Thursday, January 26, 2012

Who will be George Mason's BracketBuster opponent?

This season the announcing of ESPN's Bracketbusters pairings are not as exciting for Mason fans as it normally has been in years past. The pairings will be announced Monday, January 30 at 6:30 pm on ESPNU. During this time last season we had a very good feeling about this event's game helping the Patriots get a bid to the NCAA tournament regardless of what happened in Richmond. However, we know this season that an at-large bid is out of the question for everyone in the CAA, so this game is basically an extra exhibition match for George Mason. I still am excited however to see this team take on someone from another conference and see if they can continue their winning formula outside the conference. 

As of right now Mason's RPI is at #116 (#110 on others sites) which won't help them get any of the prime TV spots for this event. The Patriots are a designated home team and usually they base the pairings off RPI and geographic location.  Judging by that criteria, I think they could get matched up with the following designated road teams:

-Buffalo (11-6, 4-2 MAC) RPI #90
-Drake (12-9, 5-5 MVC) RPI #105
-Lamar (12-8, 3-3 Southland) RPI #108
-Valparaiso (14-7, 7-2 Horizon) RPI #123
-UNC-Asheville (14-7, 9-1 Big South) RPI #135
-Fairfield (10-9, 5-3 MAAC) RPI# 139 - Bad memories from their last Patriot Center visit

With George Mason currently leading the CAA I think they have a good chance at getting a decent opponent.  Personally I'd like to see them host Drake but they don't make the most sense geographically and I think the coaches/conferences play a role in these pairings.  A Missouri Valley team this season would be an excellent in-season test before the CAA tournament.  Indiana State is another option but they have fallen to 3-7 in the MVC and I don't think they will match up a first place CAA team with a struggling MVC team even if their RPI is #122.  Buffalo makes the most sense, given their numbers and location.

What are your hopes/predictions for Mason's BracketBuster opponent?

[RPI numbers from Statsheet.com]

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