Bracketbusters Announced

[jeaglet1]

I do share the chorus' amazement at the selection, however. Especially if LeBron U gets screwed out of a national TV appearance by Toledo and Ohio. But, NMSU is a great draw for Bubba & Co. Have a nice stay in Las Cruces, ninos, and don't forget to enjoy the chilis relleno from La Posta! Remember, it could have been the Zips heading to the Sun and Fun Capitol of Lower New Mexico. BUT, next year Herb Pope plays to the O-Zone.

I wouldn't say Toledo and Ohio are screwing anyone. It's ESPN, not the other MAC schools making the selections...

[blueandgold]

This is a complete waste of time. We are trying to move up in the college world and we get slapped in the face and thrown back to the OVC days with this. Why bother. Hey, Buchtel has a great record this year, maybe we should play them too.

[zip81]

Like we've said before...bracketbuster schmacketbuster.the only way we, or any other MAC school goes to the dance is to win the MAC.

[APGrad]

I think I found their message board website.  It is Peaymania.comI am still waiting for the confirmation e-mail from their sign-up page so I that can actually view the site.I am also assuming that their mascot is one of those things from Fraggle Rock.

You found us alright. Glad to see that all of your fans are so glad to see we are coming up to Ohio to take on your Zips.No, our mascot is a Governor, not a fraggle rock character.We did have a lousy out of conference pre-season, but we only had two returning starters on a team with no seniors at all on the roster.Right before Christmas, the Govs found some things that have seemed to work. We played @ Wichita State in the first bracketbuster and lost, and played Arkansas State last year, so glad to be going to Akron.And about us being a quality opponent. The OVC gets no respect. Yes, we have bad losses to Illinois & Memphis, but our league is a quality league, guard oriented, who jsut do not get the national exposure that some others do.Our numbers (RPI, Sagran) may not be the best, but we will give you a good game, don't you worry about that.

[APGrad]

The Bracket Buster didn't mean anything for Akron anyway... the only three Zips games that matter at this point (as far as NCAA Tournament implications are concerned) will be played at The Q March 8-10.

This is exactly the same in our league. Of the 11 teams, only the top 8 make the post season tournament, and then the automatic bid goes to the winner of the conference tournament. So bracketbuster, regular season, all that matters to OVC teams is to win the tournament in Nashville come Sat. March 3!

[LUCKYONE]

Here is where poor OOC scheduling hurts. ZIPS RPI 105 SOS 277AP RPI 125 SOS 252TO THE FOUR LETTER NETWORK THIS LOOKS ON PAPER AS AN EVEN MATCHUPTWO TEAMS IN FIRST PLACE IN THEIR DIVISIONS. IT SUCKS BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS.

[peayYman]

hey roo, why not schedule some higher quality competition outside of the conference. Someone on your board mentioned Peay got destroyed by Illinois and Memphis, but at least we scheduled them. I see a lot of whining about the bracket buster, but your best opponent this year (Nevada) is a direct result of last year's Bracket Buster tournament. It seems to me the Bracket buster did try to help your team this year, but the Zips couldn't convert.

[ZachTheZip]

I beleive we had some quality opponents on the schedule, but they backed out at the last minute leaving us to scramble to fill up the schedule. Those teams were afraid to come to JAR and play Akron at home. They refused to do home & home deals with us.

[peayYman]

NOBODY, I mean NOBODY wants to play a dangerouos midmajor at their place. It just doesn't happen. We can't get anyone to come in here to the Dunn. Our home OOC schecule is a rediculous mish-mash of D-II and NAIA teams. Sad. The Governor nation feels your pain kidd. However, we do not back down from playing anyone on the road and we've had some upsets and very near misses. We beat Memphis at their place a few years ago. Lost to Kentucky by three and would have won if we could have hit foul shots late.Anyway, the point is, if your AD thinks your team is good enough to get the at large bid and good enough to beat the High majors, then schedule them on the road for a one game deal. Beat them and they will be more likely to come to your place the next year when they think you will be down and ripe for the revenge blowout. I will never understand why Peay couldn't get Illinois in the Dunn in 1988 or 1989 after we beat them in the tourney in 1987. Eh . . . oh well. I think we went to Champaigne in '88 and that was the end of that. Crazy.

[Valpo Zip]

PeayMan, no one on this board is trying to diss your school or your team. You made some good points and i agree with all what you said.The problem here is that the system works for the strong instead of encouraging the promissing, hardworking mid major team.Why do we have to go to Nevada (top 25) when we play away, and they don't give us a team from the same caliber at home ? (again no disrespect intended to Peay) but i am sure you know what i am saying.Can't is going to george mason, would they get the same caliber when they play home next year ? good mid major teams obviously struggle to schedule teams every year and instead of getting help from ESPN, they get a punch in the face.

[peayYman]

OK, I understand that, but be careful what you wish for. Peay is acutally not that bad and, as someone else posted in this thread, it looks like a decent matchup with two conference leaders on win streaks with similar RPIs. I think we will give you a good game, but I'm sure the JAR is a really tough place to play. The return trip for you to the Dunn next year could be a great matchup . . . Peay could be coming off a conference championship season and NCAA tourney berth, and EVERYONE ON THE TEAM RETURNING. The game may be a big one for both teams NEXT YEAR . . .much like your Nevada game was big for you this year (btw, I don't think Peay will be ranked 12 or anything like that, but the final RPI of Peay could easily wind up in the top 100)

[AtlantaGov]

With the exception of Tenn Wesleyan, all of their wins have been in the OVC.Illinios destroyed them 80-35.Other non conference losses were to Dayton, Arkansas St., Memphis and Evansville.

1. Well, first of all, we did beat MTSU this year as well, not that that means much.2. More importantly, all of what you mentioned was before "The Beard"..."Let's go Peay in the JAR!!"

[RACER]

the capt is right on the money.the zips just need to win ,and don't worry about the teams.you start looking past teams as inferior to you is when you lose to those teams.hopefully kd won't let that happen.

[goodthts]

Hoping Ak-ron dismantles tHE pEAYS the same way they did WMU, because we got hosed, bamboozled, hoodwinked. Looked at the RPI's of the other MAC opponents:Old Dominion (RPI: 78) at Toledo (RPI: 93)Can't State (RPI: 110) at George Mason (RPI: 99)Ohio (RPI: 79) at New Mexico State (RPI: 84)Austin Peay (RPI: 135) at Akron (RPI: 105)All of the MAC teams have WORSE records than we do, yet play "better" teams?!? I think the only reason we got the Peay was due to previous history with them. Impeach the Governors!!!GO ZIPS!