BracketBusters games

[kingaling42]

Big South BracketBusters games announced yesterday.. All four games will be played Saturday, Feb. 20.

Winthrop University and Presbyterian College will travel to OVC territory, as the Eagles will play at Eastern Kentucky while the Blue Hose will visit Jacksonville State. Radford University will host CAA foe UNC Wilmington at the Dedmon Center, and Gardner-Webb University will host SoCon member Elon. The Big South will face an OVC member in the BracketBusters for the second time overall and first time since 2006, which was a UNC Asheville victory over EKU. It is also the third consecutive season that the Big South will compete against SoCon and CAA opponents in the BracketBusters.

This is the Big South's fifth consecutive year in the event, now in its eighth season, and the League owns a 5-6 record, including 2-1 marks in 2006 and 2007. A League-record four teams are competing this year, with Winthrop making its fifth appearance. The Eagles are 3-1 in the series, defeating teams from the Mid-American Conference (Northern Illinois in 2006), Missouri Valley Conference (Missouri State in 2007) and the Southern Conference (Appalachian State in 2009). Gardner-Webb is 0-1, falling to CAA member James Madison in its debut last year. Presbyterian College and Radford will make their first-ever appearances in the BracketBusters in 2010.

Winthrop is 2-0 all-time vs. Eastern Kentucky, Radford is 1-1 vs. UNC Wilmington and PC is 0-1 against Jacksonville State. Gardner-Webb leads the series with Elon, 23-10, with the Runnin' Bulldogs winning the last meeting in 2003-04.

[UNCA Alum]

We freakin' shot the lights out against EKU.

I don't remember where in Eastern Kentucky it was located, but that was a miserable, miserable place.

[GoUNCA]

I don't remember where in Eastern Kentucky it was located, but that was a miserable, miserable place.

That strikes me as terribly sad.

I still think it is complete crap that PC and GWU pick up bracketbuster events.

[UNCA Alum]

GoUNCA -

Go check out the latest baseball thread. Need your opinion. I have no clue what's going on with that issue.

[kingaling42]

I don't remember where in Eastern Kentucky it was located, but that was a miserable, miserable place.

That strikes me as terribly sad.

I still think it is complete crap that PC and GWU pick up bracketbuster events.

GW doesn't bother me so much, as teams are selected months prior.. I have NO IDEA why anyone in the Big South would have selected Presby- a team that is NOT even eligible for postseason play for this event that is supposed to showcase teams/conferences playing for possible NCAA bids.. THAT makes absolutely no sense to me.. GW happens to suck this year but at least they're eligible for possible bracket play..

[UNCA Alum]

Asked the same PC question to a guy involved in our program tonight. He said, "They basically hand those things out nowadays."

[GoUNCA]

Asked the same PC question to a guy involved in our program tonight. He said, "They basically hand those things out nowadays."

Did someone hint that we turned it down at some point? Maybe I dreamed that up.

I can see the merits of turning it down. If you are a on a tight budget and don't project getting to either host a TV game or play a TV game on the road it could be better to say no thanks. It also gives you some more control of the schedule late in the year. WU is playing 4 games in about a week to get a buster game close to the conference tourney. You obviously pick up a good mid-major schedule the next year, which is well known I advocate. But the control over it is a risk. Probably a good move for a younger coach without a whole lot of connections.

[UNCA Alum]

It's good from a recruiting standpoint, but driving five hours to Eastern Kentucky (or wherever) to play a meaningless nonconference game during the middle of the Big South season doesn't make much sense. I'd much rather have the guys getting rest / preparing for conference games.

Preseason when we were supposed to be good, I wish we would have taken it.

Even though we are just now starting to meet expectations, our record would still not be enough to get a decent game and it would have been a waste of time. Ended up being a good call.