2009 Bracket Buster Announced
February 3rd, 2009
Sooo…I was waiting for word from the official Bracket Busters site on TV matchups before announcing this, but as that still hasn’t been published, here are the matchups for the 2009 Bracket Buster.
Pending the TV announcement, Bracketography.com will continue its long-standing tradition of previewing and recapping each game with a significant influence, or possibly significant influence, on Selection Sunday seeding (games marked with an asterisk).
Butler at Davidson*
Utah State at Saint Mary’s*
Northern Iowa at Siena*
VCU at Nevada*
Illinois State at Niagara*
Buffalo at Vermont*
Boise State at Portland State*
Northeastern at Wright State*
George Mason at Creighton
Hofstra at Fairfield
Green Bay at Long Beach State
Miami (OH) at Evansville
Update: As always, Kyle Whelliston and The Mid Majority do an amazing, way more in-depth job on the mid-majors than anyone. Visit BBstate.com for statistical previews of ALL games, televised and untelevised.
Since creating Bracketography in 2001, David Mihm has become one of the nation's leading NCAA Tournament analysts. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he works full-time in web design and internet marketing.
I think that Illinois State got a bad game. I see Niagara a lot and it’s not that they are a bad team, because at 16-6, they aren’t and in a 1 game situation, they could beat Siena and win the MAAC, but it’s not a game that will resonate with the committee. I think Illinois State could have been matched up with Buffalo or Saint Mary’s. Be that as it may, Tim Jankovic’s team must win the game(obviously.)
It will be interesting to see how Saint Mary’s does without Patty Mills against the most underrated team in the country in Utah State. Year in and year out, Stew Morrill does a fantastic job with that program. Hopefully the committee will take Mills’ injury into account when judging the Gaels. This is a toss up that I think could come down to the last possession.
Another interesting game on the board is VCU at Nevada. The Rams are battling Northeastern and George Mason for the CAA crown this year, while Nevada is desperate for a statement win. This is a game that can benefit whichever team wins it, because both leagues have gotten at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament in recent years.
Another team that can pick up a significant victory is Northern Iowa. The Panthers travel to Albany to play Siena, who(according to InsideRPI.com) have a RPI of 20. The pressure, though, is on Fran McCaffrey’s team after not taking advantage of their early season non-conference games. They have cruised through the MAAC and thus have built up a nice, healthy lead, which the RPI has rewarded them for. I think a factor for a team like Siena is the Big East beating up on each other. It gives a team like Siena an opportunity to move up in the RPI if they take care of their business.
Northeastern at Wright State and Boise State at Portland State is a situation where all four teams need to win and make the conference championship game in order to get an at-large bid. Buffalo at Vermont is intriguing because if the Bulls can win, plus run the table, I think they make the Tournament no matter what happens in the MAC Championship Game.
And then of course, there is the big one: Butler at Davidson. Despite the hiccup at Green Bay(although to me, it’s still Wisconsin-Green Bay.), Brad Stevens has done anamazing job in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs. Matt Howard is a real presence inside and Gordon Hayward is emerging in the backcourt. As for Davidson, well it revolves, as it always does, around Stephen Curry. The junior is once again putting up sensational numbers, but he’ll need some help in this game. If someone on the inside(particularly Andrew Lovedale) can step up, then this will be a close game throughout. I will save my predictions for when each game is previewed on here.
Posted on February 3rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm | Comment Permalink