Lazerus says Homer wants out of Brackebuster

[agibson]

http://blogs.post-trib.com/lazerus/2011/03/on-horizon-league-scheduling-t.html

Drew said he believes the BracketBuster -- which was wedged in to that final stretch of games -- is no longer worth screwing up the schedule so badly that late in the year. He wants out, but that will be a league decision.

"It hurt us this year because of all the games we had in that period of time," Drew said. "I think the BracketBuster was really good, and the intent was really good -- to get top mid-major college teams playing against one another and get them exposure on TV. But I think, with all the TV exposure we receive now, I don't think it's as needed as it was."

When I asked about moving the BracketBuster to November or December -- a chance to spice up a normally dull non-conference season without interrupting league play -- he was much more agreeable to the concept.

"I think that would be a very good idea," he said. "That'd be a lot better. With 10 teams in the Horizon, and as challenging and difficult as our league is, two games a week in conference is just the right amount. You don't want three or four in a week with the competition and intensity and physicality of our league."

[sectionee]

I agree with Homer on this one.  Having so many games so close together really hurt the team down the stretch.  During that stretch Cory Johnson was not playing well and Ryan Broekhoff's went through a pretty awful shooting slump, he shot 3-18 from downtown in the games between the Green Bay game and the Iona game.  Tired bodies cost Valpo a real shot at finishing in the top two.

[vu72]

I guess we can also blame the Bracketbuster for getting blown out at home against Iona after 11 days rest?

I'd blame that on two things:  1. Ryan was really sick and 2. A serious lack of interest by the team, which is pretty unacceptible but understandable given the disappointment of losing out on both the NCAAs and the NIT. I wonder if our AD would go out on a limb and host a CIT game against a non-major team, given the tremendous fan support and the flat effort.

[valporun]

I agree with Homer that the Bracketbuster came at a bad time in the schedule, but with the scheduling of it being left up to ESPN to get the best "bracketbusting" match-ups that close to the tournament, how effective would it really be to have it in November or December? I mean most mid-majors at that time have played mostly non-D1s, or guarantee games, so they don't really have the confidence to win a game at that point  which would be more difficult than what your upcoming conference season will be. My best interest is to just get out of the Bracketbuster altogether. It doesn't help most of the teams that get those top 12 or 13 tv games, because they wind up either as an early out in their conference tourneys or don't make the NCAA Tourney at all. What good is an extra non-conference game towards the end of February when most of the teams selected don't make the NCAA field anyway?

[milanmiracle]

I think this is a good call to try and get out of the bracketbuster at this point. Maybe somewhere down the road it might be more useful but not right now.

Valpo is too far away from being an at large team, and I think that game actually hurt the conference championship chances.

[webbvufan]

I respect Homer and think he did a great job this year, but I just can't get behind the idea that the Bracketbuster game had such a negative impact on the team.  I know that we played a lot of games down the stretch and that could have contibuted to our problems.  What I can't understand is if the coaches truly felt that the Bracketbuster was a negative and the team had tired legs, why didn't we rest some key players against Missouri State?  The minutes breakdown against Missouri State looks a lot like the breakdown for many games this year:

## Player Name            MIN v. MISSOURI ST.
04 JOHNSON, Cory................. 24
45 BROEKHOFF, Ryan........... 26
14 LITTLE, Howard.............. 29
15 BUGGS, Erik................... 26
32 WOOD, Brandon.................32
01 ROGERS, Michael............. 14
05 WITT, Cameron....... ......... 2
22 HARRIS, Jay......... ........... 13
23 KENNEY, Matt......... .........21
55 VAN WIJK, Kevin...... ........13

This game was marketed by the Athletics Department as a major event with Dick Vitale and ESPN coming to the ARC.  Homer even met, Dicky V. at the airport.  We treated it as a big game, we played our players like it was a big game, and now we're complaining that the game did more harm than good.  Sorry, but it sounds like we're making excuses for a team that had a fine season, but simply faltered down the stretch.

[vuweathernerd]

i don't blame homer for wanting out. did it come at a really bad time? sure. between mid-terms and a stretch of 4 games in a week to wind down the season, that was not exactly an ideal time to do a ton of traveling and playing, not in the middle of a run for the conference title. but it brought some good exposure to the arc.

however, moving bracketbuster weekend isn't really an option either. personally, i like the concept, but wish the timing were a little different. but fully understand why it's when it is.

[valpo84]

Two questions:

1. vu72, I don't understand the comment that they had a "lack of interest" against Iona. Ryan was sick, Brandon's back acted up, and we couldn't shoot. There wasn't a lack of interest but a lack of execution. Harris looked interested, they scrambled and clawed for 40 minutes. They missed shots, didn't play good D and Iona just looked fresher.

2. The Bracketbuster has some positive marketing vibes to it. But, this is always a tension for coaches -- a good rpi game with TV/ESPN benefits if you are one of the top 10 games versus interrupting the conference schedule. Butler solved this not just by not being in the bracketbuster, but by being able to load up their unbalanced schedule in early January. Remember their one really tough stretch was just after that. (They looked tired at that time of the schedule. Mack has looked better because he looks quicker.) While everyone was playing bracketbusters and make up conference games, they were off resting. That has shown with their end of the year kick. The conference schedule makers need to be fair and balanced and maybe load up in January for everyone and then have that week be more of an off week if the goal of the conference is to have 10 teams participate. We have not faired well with scheduling since we entered the league, not an excuse just a fact. And I will repeat that Kenney's injury after Butler had more of an effect on this team than we discussed. It meant minutes went up for everyone and Kenney was not as effective thereafter. I agree that the conference needs to analyze why it's in bracketbuster and what it can do for everyone in the conference for post-season success.

[BigDWSU]

2. The Bracketbuster has some positive marketing vibes to it. But, this is always a tension for coaches -- a good rpi game with TV/ESPN benefits if you are one of the top 10 games versus interrupting the conference schedule. Butler solved this not just by not being in the bracketbuster, but by being able to load up their unbalanced schedule in early January. Remember their one really tough stretch was just after that. (They looked tired at that time of the schedule. Mack has looked better because he looks quicker.) While everyone was playing bracketbusters and make up conference games, they were off resting. That has shown with their end of the year kick. The conference schedule makers need to be fair and balanced and maybe load up in January for everyone and then have that week be more of an off week if the goal of the conference is to have 10 teams participate. We have not faired well with scheduling since we entered the league, not an excuse just a fact. And I will repeat that Kenney's injury after Butler had more of an effect on this team than we discussed. It meant minutes went up for everyone and Kenney was not as effective thereafter. I agree that the conference needs to analyze why it's in bracketbuster and what it can do for everyone in the conference for post-season success.

That's not correct.  Butler played UIC the same weekend everyone else was playing BB.

[govalpogo]

We saw much of the team drinking at Pepe's the night before the Iona game...Cory bragged that he would score 35 pts.  Another team member called the CIT the "PB&J tournament," regardless of what they told the papers, they did not feel like playing.  From the first row...their hearts were not into it. I mean...maybe it was the time off or the bad back and sickness... these surely did not help. Either way, to say the least...it was a disappointing end to my career of cheering from the student section...although not quite as infuriating as the Loyola game.

[sectionee]

As a fan in the stands they certainly looked disinterested in playing that night, and as much as that bothers me (I think if people are paying to come watch you play, you play hard) was that they looked unprepared on both ends of the court.  I suppose this could have been due to the lack of interest, regardless, as a fan and alum of this university I was very disappointed with what I saw on the court that day.

[78crusader]

In the several years I have been on the VU fan forum, there have only been two posts that really disappointed me.  The first was reading how, in President Heckler's first year, a football coach up in the press box was tossing f bombs during several moments of poor VU play during the homecoming game.  The second was tonight, after reading govalpogo's post about the players' actions and attitudes the night before the Iona game.  If true (and I have no reason to think it is not true), then this reflects very, very poorly on our players.  They seem to have no appreciation for the fans or the athletic department of this university (where they are receiving a free education), which spent a precious $60,000 of athletic department money to host this game so that our guys would have a chance to compete for a championship.  Just ask our AD how much $60,000 means to our athletic budget.  It will be a long time before VU hosts another one of these games.

Paul

[govalpogo]

Sorry Paul, it's not really a category I like my posts to be in...which is why I have been debating posting it since the game.  The whole team wasn't there (as they are not all 21) and none of them were wasted or anything.. but it was definitely a souring experience after their play the next day. 

[valpo84]

1. Appreciate the additional information on players' attitudes going into Iona game.

2. On scheduling a quick look at schedules of 4 teams shows the disparity around the bracketbuster --

Valpo: 2/16 @UWM, 2/19 Missouri ST, 2/21 @UWGB (OT), 2/24 Loy, and 2/26 UIC (still no excuse for losing to Loyola)
Butler: 2/15 @UWGB, 2/19 @UIC, 2/26 Loyola
UWM: 2/16 Valpo, 2/19 @Buffalo, 2/24 @CLEV, 2/26 @YSU
WSU: 2/16 CLEV, 2/19 Hofstra. 2/25 Detroit

Although Butler was playing UIC on the weekend of Bracketbuster, they did not have to come back and play four games the next week (neither did WSU by the way). Plus Butler had an extra day off between UWGB and UIC. That late in the conference season everyone should be on similar schedules not the disparity that this shows. When there is such a tournament advantage at stake, everyone (not just Valpo) should be subject to the same factors. It's not like the Horizon doesn't know when the BB is. Again, no excuses, Valpo should have won at least 2 of the 3 losses of those 5 games. They didn't and paid the penalty.

[rlh]

I don't see where Homer is totally against the Bracketbuster, just the timing of it.  Actually I think this may be a league problem as the league schedules the games in the league itself.  I'm not sure we have much control over when they will be played.

[cmack]

Yes, I am sure it is all about the timing.  However, to be honest, the Missouri St. game was nice in all, but I was totally into the conference race at the time.  It felt like a distraction to me.  I do NOT feel it can be used as an excuse for the egg we laid at the end of the season.  Unfortunately, I think the Brackebusters are meant to be played at the end of the season because it puts the mid-majors in the spotlight close to tourney time.  Doing it in December defeats the purpose.  And the Horizon League creating a hole in the conference schedule near the end of the season makes no sense either.

[StlVUFan]

1.  Like cmack, my guess is the BB is going to happen in the latter part of February or not at all, there's no moving it.  ESPN won't have it.

2.  I don't see any new information in the party story.  I seem to recall reading in the Iona game story in either the Times or the Trib that Cory really wanted to win and that BWood or somebody said the season ended when they lost to Milwaukee.  I find that easy to understand but hard to stomach.

By the way, I did *not* know anything about Ryan's illness or BWood's back when I posted my comments after the game.  That obviously puts a whole new spin on everything.

I know it's none of our business, strictly speaking, but the sad fact is that it creates a disconnect between the fans and the team.  We are encouraged to be interested in the team.  That,  unfortunately includes expressing our opinion of how the team plays.  They certainly enjoy it when we speak positively about how the team is playing.  That necessarily involves thinking critically about how the team is playing.  If we are allowed to think critically about how the team is playing and we see negatives, we have to be allowed to express *that* as well.  Then to have new information disclosed after a loss -- it's a bit frustrating is all I will say about it.  Maybe it's simply a dilemma that will never be solved.  I'm not going to tell VU that I have a right to know everything -- or anything for that matter -- health-wise.  But there have been plenty of times in the past when we've been told this stuff up front anyway.  I don't remember hearing anything prior to the Iona game but how wonderful it was that they had all this rest and all this time to mend and heal.  What I saw on my little screen that night was completely incongruous with the pre-game hype.

Just making an observation.

[rlh]

Interestingly, I walked into the ARC with Cory and he seemed genuinely excited about the game and getting a chance to play in front of our fans once again.  I think Iona shocked us early and took away our will, especially because of the injury to Wood and Broekhoff's health.  Put those things together and there wasn't much we could do.  I still don't know why the CIT would put their number 2 and 3 seeds against each other in the first round, but it might not have mattered.