pre-January) part of the schedule, and selected before the season. Pair the expected top teams against others from other leagues, just as the Valley has done with MWC. There's no reason to wait until late January to announce the pairings.

If ESPN wants a real Bracket Buster, it needs to pair the best nonBCS with the bubble BCS schools. ESPN is probably the only entity that could ever potentially make this happen.

[ShockTalk]

I really used to like BB and I still do for just the basic interest in a OCG game against a team we typically dont play. Its still better than our buy games at the beginning of the year.

But.... I dont see it helping us in anyway though....It stands the chance of doing much more damage than good. Another home loss would be horrible

Nice BCS attitude.

[Ta town]

I really used to like BB and I still do for just the basic interest in a OCG game against a team we typically dont play. Its still better than our buy games at the beginning of the year.

But.... I dont see it helping us in anyway though....It stands the chance of doing much more damage than good. Another home loss would be horrible

Nice BCS attitude.

It's the truth...you don't impress the naysayers by beating other teams they think are fellow mid majors. Just the way it is. Doesn't mean WSU fans don't respect other Solid mid major programs. Just simple logic, if the bias is that team a and team b are both ok but couldn't hang with average bcs teams then they will reason that the team that losses is really bad.

[19SHOCKER76]

Wichita State and the valley shouldn't demean themselves with bracket busters.

Didn't I hear/read somewhere that the idea of BB was Elgin's, and that he approached ESPN?

[SirShoxAlot]

Wichita State and the valley shouldn't demean themselves with bracket busters.

Didn't I hear/read somewhere that the idea of BB was Elgin's, and that he approached ESPN?

No, but we can opt out of it as Butler and Gonzaga have.

[AndShock]

I'm pretty sure the BB was Elgin's idea. That's why he's never going to opt out of it.

[60Shock]

Since we don't have any keys wins, yet, against a key opponent, it would appear that the BB would be especially advantageous to us this year.

Of course, we have to win the game. If this frightens you, then maybe we should pick up our marbles and go home.

[tropicalshox]

I believe Butler is out this year only to clear room for the Duke rematch. I also think Andshock is correct and that makes it politically incorrect for the Shockers to pull out.

[ky-mike]

I don't know how many times I have to say it.

Wichita State and the valley shouldn't demean themselves with bracket busters. Spin it however you want. It's just a chance for espn to let everybody know why the little guys come up just shy of being an at large team.

You don't prove a thing beating another perceived mid major. Heck Katz even said the WSU/VCU game wouldn't change a thing.

The fact that he has listed 5 valley teams as t.v. Games he would like to see tells you we get these games in league already. Tough games to win that will get you zero respect even if you do.

Sounds just like the excuses that the major teams throw out as to why they don't want to play WSU.

[proshox]

Ta town - GMU got a very large boost for an at large based off their bb win at koch. I am sure there are others...

[ShockTalk]

I really used to like BB and I still do for just the basic interest in a OCG game against a team we typically dont play. Its still better than our buy games at the beginning of the year.

But.... I dont see it helping us in anyway though....It stands the chance of doing much more damage than good. Another home loss would be horrible

Nice BCS attitude.

It's the truth...you don't impress the naysayers by beating other teams they think are fellow mid majors. Just the way it is. Doesn't mean WSU fans don't respect other Solid mid major programs. Just simple logic, if the bias is that team a and team b are both ok but couldn't hang with average bcs teams then they will reason that the team that losses is really bad.

I don't like the BB and I particularly don't like the timing of it. More than 90% of the games are totally meaningless as a way to get to the Dance. That said and logic go hang, I don't believe in ducking competition either. You prove yourself on the court, or not, and live with the results.

Your simple logic has another side to it, a catch-22 if you will. Many say that most quailty BCS teams won't play a quality mid major even up, or home and home, so to prove your as good, you have to bend to a stacked deck which will give you a worse chance of winning. Given those two scenerios, I'll pick a home and home against a quality mid major that has as high, perhaps higher, RPI than that BCS team.

If I play a quality schedule and do well, but don't make the Dance, that's shame on them, not me. I don't believe in playing chicken and try to back door the Dance. Yes, I know it's big business and about the money. Reality tells me that a better schedule will make my team better and more prepared for conference play/tourney or even for next year, so that money may still be there.

If I play a quality schedule and don't do well, that's on me. We didn't do what was needed. Hopefully, the team will reap the benefit of that quality schedule later.