WAC does not belong in Bracket Buster play

Hughes Views

By Eddie Hughes

Now that ESPN’s Bracket Buster Saturday has passed, the same question comes to mind that came to mind beforehand.

Why is the Western Athletic Conference in this event?

The Bracket Buster is intended to showcase the nation’s top mid-major basketball programs and boost the teams’ NCAA Tournament chances by increasing their Ratings Percentage Index number.

Good idea—for teams that are really mid-majors.

Fresno State hosted East Tennessee State in one of the games Saturday. Now, if Fresno State is considered a mid-major, East Tennessee State can’t be. The Buccaneers would be just a mid—because they’re in the not-so-major Southern Conference.

Sure, the Buccaneers were major enough to beat Fresno State 66-62 Saturday, they’re a pretty darn good team. But look at the intangibles.

The Bulldogs have three suspended starters in Terry Pettis, Jonathan Woods and Renaldo Major and are now 12-12 on the season. This is the worst record Fresno State has had this late in a season since Gary Colson was the coach in 1994-95.

And the Bulldogs are 8-6 in the WAC. Congratulations Bucs—you beat the WAC’s sixth-place team.

Speaking of conference rankings, it says something that the WAC had more teams—five—than any other conference.

Hmm, maybe it says the WAC is better than those other conferences. Maybe it says that the WAC teams play Bracket Buster-caliber games every week against each other.

If it doesn’t say that, I will.

Rice, Nevada, Hawaii, Texas-El Paso and, in most years, Tulsa are all higher profile opponents that East Tennessee State or many of the other teams in the event.

So what is the WAC gaining by playing in the event?

Certainly not notoriety. Not when Fresno State loses to East Tennessee State, Hawaii loses to Southern Illinois and Tulsa loses to Gonzaga.

And anyone who thinks Rice’s four-point win over Louisiana-Lafayette will help the Owls wrap up an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament is fooling themselves. According to Jerry Palm’s RPI rankings as of Feb. 15, Lafayette is 91st. Rice (No. 73) could pick up better quality wins against WAC foes UTEP, Hawaii and Nevada.

A similar argument exists for Nevada’s two-point win over Toledo. Palm rates Toledo No. 99, lower that UTEP, Hawaii, Rice and Boise State of the WAC. Fresno State, at No. 103 isn’t far behind.

I’m just guessing the NCAA Tournament selection committee isn’t gasping in awe at Nevada because of a win over Toledo.

Oh, and here’s the worst thing about the Bracket Buster. The host teams are required to return the home game to their opponents the following season. For example, Fresno State now must visit Johnson City, Tenn. to face East Tennessee State next season.

First of all, where is Johnson City? Secondly, that is a game the Bulldogs might very well lose. Playing on the road against a team with the quickest point guard on Earth, Tim Smith, is not going to be easy. Especially when the Bulldogs will no longer have Shantay Legans to match up with him.

The WAC should use the Mountain West Conference as an example. The MWC and WAC are on a pretty equal playing field—every MWC team did come from the WAC. But the MWC has nothing to do with the Bracket Buster extravaganza.

The WAC shouldn’t either if it ever wants to be considered a major conference and shed the mid-major label.