Bracketbuster Matchup Disappointing For Dukes
Thanks ESPN!
Time to bust out the turd sandwich again as the Dukes got a standard ESPN load dropped on them during the Bracketbusters selections today. While other CAA teams will get glamour matchups to showcase their wares to postseason tournament committees, the Dukes will be hosting lowly Miami (Ohio) in a game sure to not fill the stupid risers. Apparently, this year’s men’s team will pay for the 17 point second-half collapse against Hofstra last week in many ways. Actually four to be specific.
First off, they’re obviously paying for it in the standings by currently sitting alone in the dreaded five spot, which is the best spot not to get a bye in the CAA tourney. That said, I’d love the four or the five spot but we’ll have more time for that discussion later.
Second, five CAA teams were selected for televised Bracketbusters matchups two weekends from now by ESPN. Only Drexel is currently sitting below the Dukes in the standings and they have camera-darling Bruiser Flint and a win at Louisville so it’s hard to look anywhere besides the mirror when the Dukes think about how much they were dumped on. The Hofstra game seems likely as if it would’ve flipped the HU/JMU spots in Bracketbusters.
Third, a home game against a 9-12 MAC team probably hurts the Dukes RPI even with a win and does nothing to animate a skeptical student fanbase on campus.
And finally, in a dagger that stretch to the post-Denzel era, the Dukes will have to repay the favor of participating in this ESPN sphincter-crushing charade by going to Miami (Ohio) during the 2012-13 season in what will likely be another RPI-depressant.
OK, my night of gloomy toilet humor is over at last. Remember, the Dukes have four games against RPI Top 50 teams, all of which sit ahead of them in the CAA, coming up to seriously impress (VCU x2, GMU, ODU) and are playing with heart and a chance at greatness for the first time in years. Starts with a sweet tv game on Comcast SportsNet (the one everyone gets, not the crappy one) on Wednesday at 7 against the Tribe/Griffin/Wren/Pugs. Let’s Go Dukes!
For you parents out there, this post was inspired by the children’s book “The Little Dump Truck.” Thankfully, a co-worker’s husband shares my sensibility and absolutely cannot get through the page that includes “rrr-rrr-rrrr” (you know what I’m talking about) in a composed manner when reading to his kids.
To be quite honest, I don’t think any of it matters unless we win the CAA Tourney. I know that this year everyone is say that the CAA will get multiple teams in, but the truth is, most people outside of JMU and Virginia even know what JMU Basketball is when compared to the likes of VCU, ODU, GMU. We definitely had our chances against GMU a couple weeks ago on ESPNU to make more of a name and unfortunately we didn’t. But even if we had won, ODU, GMU, VCU still have more name recognition due to their recent success and appearances in the Big Dance. I think unless we are #1 in the conference going into the conf tourney, we really don’t have a chance of making an at-large bid. Bottom line, as much as I hate to say it with such a better team this year, we have to win the CAA tourney to get in. It really doesn’t matter how we do the rest of the regular season to be blunt about it (other than improve our tourney seed), just win the conference tourney baby.
I agree with Jason. Unfortunately, we keep coming up short in every game that would make a positive difference for us for an at-large bid. Winning the tourney is the only way we get in at this point.
Who knows what running the table against the big boys the rest of the way would do, but we’re #66 in the RPI today. Ahead of us for potential at-large bids at the moment are ODU (RPI #31), GMU (#34), VCU (#50) and Drexel (#55).
Winning a tournament, of course, means playing defense. I liked the intensity on defense the quarter of the Delaware game, but let’s face it – GMU, ODU and VCU are not Delware. Gotta step it up.
Miami University beat Xavier this year.
This is going to be a good game.