Column: Bracketbusters: Just one big bust?

There is a series of teams playing made-for-tv blockbuster matchups this weekend expected to boost possible NCAA at-large resumes for mid major programs, presented of course by ESPN. ESPN has created BracketBuster Weekend, a chance for smaller schools to possibly get some national recognition with a rare television game and a chance to play a non conference opponent with a similar RPI in hopes of impressing the committee for later March. In 2006, the fourth year of the BracketBusters George Mason used a huge win at Wichita State to squeeze into the field of 65 and spring board their way to a Final Four appearance, without question the best instance of the BracketBusters. In 2008, Siena who had no chance for an at-large berth got to travel to Boise State for an untelevised, unexciting, half-filled game. Boise got to return to Siena this season in the legal BracketBuster return game. The whole idea of this grandiose weekend to celebrate successful mid-majors is fantastic in theory, and I love seeing mismatched games of teams I normally wouldn't see play. But I do not need to see VCU travel across the nation to play at Nevada on a Friday night, two nights after snatching first place in the CAA. Wisconsin Green Bay has no chance of gathering an at-large bid, being in second place in the Horizon league behind Butler. Yet UWGB gets the privilige of taking a trip to Long Beach State on a Saturday and then coming back into their league schedule this Tuesday night. Not a single team with the exception of maybe Butler will get an at-large from this slew of BracketBuster teams. Yet, nearly all of them have taken a weekend out of their season to play a meaningless money-grubbing game that will not get any ratings and just waste the time of both teams. Now the BracketBuster committee is not all bad; in the non-television games they pit teams against each other geographically to make it much easier on the teams that don't have a future. But really, what are the players from Cal Poly thinking? They get to host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday afternoon. I'm sure the students will be a rowdy bunch for that one, both teams with middling records in the lower part of their leagues.

BracketBusters can help some mid-major teams in some seasons, but overall it is really just a made for tv waste of time that does not contribute anything to college basketball. One game will get decent ratings on Saturday, Davidson hosting Butler, and neither team will be in next week's top 25. Yet almost a hundred other mid major programs will travel all throughout the nation playing games that in a month nobody will remember because nobody cares. All thanks to ESPN.