[NOTE: I screwed up. In my haste to publish this article Tuesday evening, I evidently picked up last year's home-away designations and made my projections/guesses based on dated information. Sorry about that. I've revised my not-so-educated guesses based on what (I swear) are the true home-road teams for this year's BracketBuster event.]
Creighton’s participation in the made-for-TV drama that is ESPN’s Bracket Buster event has bestowed upon Bluejays fans some memorable moments. These include:
- Kyle Korver (27 points; 7-15 from 3-point range) leading CU to a 1-point win over Fresno State on national television.
- Kent State’s 19-0 run turning a 42-41 Creighton lead with 14:30 to play in the game into 60-42 score with 7:48 to go, with the Bluejays losing to the Golden Flashes 70-55.
- Creighton sets an MVC record with 20 3-pointers during a 100-68 embarrassment of Chattanooga.
- More than 15,000 fans at Qwest Center Omaha and a national TV audience on ESPN stayed up late (11 p.m. tip) to watch the Bluejays beat Fresno State again.
- Eventual NCAA Tournament participant Creighton loses for the only time in its home Bracket Buster game history, dropping a 64-58 game to Drexel.
- Hitting the road for just the second time in Bracket Buster play, the Bluejays get a game-winning 3-pointer from Booker Woodfox (video here) en route to a 65-64 win at Oral Roberts.
- Woodfox (22 points; 5-6 from 3-point range) paces the Jays to a 13-point rout of George Mason in front of one of the five largest crowds in Creighton history.
On February 1, the folks in Bristol will announce the matchups for this season’s ESPNU BracketBusters weekend (Feb. 19-20). That means on 2/1, Creighton fans will find out who they’ll get to watch the Bluejays host for one of the team’s rare Saturday night home games. The Nebraska High School Wrestling Championships take place at Qwest Center Omaha that same weekend, and for that reason one can conclude the earliest the Bluejays would play is 8:30 p.m. or so that Saturday night.
Along with the start time, a lot of the information relative to BracketBusters weekend is shrouded in mystery. Last season, 13 BracketBusters games were on the ESPN family of networks. This season, the network will only broadcast 11 games. Will Creighton’s combination of near-100 RPI, solid home court crowd, and relatively brand name program give the Bluejays a shot at some television exposure?
The biggest unknown is not when they’ll play or if they’ll be on TV; rather, what team will come to the Qwest Center to (hopefully) join the ranks of the Fresno States and George Masons of the past and leave with a late-season loss?
Taking a look at the designated home and away teams for the event, comparing the teams’ RPIs as of January 24, and eliminating rematches of previous non-conference games, I took some time to project some possible BracketBusters matchups (for the TV games, only). Again, not knowing exactly how the folks at ESPN and throughout the participating mid-major basketball leagues put these combinations together, I based this primarily on 1) RPI rankings (in parentheses below), 2) league standings as of Tuesday night, and 3) what I’d like to see, as a basketball fan. You know, sort of a not-so-educated guess.\
[Note: I have no idea how the conferences and ESPN pick the match-ups. There. I said it.]
Butler (RPI: 24; 1st place in Horizon) vs. Siena (RPI: 33; 1st in MAAC)
Northern Iowa (RPI: 22; 1st place in MVC) vs. Old Dominion (RPI: 36; tied for 1st in CAA)
Northeastern (RPI: 54; tied for 1st in CAA) vs. Wichita State (RPI: 53; 2nd in MVC)
Kent State (RPI: 73; 1st in MAC East) vs. Louisiana Tech (RPI: 58; 1st in WAC)
VCU (RPI: 48; 3rd in CAA) vs. Western Carolina (RPI: 60; 1st in SoCon North)
George Mason (RPI: 104; tied for 1st in CAA) vs. Western Michigan (RPI: 102; 2nd in MAC West)
Iona (RPI: 75; tied for 2nd in MAAC) vs. Buffalo (RPI: 91; tied for 2nd in MAC East)
Murray State (RPI: 81; 1st in OVC) vs. College of Charleston (RPI: 85; 1st in SoCon South)
Pacific (RPI: 98; 1st in Big West) vs. New Mexico State (RPI: 110; 2nd in WAC)
Utah State (RPI: 60; tied for 2nd in WAC) vs. William & Mary (RPI: 42; tied for 2nd in CAA)
Creighton (RPI: 114; tied for 3rd in MVC) vs. Nevada (RPI: 69; tied for 3rd in WAC)
Can you say 2007 NCAA Tournament rematch?!?! Bring on the Wolf Pack. Or, maybe a one-man wolf pack?
January 25th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
[left before the revised version posted] Nice write up Otter. However, you have the home and road teams flipped around. On another note, I wish the MVC would tell ESPN they are not interested anymore. The BracketBusters ain’t what they used to be.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:42 am
[left before the revised version posted] Louisana Tech and W&M are both away teams, so they can’t play.
And do you really think Illinois St is going to jump over George Mason for a spot? Mason’s RPI is about 15 spots better and they are in first place in the CAA at 8-1. Illinois St. is tied for 3rd in the MVC at 5-4. I don’t see that happening.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:30 am
[left before the revised version posted] You have the home and away designations for Siena and Butler reversed. Siena would travel to Indianapolis this year if we succeed in landing a game with the Bulldogs. It would be a repeat of the Saints (Siena) vs Indianapolis (Colts) Super Bowl. LOL
January 27th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I believe the Kent State 19-0 run was also the first hit and run on my car at Otter and Panon’s place!! What a crappy day….
January 27th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Otter, I like these picks better than some of the stuff Andy Katz is talking about on espn.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4860077&name=katz_andy
For some reason he has some real odd matchups if you are looking at it from an RPI standpoint. He wants Louisiana Tech at Northern Iowa instead. And then a team like Green Bay who is at 110 against Old Dominion who is at 36. Then he has Oral Roberts at 140 against Utah St at 62. There are a couple others that are screwy as well.
Isn’t the idea of Bracketbusters to matchup the best teams against each other to separate them out instead of making lopsided matchups so that the expected teams end up winning?
I would like to see Creighton get one of the TV games, but unless they win both games this week, I don’t think they get a sniff even with the late time.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Wait…FIRST hit and run, Paul? As in, there was more than one hit and run on your car? Jeez.
I remember that 19-0 run well. Good thing that was an early afternoon game, because if it had been at night and at a bar, hoo boy.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Agreed RE: CU’s chances at a TV game. With MSU, BU, CU, and ILS all bunched up and trying to represent the MVC on TV that weekend, going 2-0 is critical.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Max … we decided to start drinking early for that game. Hence, Paul’s mood was none too pleasant when he sobered up all afternoon only to find his car totally effed.