Bracket Buster Update

ESPN's Bracket Buster has become important date in February for mid-major teams across the country. Mason used it in the 2005-2006 season as a stepping stone into the NCAA tournament with a road win at Wichita State. Since then mid-major have gotten more market coverage but this showcase of games has really turned into larger and more meaningful event. After our losses to ECU and Georgia State I was starting to think that this event would be meaningless to our schedule but now things are starting to look up. With Mason's current RPI around the 40's and 50's depending on which formula you use, a road game with an opponent of a similar standing could be another quality win for the resume. Mason still has work to be done in the conference but this game could still be a factor. The match-ups are announced February 3rd and here is a chart with all the teams participating and who they would possibly be matched up with, courtesy of our friends from the CAAZone.com. Looking at the chart, Illinois State and Ohio look like probable opponents if the announcements were made today. These might not be "sexy" teams but it's really a matter of numbers and rating scores. Cleveland State is ruled out because we already played them this season but Valparaiso and Oral Roberts are not. Either of those teams could be a tough match up for the Patriots. Truthfully I would love to see Butler as our opponent but I think they will mostly be matched up with Drake. Southern Illinois, despite having a disappointing season would still be an excellent test for the Patriots, you just never know with those Missouri Valley teams.