Wednesday, January 26, 2005
matchmaker
My favorite adjustment to the 2005 "Bracket Buster?" Games which are scheduled for this February serve as the front end of a home-and-home series to be completed as a non-conference (and non "Bracket Buster") game next season.Of the 32 total "Bracket Buster" games, 11 will be nationally televised on the ESPN networks. Given the 64 teams for the 2005 event, which 22 would the NCAA selection committee most like to see on national television? Against whom should each team play?
Consider the highest-rated squads, by RPI, and ESPN's pre-determined home and away designations.
| Away | RPI | Home | RPI |
| Southern Illinois | 14 | Pacific | 29 |
| Vermont | 18 | Kent State | 34 |
| Wichita State | 19 | Nevada | 37 |
| Western Michigan | 32 | Rice | 41 |
| Bradley | 45 | Ball State | 55 |
| UTEP | 49 | Northern Iowa | 66 |
| Arkansas Little-Rock | 54 | Miami of Ohio | 71 |
| Buffalo | 60 | Bowling Green | 81 |
| Drexel | 70 | Hawaii | 82 |
| Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 80 | Western Kentucky | 83 |
| Murray State | 95 | Illinois-Chicago | 87 |
Then consider conference affiliation, geography and storylines. The result?
| Southern Illinois | @ | Pacific |
| Vermont | @ | Kent State |
| Wichita State | @ | Nevada |
| Western Michigan | @ | Rice |
| Bradley | @ | Ball State |
| UTEP | @ | Northern Iowa |
| Arkansas Little-Rock | @ | Miami of Ohio |
| Buffalo | @ | Illinois-Chicago |
| Drexel | @ | Bowling Green |
| Wisconsin-Milwaukee | @ | Western Kentucky |
| Murray State | @ | Hawaii |
Oh, what a day of basketball it would be.
For more "Bracket Buster" analysis, see Blogger Ken Pomeroy. He too reviewed RPIs and suggested a series of games. Our lone overlap? UTEP at Northern Iowa. Also, ESPN's Andy Katz reveals a few of the cards held by the "worldwide leader." Pairings will be announced January 30th.
