<Riiinnnngggg>

“Hello, Steve Pikiell.”

“Steve? This is Bill Coen from Northeastern. How’s your summer been?”

“Hey Bill. How are you? Never seems to be enough down time. Family is getting together for the Fourth, but then it’s right back out onto the road.”

<Coen chuckles> “I know. I was just dividing up travel with Jimmy. Hey, I’m calling because we have an open date December 3 this year. It doesn’t matter if we start at home or on the road. You guys interested in a home-and-home?”

<Sound of fingers typing on a keyboard> “Bill, you’ve got everybody back. I don’t know.”

“Tell you what, Steve. We can start at your place next year. Then you can come here the year after Lee and Smith have graduated.”

<PAUSE>

“I’m good with that, Bill, thanks. Only problem is that we have December 3 reserved for Manhattan. Can you do December 10?”

“Yeah, that works for us, Steve. Count on it–two years, we start at your place this year on December 10. I’ll get the paperwork moving.”

Presto, Bracketbusters.

***

Here’s the problem with Bracketbusters: stop trying to fool us into thinking it’s something it isn’t. It’s disruptive to the schedule. It’s painful to the budgets. Nobody likes to step out of conference for what will be–for most teams–a meaningless game.

If you aren’t one of the anointed programs that get a plum teevee assignment or big RPI-boosting game–and those teams number about six and those games about three every year–it’s pointless.

Your Coach can schedule any of those games on his own during the summer. Seriously, I don’t see one game on the CAA Bracketbusters slate that cannot be handled by each institution within its own scheduling principles.

Please don’t get me wrong. I know both Mason and VCU received at large bids largely on the strength of their Brackbusters wins at Wichita State. And I know ESPN is pouring a ton of money into mid majors at a critical juncture in the season.

But it isn’t the basketball bacchanalia it’s purported to be. If you aren’t one of the anointed, it becomes more BudgetBusters and a giant inconvenience than anything. What’s more, for every top 100 RPI win possibility there is a loser in that scenario. (Bless you Andy Glockner for BracketEliminators.)

Bracketbusters absolutely matters, for six teams. And I will say the CAA is in a no-lose position this year, because teams cannot lose. We are–at best–on the fringes of an at large bid. We’re talking the fool’s gold scenario of two teams from VCU, Drexel, and George Mason finishing 16-2 and losing in the conference tourney finals.

That fool’s gold scenario includes a top 100 RPI win in the event. Lose in the event and the nearly-shut door likely closes. We don’t need the sideshow in late February that tries to make us believe it’s anything more than that.

We can still get the marquee games played in November and December. Schedule them, for gosh-sake.

Can’t do it because you need end-season recency? Fine–schedule one game on Wednesday or Thursday between the end of the CAA tournament and Selection Sunday. Heck, you want a made-for-teevee conference challenge? How about the CAA/Valley challenge played in March after both conferences have finished their conference tournament.

My point is this–there are options, and I don’t need to be faked out by the hype. Bracketbusters at 140 teams is ridiculous, and the payoff is not what is promised. It’s time for something different.

You rip up the matchups. I will hope for 12-0 from the golf course.

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