The WAC BracketBuster Dud

The ever-reliable Steve Sneddon of the Reno Gazette Journal has an article today on the gigantic egg laid by the WAC over the BracketBuster weekend:

WAC notes: Conference's BracketBuster future tied to ESPN TV deal
Steve Sneddon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
February 26, 2008

Whether the Western Athletic Conference should continue to participate in the ESPN-affiliated BracketBuster was a hot subject Monday.

And for most WAC coaches the answer is tied to whether the WAC can get a better deal with ESPN that would provide more game coverage. Currently, the WAC contract calls for three televised games, not including the BracketBuster games. The coaches are in favor of a deal that would give the conference eight to 12 games.

Three of the nine WAC teams -- Nevada, Utah State and Boise State -- played in the official BracketBuster games that were televised. The other six teams were matched in non-conference games. All nine games will be returned in the 2008-09 season.

"My commitment to it (the BracketBuster) is dictated by our relationship with ESPN," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said on the WAC coaches' conference call. "I believe in ESPN. I believe in everything they do with college basketball.

"However, if that relationship is one that is not going to exist and we don't feel like we can go down the road with ESPN and there isn't a future then I'd rather do my own scheduling. Even the TV exposure we had (in the BracketBuster) was regional in nature."

The Nevada-Southern Illinois and Utah State-UC Santa Barbara games were shown on ESPNU, which isn't available on Charter Cable in Reno, and Boise State played Siena on ESPN360.com (available on the Internet).

Cleveland said the WAC needs to have a package that assures it of nine to 10 games besides the BracketBuster.

"We have to do something or it's going to impact recruiting over the next 10 years," Cleveland said. "I think that's an important piece. We have to do something now."

The conference's contract with ESPN extends through 2009-10. Commissioner Karl Benson said the conference negotiated unsuccessfully with ESPN for an extension in both the summer of 2006 and last summer.

"As far as the future (with the BracketBuster), I heard several coaches make very, very valid comments," said Benson, who will meet with the conference's coaches at the Final Four. "I would support a couple of their comments, saying that if the WAC can get a deal done with ESPN that results in a full-season package of both conference and non-conference games, then it probably would be worth it to go ahead with the BracketBuster..."

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