Bracket Busters Breakdown

Bracket Busters Breakdown

On the weekend of February 17-19, 142 teams will compete in the tenth annual Bracket Busters. Thirteen of the 71 games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks and College Sports Madness will break down all 13 of those games below. But first, we will look at what could have been and should have been. Apparently it did not take too long before people started to forget about George Mason and Butler. Those two teams could have hosted televised games, but were left out in favor of squads like South Dakota State and New Mexico State. In an event where ratings is everything, one must give kudos to the powers that be for giving games to those who really deserve it instead of those who would likely land better ratings. To South Dakota State, this is a big deal. For Butler, it wouldn’t mean much of anything, so there should be some excited fan bases out there and we will all get to see the pageantry that is college basketball just a little more than usual on Bracket Busters weekend.

	Saint Mary’s	AT	Murray State
This is the game we all wanted to see. Neither team should have their bubble burst in this contest, but this game has major seeding implications for Murray State. The Racers may be ranked in the top ten or 15, pending on where you look, but they will likely max out at about a six seed when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. If they can beat St. Mary’s, it will go a long way in helping the public perception and give the selection committee more of an opportunity to place the Racers at a six or seven seed. St. Mary’s is pretty much a lock for the big dance at this point, but they too will be vying for a better seed come March. This game also features a couple great guards that many fans do not get the opportunity to see on a regular basis.
	Long Beach State	AT	Creighton
Long Beach State got a good game against the best team in arguably the best “mid-major” conference. The 49ers have played a brutal non-conference schedule, but heading to Creighton is just as daunting as heading to Pittsburgh. The Bluejays fan base will be up for this game and this is the toughest venue to play in this year for all the Bracket Buster home teams. With that said, LBSU has the experience playing on the road and they know they can beat anybody anywhere. Creighton is pretty much a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but this could be a huge game for Coach Dan Monson and company. If they keep winning out west and can pull off a victory in Omaha, they will receive some at-large consideration. And the most fun part of this game will be watching the stars. Casper Ware and Doug McDermott are certainly players to watch for those who have not seen them play.
	Northern Iowa	AT	VCU
VCU will have plenty of opportunities to get quality wins before and after this game against Northern Iowa. This is really just another game for the Rams that they need to win to get an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa has lost four out of their last five games and are really struggling offensively right now. For UNI this could be a good win to help turn around their season and gain some momentum heading into Arch Madness, but it won’t get them into the other madness. VCU will have to win at home to have any hope of an at-large bid, but this game can only hurt them.
	Valparaiso	AT	Loyola Marymount
It is a little surprising that Loyola Marymount got a televised game since there are some bigger named schools out there that got left out. However, the Lions are easily the best team in the WCC behind Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga and BYU. The gap in between those three and LMU is relatively large though. Valparaiso is playing very well and has been nearly unstoppable at home in Horizon League play. However, this is a long road trip for the Crusaders.
	Nevada	AT	Iona
In Nevada’s case, the RPI may not be great, but this is a team that is currently 18-3. They have not lost a game since November 25th. The three losses came against Missouri State, UNLV and BYU. Those are not bad losses. And they have beaten teams like Washington and Arizona State. If they keep winning, this could be the game Nevada needs to be in the mix for an at-large bid. Say what you will about the WAC this year, but if the Wolf Pack ends up with four losses, they deserve to be in the mix. Beating a team like Iona on the road will give them plenty of national attention that they have been lacking thus far. Iona is a great team with a lot of star power. They do not have the schedule to get an at-large berth, but they are a team to watch out for come March.
	Wichita State	AT	Davidson
This is a tough matchup for Wichita State. Davidson is having little trouble in the Southern Conference and it is not an easy place to play. Assuming the Shockers lose a couple more games before the end of the season, this game could have major bubble implications for WSU. Both teams have proven that they can knock off some quality opponents as Wichita State beat UNLV and Davidson upset Kansas earlier in the season. But what it comes down to is the fact that Wichita State is looking for an at-large bid and going on the road and losing will not help their cause.
	Akron	AT	Oral Roberts
This is a game that will not have much of an effect on the national scene, but it is still an interesting contest. Akron has been playing some great ball lately and Missouri State has slipped out of at-large range. That leaves this as a momentum game and both teams will need that momentum down the stretch of the season and, more importantly, during their conference tournaments. Akron has spent a lot of time on the road in January and they will be ready to give the Golden Eagles their best shot. Akron could win the MAC and ORU is a strong favorite to go dancing and this is a good opportunity to start looking for that 13 seed that can beat a four seed.
	Drexel	AT	Cleveland State
Drexel is a very, very hot team right now and they can get up and down the floor and put up some points. The Dragons are on the rise and that could spell trouble for Cleveland State. CSU is the best team in the Horizon League by far and they only have so many opportunities to boost their resume in conference play. This game mostly comes down to getting ready for conference tournament play and maybe a seed line or two if these teams happen to make the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings are the favorites to represent the Horizon League in March and this is a decent game to see if this is a team that can still beat a quality team like they did earlier against Vanderbilt.
	Buffalo	AT	South Dakota State
Buffalo may not be the third best team in the Mid-American Conference behind Ohio and Akron, but with a quality win over Kent State, they have earned their way into a televised game. For South Dakota State this is a great opportunity to have a home game nationally televised. The Jackrabbits are 9-2 in Summit League play and are the team with the best chance at knocking Oral Roberts off their perch atop the conference standings.
	Drake	AT	New Mexico State
Drake may have just played their way into a televised game by beating Wichita State in triple overtime on Saturday. Rayvonte Rice is a great player that everybody needs to see, but the Bulldogs have had trouble on the road. Heading to New Mexico State will be a tough task. The Aggies have been a little disappointing at times this year, but they are still a good team that can win on just about any given day. NMSU will need some momentum heading into March if they hope to take down Nevada and secure the WAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
	Old Dominion	AT	Missouri State
This is another classic CAA/MVC game. Unfortunately for this season, the game will not mean too much. However, in both conferences crazy things can happen during the conference tournaments and if ODU or MSU can get hot at the right time, they could sneak into the NCAA Tournament. Getting hot would need to start right here. The better news is these two will play again in a couple years due to this matchup, so that may be a much better game.
	UNC-Asheville	AT	Ohio
This is not the most exciting game of this little event. UNC-Asheville is having a great season and is currently 11-1 in Big South play. However, the Bulldogs travel to Coastal Carolina two days before they have to head to Ohio. It is that game against Coastal Carolina that will likely decide the winner of the conference and that game is much, much more important than this one. Ohio is probably the second best team in the MAC behind Akron, but is relegated to ESPN3. It could have been worse since there are so many good teams lined up to play at home in the Bracket Busters this year. Even though Buffalo is on TV, teams like Butler and George Mason did not make the top 13 cut.
	Texas-Arlington	AT	Weber State
Damian Lillard is a player worth watching and it is very nice that Weber State got into the top 13. They certainly have earned it this season. Texas-Arlington is having a good year in the Southland, but they will not bring much flair to the matchup. These two teams could easily end up in the NCAA Tournament, but Weber State would have probably preferred a flashier opponent like Oakland or Fairfield.
	Binghamton	AT	Radford
	Boston U	AT	Loyola (MD)
	Cal Poly	AT	Northern Colorado
	Campbell	AT	Northwestern State
	Central Arkansas	AT	Louisiana Tech
	Charleston	AT	Kent State
	Delaware State	AT	Gardner-Webb
	Eastern Michigan	AT	Green Bay
	Eastern Washington	AT	UC Irvine
	Fairfield	AT	Milwaukee
	Fresno State	AT	Cal State Northridge
	Hampton	AT	Delaware
	Hartford	AT	Saint Peter’s
	Hawaii	AT	Montana
	High Point	AT	Stephen F. Austin
	Idaho State	AT	Pacific
	Illinois-Chicago	AT	Eastern Illinois
	Indiana State	AT	Butler
	IPFW	AT	Eastern Kentucky
	IUPUI	AT	Nicholls State
	James Madison	AT	Detroit
	Lamar	AT	George Mason
	Liberty	AT	Morgan State
	Loyola (IL)	AT	Bradley
	Marist	AT	Maine
	Montana State	AT	Cal State Fullerton
	Morehead State	AT	Bowling Green
	Niagara	AT	Vermont
	Northern Illinois	AT	SIU-Edwardsville
	Oakland	AT	Illinois State
	Portland State	AT	Idaho
	Presbyterian	AT	Jacksonville State
	Rider	AT	Albany
	San Jose State	AT	Sacramento State
	Siena	AT	Hofstra
	Southeast Missouri	AT	McNeese State
	Southern Illinois	AT	Ball State
	Southern Utah	AT	UC Riverside
	Stony Brook	AT	Northeastern
	Tennessee State	AT	Miami (OH)
	Tennessee Tech	AT	Coastal Carolina
	Tennessee-Martin	AT	Southeastern Louisiana
	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	AT	Central Michigan
	Texas State	AT	South Dakota
	Texas-San Antonio	AT	Georgia State
	Toledo	AT	Sam Houston State
	Towson	AT	New Hampshire
	UC Davis	AT	Northern Arizona
	UCSB	AT	Utah State
	UMBC	AT	Canisius
	UNC-Wilmington	AT	Manhattan
	Western Illinois	AT	Evansville
	Western Michigan	AT	North Dakota State
	William & Mary	AT	VMI
	Winthrop	AT	Appalachian State
	Wofford	AT	Charleston Southern
	Wright State	AT	UMKC
	Youngstown State	AT	Austin Peay