burrdie Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Zips are actually 3-4 in bracket buster games under KD, with wins over Niagara, Austin Peay and Creighton, and losses to Valpo, VCU (2) and Nevada. Also, under KD the Zips are 2-0 against Oral Roberts. The win last year, and the Zips went to ORU in 2006 and beat them by 2. Overall, not a bad matchup for Akron. For this year alone, ORU is the best team the Zips could've realistically hoped for. Personally, I still wish we could've drew Iona for the return trip, especially since Tim Cluess reupped through 2017 there. He will be Iona's version of Keith Dambrot, and will have them winning 20 games and in the hunt for the NCAA tournament every year. wave: Good Morning, I certainly hope the TV spot spurs the Zips on to great things. As I have said before in these threads, the Zips can go as far as they want to go. It is up to them the talent is there. IF they play as a team and if it they give it their all, I see them going a ways in the NCAA brackets, It is strickly up the the guys, what do they want?? Personally, I think OR will be a cake walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipdiehard Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 It's funny how both fan boards have similar posts. I do love how some of them dismiss our Miss St win like it never happened. They also talk like the MAC is such a joke when our conferences are nearly identical based on realtiime rpi. MAC: 16th, 50% of its teams are >200, 25% in the top 100, 40% in the top 150. Summit: 13th, 50% of its teams are >200, 20% in the top 100, 40% in the top 150. Our SOS is 86th and ORU's is 177th. While not a big name game, I think this is a very well matched one. On paper, the teams seem very similar, with us having a bit of a height advantage. It should be fun watching Diggs, Treadwell, and others matched up with the Morrison kid. It may come down to home court advantage. Plus, who can argue being on ESPN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class of 82 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Should be a competitive and entertaining game. And it's on ESPN2. Other than that, though, I don't think this game will mean much, win or lose. Our fate is still going to be determined by the MAC tournament. The Bracket Buster system, as it stands, doesn't really allow for much bracket busting. It would be better if it pitted similarly RPI'd high majors against mid-majors, so the selection committee actually had some real comparisons of teams on the so-called bubble. As it stands, the Bracket Buster games are, as often as not, one more reason to include a middle-of-the-pack ACC or Big 10 team at the expense of a mid-major that loses its conference tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Bracket Buster is f-ing awesome. Without it, we never play Nevada once...let alone twice. Creighton once...let alone twice. VCU four times. If we'd have sealed the deal against 2-of-3 w/CSU, VCU and West Virginia, it would truly be a bracket-busting game against someone like St Mary's or Murray State. Instead, it is simply a 2-game series versus an awesome 20-win (in January) mid-major opponent with national exposure on ESPN2. F-ing awesome. If the Bracket Buster doesn't exist, you'd watch the Zips play easily-schedulable dregs like North Carolina Upstate or St Francis. God Bless The Bracket Buster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZipster0305 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Zips are actually 3-4 in bracket buster games under KD, with wins over Niagara, Austin Peay and Creighton, and losses to Valpo, VCU (2) and Nevada. Also, under KD the Zips are 2-0 against Oral Roberts. The win last year, and the Zips went to ORU in 2006 and beat them by 2. Overall, not a bad matchup for Akron. For this year alone, ORU is the best team the Zips could've realistically hoped for. Personally, I still wish we could've drew Iona for the return trip, especially since Tim Cluess reupped through 2017 there. He will be Iona's version of Keith Dambrot, and will have them winning 20 games and in the hunt for the NCAA tournament every year. I stand corrected. Kudos, wadszip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Should be a competitive and entertaining game. And it's on ESPN2. Other than that, though, I don't think this game will mean much, win or lose. Our fate is still going to be determined by the MAC tournament. The Bracket Buster system, as it stands, doesn't really allow for much bracket busting. It would be better if it pitted similarly RPI'd high majors against mid-majors, so the selection committee actually had some real comparisons of teams on the so-called bubble. As it stands, the Bracket Buster games are, as often as not, one more reason to include a middle-of-the-pack ACC or Big 10 team at the expense of a mid-major that loses its conference tourney. I agree. But, as I say all the time, the teams on our schedule thus far are at least giving us a CHANCE at an at-large bid. That's all we can ask for....an opportunity. In previous years, we didn't even have that. Our RPI is in the 50s........with 7 LOSSES. That should tell us all we need to know. As much as some people want to deny it, a stronger SOS was a must for this program to advance. And it needs to get even stronger. But, at the very least, it helped us get better prepared for conference play this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Other than that, though, I don't think this game will mean much, win or lose. Our fate is still going to be determined by the MAC tournament. It might not mean anything as far as an at large bid goes, but with ORU currently projected one seed line above Akron, if the Zips make the tournament, it could mean the difference bewteen a 13 and a 14 seed (or maybe even a 12 if the rest of the season goes really well). Every seed line up increases your odds (not to mention the perception of the MAC as a higher level conference). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class of 82 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 The Bracket Buster is f-ing awesome. Without it, we never play Nevada once...let alone twice. Creighton once...let alone twice. VCU four times. If we'd have sealed the deal against 2-of-3 w/CSU, VCU and West Virginia, it would truly be a bracket-busting game against someone like St Mary's or Murray State. Instead, it is simply a 2-game series versus an awesome 20-win (in January) mid-major opponent with national exposure on ESPN2. F-ing awesome. If the Bracket Buster doesn't exist, you'd watch the Zips play easily-schedulable dregs like North Carolina Upstate or St Francis. God Bless The Bracket Buster. I'm not complaining about playing Oral Roberts at all. And I agree with you about Nevada, Creighton, VCU, etc. But woulda-coulda-shouldas aside, a B-Buster win is virtually never going to get anybody an at large birth if they weren't already well-positioned to get one anyway. I'm just saying I think the B-Buster would be a better operation overall if it pitted high majors forecast to be on the bubble against the top mid-majors. With all due respect to ORU (and I'm sure they feel the same about us), a solid mid-major would open more eyes on the selection committee by beating , say, a Notre Dame or Texas or NC-State than by playing another solid mid-major that the selection committee could care less about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class of 82 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 It might not mean anything as far as an at large bid goes, but with ORU currently projected one seed line above Akron, if the Zips make the tournament, it could mean the difference bewteen a 13 and a 14 seed (or maybe even a 12 if the rest of the season goes really well). Every seed line up increases your odds (not to mention the perception of the MAC as a higher level conference). That's certainly true. For what it's worth, though, I'm not sure there's going to be a huge disparity between the 3, 4 and 5 seeds in the tourney. Call me crazy, but I just don't see nearly as many really dominant teams as it seems there usually are in college basketball. If we get in as a 12 or a 14, I still like our chances this year better than any other time we've played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'm just saying I think the B-Buster would be a better operation overall if it pitted high majors forecast to be on the bubble against the top mid-majors. With all due respect to ORU (and I'm sure they feel the same about us), a solid mid-major would open more eyes on the selection committee by beating , say, a Notre Dame or Texas or NC-State than by playing another solid mid-major that the selection committee could care less about. High-majors would never agree to a home-home with a mid-major. The #9 Big East team always has at least a 50/50 shot at getting to the big dance...they'd never risk playing Murray State or the Zips and blowing it. And a Marquette player's airplane luggage will never, ever have a CAK tag stuck to it's handle. If it were a true Bracket Buster, it wouldn't have so many crappy teams participating. No one is under any illusion that the it honestly does anything for the at-large tourney re'sume' of more than one or two participants. If the Bracket Buster were instead named "Mid-major Madness," and everything else stayed identical, would you like it better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-mann17 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I've never heard so many people complain about getting Oral roberts before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdZip Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I've never heard so many people complain about getting Oral roberts before. When you look at their record and who / how they beat, it's clear they don't suck. (Oh, I need to go wash my mouth out with soap.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalleyBoy Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'm just glad we got a TV game since we are on the road. We get to watch our Zips in action in what can be a very nice road victory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class of 82 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 High-majors would never agree to a home-home with a mid-major. The #9 Big East team always has at least a 50/50 shot at getting to the big dance...they'd never risk playing Murray State or the Zips and blowing it. And a Marquette player's airplane luggage will never, ever have a CAK tag stuck to it's handle. If it were a true Bracket Buster, it wouldn't have so many crappy teams participating. No one is under any illusion that the it honestly does anything for the at-large tourney re'sume' of more than one or two participants. If the Bracket Buster were instead named "Mid-major Madness," and everything else stayed identical, would you like it better? I think what I'd like better is a system where deserving teams had a more realistic shot at slots in the tournament regardless of the conference they play in. For the reason you state, it ain't gonna happen, but I would definitely like it better. And I think college basketball... on the whole and in the long run... would be the better for it. The NCAA and the power conferences, though, are quite happy with the system's biases as they now exist. So, c'est la vie. At any rate, I don't really care about the name so much. And I'm looking forward to seeing us play ORU on TV. P.S. It's interesting you mentioned Marquette. I always thought they'd make a great program to get on Akron's schedule. Think maybe they'd do a two for one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadszip Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 If it were a true Bracket Buster, it wouldn't have so many crappy teams participating. No one is under any illusion that the it honestly does anything for the at-large tourney re'sume' of more than one or two participants. While it's true that it is only a make-or-break at-large game for a couple of teams, I've always viewed it more as another way for the casual fan to get to see the top mid-majors they normally don't get to see, which gives them a chance to identify their "BracketBuster" Hence the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 The odds are tremendously stacked against it, but if the Zips win out, including the bracketbuster and then lose in a close MACC, they would have a reasonable (maybe 25%?) chance at an at-large. It's better to pretend it's a zero chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 The odds are tremendously stacked against it, but if the Zips win out, including the bracketbuster and then lose in a close MACC, they would have a reasonable (maybe 25%?) chance at an at-large. It's better to pretend it's a zero chance. I'd say if we win out and lose the championship game, it's about a 80% chance...our RPI is already 59, and a win over ORU, one more over Can't State, OU, and Buffalo, along with a win over one of those in the conference semi's would most likely get us in the 30's of the RPI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'd say if we win out and lose the championship game, it's about a 80% chance...our RPI is already 59, and a win over ORU, one more over Can't State, OU, and Buffalo, along with a win over one of those in the conference semi's would most likely get us in the 30's of the RPI. RPI Forecast puts Akron at 29 RPI if we win out the regular season. That's not a lock. I'd say we'd have to be top 25 (rpi) to even have a shot. It would help the conference SOS if EVERY MAC team won their bracketbuster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 RPI Forecast puts Akron at 29 RPI if we win out the regular season. That's not a lock. I'd say we'd have to be top 25 (rpi) to even have a shot. It would help the conference SOS if EVERY MAC team won their bracketbuster. ummm yeah it is. Here's a post from DiG on January 15th. "RPI is only one of many considerations for a team receiving an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. Below is the average percentage of teams from the 2006-2010 seasons for various ranges of RPI that received at-large invitations: RPI Range / % Teams Invited (2006-2010) 01-29 / 99% 30-39 / 80% 40-49 / 50% 50-59 / 37% 60-69 / 11%" When I said 80% and being in the 30's I swear to God I didn't read this first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 The odds are tremendously stacked against it, but if the Zips win out, including the bracketbuster and then lose in a close MACC, they would have a reasonable (maybe 25%?) chance at an at-large. It's better to pretend it's a zero chance. Maybe there would be a remote chance. But, what might be even more remote is the chances that this team could close the season with what would amount to about 15 straight wins (the stretch of games from Ken+ all the way to the MAC tournament final). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Maybe there would be a remote chance. But, what might be even more remote is the chances that this team could close the season with what would amount to about 15 straight wins (the stretch of games from Ken+ all the way to the MAC tournament final). This I agree with. The odds of us actually doing it are way lower than our at-large odds. If we win out, we're in. Probably isn't gonna happen, but I guess the opportunity is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Let me test everyone's memory. Back in 2009, I believe Ken+ had an RPI in the 20s or 30s. They beat us in the MAC title game, so it didn't matter. But, I know we had a lot of discussions about their chances of getting an at-large. I may have even predicted that it could happen. And they did end up getting a #8 or #9 seed in the Big Dance, which would seem to indicate that they would have gotten an at-large. What would happen to us if ended up in that same area in terms of RPI ? Does anyone remember exactly what Ken+'s number was that year? And, has anything changes that would either help or hurt our chances in 2012 if we somehow ended up in the same spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I have no idea what caused it, but our RPI just jumped to 50 according to rpiforecast.com's live rpi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 RPI forecast is not current RPI, but "the best estimate for an individual team of its end-of-season RPI Rank." They are predicting that the Zips will climb from their current actual RPI of #59 to #50 at the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZipster0305 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 High-majors would never agree to a home-home with a mid-major. The #9 Big East team always has at least a 50/50 shot at getting to the big dance...they'd never risk playing Murray State or the Zips and blowing it. And a Marquette player's airplane luggage will never, ever have a CAK tag stuck to it's handle. If it were a true Bracket Buster, it wouldn't have so many crappy teams participating. No one is under any illusion that the it honestly does anything for the at-large tourney re'sume' of more than one or two participants. If the Bracket Buster were instead named "Mid-major Madness," and everything else stayed identical, would you like it better? I think what CK means is that Marquette will be taking the bus to Akron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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