Siena and the Bracketbuster

[olddog71]

In Pete Iorizzo's blog this evening, he reported that the Boise State-Siena game won't be televised on regular cable television. Instead, it will be available on a broadband feed.

 

Here is what the blog stated, "Siena coach Fran McCaffery was unhappy that his team is being sent so far to play on a platform familiar to so few.

 

'I guess my biggest gripe with this year’s BracketBuster would be, we don’t need to be going to Boise to play on ESPN360,' McCaffery said. 'We’re in the middle of a conference championship race. You want to put us on ESPN360, put us closer to home.'”

 

Do you remember certain Siena fans calling Will Brown a whiner for making a couple negative comments about the game last year?

 

Now, if only the Siena team gets blown around and separated by a massive winter storm, then I will think about having more compassion.

[Clickclack]

olddog,

 

In all honesty, IMO they got screwed. Having said that....you are absolutely right. Oh how the tables have turned. Apparently coach McCaffery is as much a "whiner" as Coach Brown. Just don't tell it to some Siena fans.

[Dane Pound]

I'm wondering how much longer the Bracketbuster will be around. It seems to have more enemies than fans at this point. I wonder why they don't just have the televised teams play and give everyone else the night off.

[olddog71]

olddog,

 

In all honesty, IMO they got screwed. Having said that....you are absolutely right. Oh how the tables have turned. Apparently coach McCaffery is as much a "whiner" as Coach Brown. Just don't tell it to some Siena fans.

 

bosiydid,

 

You may have correctly assessed the situation; I am not going to debate you on that. My problem is with some Siena fans who call Brown a whiner and say we have no right to complain about what the Bracketbuster serves up.

[olddog71]

olddog,

 

In all honesty, IMO they got screwed. Having said that....you are absolutely right. Oh how the tables have turned. Apparently coach McCaffery is as much a "whiner" as Coach Brown. Just don't tell it to some Siena fans.

 

One big difference in the two situations is that UA had gone to the NCAA's the season before and was challenging UConn in the first round in what could have been a history-making performance. I believe that difference might have given us an edge in the television scheduling for last year's BracketBuster.

[bob87]

I'm wondering how much longer the Bracketbuster will be around. It seems to have more enemies than fans at this point. I wonder why they don't just have the televised teams play and give everyone else the night off.

 

 

I still think it got away from the original intent which was to showcase possible tournament teams. To me the biggest problem is they have way too many eligible teams in it that don't belong. The most blatant example would be the bottom of the maac. I would rather play the OOC game in December than hold it for February unless you have a legitimate chance of getting a TV game.

Also, while it sounds good in theory just to have the TV teams play and give everyone else off , I don't think that will happen. If you think that teams are whining right now because it cost them $20,000 to travel to the game, just wait until someone that draws decently loses a home game and all the teams that don't play on TV would play one less game than they are allowed in your plan.

[purplehaze]

Last years trip to Boise was an important part of preparing the Danes for their run to the America East Championship. IT may have been a defining moment. Fran could do the same with it for Siena---if he would stop whining and complaining about it.

[Dane Pound]

Also, while it sounds good in theory just to have the TV teams play and give everyone else off , I don't think that will happen. If you think that teams are whining right now because it cost them $20,000 to travel to the game, just wait until someone that draws decently loses a home game and all the teams that don't play on TV would play one less game than they are allowed in your plan.

 

You're probably right that teams wouldn't like missing out on a game. It seems like teams might start taking themselves out of it in the future. They're making mid-majors jump through hoops for a slim chance that they'll get a TV game. I would rather see ESPN pick good inter-conference games between teams at the top or near the top of the standings. Generally a lot more passion in an Albany-Vermont or Siena-Marist game than Siena-Boise State or Albany-VCU game.

[Patch]

1. Without a doubt $iena got screwed. What goes around comes around - it couldn't have happen to a nicer group of egomaniacs fan(atic)s (just some of their fans not all of them).

 

2. The bracketbuster concept of having entire conferences represented in the pool of teams is ridiculously assinine.

 

3. One of the underlying purposes is to guarantee a comparitive OOC game for mid majors who usually have a hard time scheduling decent games. I'm sure Boise is excited coming back again next year to play in Albany.

 

4. $iena being on ESPN 360 is absurd - I thought the MAAC and $iena had this working relationship with ESPN. ESPN360 is practically non-existent a TV game is something that most of the country should have the ability to view. Heck more people could watch the game if Boise just put it on the web.

 

5. This year's $iena team deserves better (yes I did say that). I do wonder if the money spent to travel to Boise eats into the profits they get from playing in the Glad wrapped TUC.

 

6. It's a real tough trip near the end of the regular season schedule. I hope it doesn't have too many residual effects.