02-22-2012, 09:52 AM
(02-21-2012 05:15 PM)MileHighBronco Wrote: [ -> ]GF68 - with all due respect, I was bashing this thing well before we (MAC) crapped the bed this year.
While some (from the east) may say something dumb like, "if it helps just ONE MAC team, we should do it," my position is that if it is not helping most teams and in some cases (travel) is a hardship, why bother participating?
I see little of value to it and am deeply suspicious of anything that ESPN touches because we know that they don't really care about anything except their beloved BCS (football) and Power Six Conferences (hoops). I'm waiting until they start including AQ teams in the event for the inevitable creep to the big audience ratings that drive ESPN. It's probably only a matter of time.
A much better alternative would be to pair up good mid-majors against the middle of the pack power six teams, which always coincidently happen to crowd out deserving mid-majors when the dance field gets announced. Not only pair them up, but make the power six teams travel to the mid-major (which, we all know, they abhor). The mid-major can give them a return game the following year. Under THIS proposal, we won't have to see teams in the NCAA tourney from the power conferences that couldn't even go .500 in their league while playing mostly home OOC games. Now, THAT would be an actual bracket buster.
Of course, the power conferences would howl and protest to protect their kingdom and this kind of proposal has no chance to advance. If you really want to "bust some brackets" it should start will all the borderline teams from power six conferences that crowd out deserving mid-majors. These leagues have an entitlement mentality where they believe that their also-rans are more deserving than a mid-major that doesn't have all the built in advantages and had to actually play non conference games on the road.
Non Big 6 conference at-large bids before and after the "bracketbuster" started in 2003
2011 7
2010 8
2009 4
2008 6
2007 6
2006 8
2005 9
2004 12
2003 10
2002 7
2001 6
2000 7
1999 10 (last time the MAC has two teams)
We're not getting anything out of this setup. All the Bracketbuster really is is an elimination game for the loser.