Tuesday, February 23, 2010

News On The Horizon 2/23/2010


BracketBuster Weekend Wrapup--Rush The Court

I don’t think this is a news flash but the BracketBusters format is broken. The teams that really could have benefitted from BracketBuster games such as Cornell and St. Mary’s chose not to participate. Both of those schools could have used another chance to prove their strength against the at-large field in an effort to bolster their resume for March Madness. Until the tournament expands to 96 or 100 or 347 teams, there were only two headline games in BracketBusters this year and both were a resounding dud. Northern Iowa blew out Old Dominion and Siena could not hang with ranked Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse. However, if you are a fan of mid-major college basketball, you probably got to see teams that will be showcased in this year’s NIT or other postseason events.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the winners and losers of this past weekend’s BracketBusters.
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Loser: Siena. The Saints had the lead at halftime against Butler but could not find the basket in the second half, eventually falling by 17 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Siena lost every game against top-50 RPI opponents this year, and unless Siena wins the MAAC Tournament, the Saints are off the bubble.

BracketBusters actually worked, the teams that needed wins just didn't win--Ballin' is a Habit

There were four teams on the bubble that lost their BracketBusters game - Old Dominion, William & Mary, Siena, and Wichita State. How much of an effect did the loss really have on their at-large chances?
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* Siena lost at Butler on Saturday in a situation similar to Old Dominion's. Before this game, Siena was probably not going to get an at-large bid. That's what happens when you don't have a win against anyone in the RPI top 50. If they had pulled off the upset in Hinkle Fieldhouse, it might have been enough to give the Saints some insurance should they get upset in the MAAC Tournament. If Siena really wanted to gripe, they should be mad at themselves for losing at Niagara and blowing their best chance at an at-large bid - going undefeated in league play.

Howard, Hayward Named Academic All-America--ButlerSports.com

Strong Second Half Propels Vikes Over Rockets--The Cauldron

Similar Styles - Loyola--ChicagoNow.com

Women's basketball: Conference chances good if Phoenix wins out--Green Bay Press Gazette
Tetschlag named player of the week--UWGB Basketball
Tetschlag Named Horizon League Player of the Week--uwgbathletics.com

Rob Demovsky college basketball column: Assistants help fuel UWGB men's success--Green Bay Press Gazette
Fletcher named Horizon League POW; other odds and ends--UWGB Basketball
Fletcher Becomes Three-Time League Player of the Week--uwgbathletics.com

MBB Decade Of The 2000's: Random Thoughts--Panther Blog Zone
All-Decade Teams...--Panther Blog Zone

Important game on Horizon for Raiders--Mark Katz's Blog


Courtney Boyd brings the crowd to its feet
--Through the Arch

Green Bay's Fletcher named Men's Basketball Player of the Week--The Horizon League
Butler's Howard, Hayward earn Academic All-America honors--The Horizon League
Men's Basketball Weekly Release #15--The Horizon League
BracketBusters Breakdown--Horizon League Network

Tetschlag named Women's Basketball Player of the Week--The Horizon League

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