It was as expected

We had hopes -- high ones at that -- but not based on the evidence at hand. The 'quantifiables' lent themselves to the WAC winning some and losing others as part of the BracketBuster event and that is just what happened.

Here's Shawn Harrison starting us off:

Slow start dooms Utah St.
Shawn Harrison
Herald Journal
February 22, 2009

MORAGA, Calif. — A timid start and some missed shots down the stretch spelled doom for the Aggies Saturday afternoon at McKeon Pavilion in a ESPNU BracketBusters game.

Host Saint Mary’s was able to end Utah State’s perfect record (3-0 before Saturday) in these made-for-television games for mid-major conferences with a 75-64 victory. The Gaels pulled away at the end, but led for most of the game.

“We decided to play the last 10 minutes,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said.

Even then, the 23rd-ranked Aggies missed some golden opportunities to notch a big road win...

Go here for the remainder.

Harrison also has another article here.

Jared Eborn provides his take:

Cautious Aggies lose to Gaels
Jared Eborn
Deseret News
February 22, 2009

MORAGA, Calif. — Stew Morrill said his Utah State basketball team played "cautious."

Aggie center Gary Wilkinson used the word "tentative."

Whatever it was, the Aggies played poorly for the better part of 30 minutes and could well have put their hopes of an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament in serious jeopardy after falling to St. Mary's, 75-64, in front of a sold-out McKeon Pavilion and a national ESPN2 audience.

"They got us on our heels with their physicalness," Morrill said. "The advantage goes to the aggressor, and they were certainly the aggressor out there."

That much was evident in the way St. Mary's post players attacked USU's on both ends of the court. With double-double candidates Omar Samhan and Diamon Simpson imposing their will on the Aggies, the Gaels enjoyed a comfortable lead for most of the game.

The loss was particularly harsh for USU (25-3). The ESPN BracketBusters matchup was a chance to boost its RPI and national stature with a road win over a quality opponent...

Go here for the remainder.

New Mexico State did its part in keep the WAC's honor:

Castillo has career night in Aggies win
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
2/22/2009

LAS CRUCES — An unlikely player went shot-for-shot with one of the better opposing guards seen in Las Cruces all year.

New Mexico State University sophomore guard Gordo Castillo connected six times from long range for a career-best 20 points in a 94-86 ESPNU BracketBuster victory over Big West member Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at the Pan American Center.

"It just seemed like I was more open tonight probably because they were focused on (Jahmar Young) and the other guys," said Castillo, who was one of six NMSU players in double figures. "They were leaving me open so I just had to knock down shots."

Castillo helped the Aggies match Fullerton senior guard Josh Akognon's individual effort as part of an unconscious season-high for a half 78.3 percent team percentage for the Aggies in the second half.

"I didn't know that we were that high until right after the game," said Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies, whose team shot a season-best 63 percent for the game. "That's what happens when you take high percentage shots and stay in the system..."

Go here for the remainder.

Boise State get busted by Portland State in BracketBuster
BSU falls behind by 23 points to Portland State in the first half and never recovers in its second consecutive setback.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
2/22/09

PORTLAND - One thing the Boise State men's basketball team has been able to pride itself on this season is the ability to bounce back from a bad performance.

Well, you can cross that off a quickly shrinking list of good things about these Broncos.

Three days after a miserable home loss to Idaho, Boise State went out and laid an egg in its nationally televised ESPNU BracketBuster game at Portland State.

The Broncos fell behind by 23 points in the first half and a too-little, too-late rally in the second half added up to a 93-81 defeat at the Stott Center.

"As a coach, you're real disappointed because you hope your guys bounce back better than that," Boise State coach Greg Graham said. "Normally after losses we've answered the bell better..."

Go here for the remainder.

Idaho also did its bit:

Vandals prevail in physical battle with Northridge
Travis Mason-Bushman
Vandal Nation

The Idaho Vandals took down the Big West Conference-leading Cal State-Northridge Matadors tonight in the Cowan Spectrum, 78-75.

In a bitterly-contested ESPNU BracketBuster non-conference matchup, the clash of playing styles and tempers resulted in an exciting and fast-paced show for the 2,202 spectators on hand. The Vandals shot the lights out with a 68.4% average from the field, but in a game punctuated by 43 fouls and 37 turnovers, were unable to close out Northridge...

Go here for the remainder.

Hawaii may have left something behind in Fresno:

'Bows' bracket busted
Brian McInnis
Honolulu Star Bulletin
February 22, 2009

After a half of basketball that could have put the Hawaii "H" on the side of a milk carton, the Rainbow Warriors emerged from the ranks of the missing.

'Bows' bracket busted Unfortunately for the Rainbows, a surprising UC Irvine team was present all night and took UH's best shots to hang on for a 76-70 win in an ESPN BracketBusters game last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 4,169 watched the Rainbows come up short after cutting a 20-point second-half deficit to one. Five Anteaters scored in double figures as the visitors from the Big West poured it on early but sweated out a furious 46-point second half from UH (13-13 overall).

After Hawaii churned a 26-8 run and pulled to 61-60 on two Brandon Adams free throws with 1 minute, 59 seconds left, UCI went on a 12-5 spurt to fend off the Rainbows. Kareem Nitoto hit two 3-pointers in the final minute but the Anteaters made 11 straight free throws (and 19 of 21 for the game) to close it out.

UCI connected on eight of its nine 3-pointers in the first half in building a 14-point halftime lead against the listless Rainbows, who looked to be a step behind after arriving home from Fresno, Calif., on Friday evening.

The Anteaters have been mired near the bottom of the Big West and didn't appear to be a threat on paper to steal a win with a 3-9 road record entering the night...

Go here for the remainder.

and

UC Irvine holds off Hawaii, 76-70
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
February 22, 2009

Seemingly everything about the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was late the past two days.

Late return home. Late-arriving defense. Late rally.

In the end, it was too little, too late for the Rainbow Warriors in a 76-70 loss to UC Irvine last night.

"It was all on us," Hawai'i guard Kareem Nitoto said. "We just came out and laid an egg out here. It really hurts to come out here and disappoint ourselves and our fans."

A crowd of 4,169 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors drop to 13-13. The game did not count in the Western Athletic Conference...

Go here for the remainder.

Louisiana Tech went on the road and snatched a win against Murray State:

Tech men wrap up non-conference play with win over Murray State
News-Star news services
February 22, 2009

MURRAY, Ky. — The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-16; 4-9 WAC) used good shooting and hustle to down the Murray State Racers (15-11; 10-5 OVC) Saturday in non-conference action by a final score of 69-60 in the Regional Special Events Center in front of a crowd of 2526 MSU fans.
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“It’s always nice to go back home with a win,” Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. “That was a very hard fought game against a very good opponent. This team plays very good at home, and we got a good one today. Our kids stepped up and played 40 good minutes and found a way to win today...”

Go here for the remainder.

Fresno State, coming off a tough loss at home to Hawaii, was one better than UC Davis:

Bulldogs beat UC-Davis in ESPN BracketBusters game
The Fresno Bee

Of all of Sylvester Seay’s seven rebounds tonight, his seventh was the most important.

The Fresno State forward grabbed an offensive rebound off a Paul George missed free throw with 1.7 seconds remaining and time expired, giving Fresno State a 71-70 win at UC-Davis in an ESPN BracketBusters men's basketball game.

Play was riddled with mistakes from both teams, as the Bulldogs and Aggies scrambled in a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle...

Go here for the remainder.

Finally, San Jose State stayed in its funk with a loss to UC Riverside:

Spartans fall to Riverside 53-52

It was another contest where each change of possession in the last five minutes was crucial and the Highlanders proved to be one point better Saturday night and nabbed a 53-52 victory. UC Riverside tallied nary a point in those last 300 seconds but still triumphed.

At the 5:05 mark, Riverside's Kyle Austin scored on a soft jumphook in the lane, advancing his team to a 53-46 lead and the points total the Highlanders would have for the game.

With 2:28 remaining, Justin Graham rebounded a Robert Owens miss and scored on a layup from the right side to make it a three-point deficit, 53-50...

Go here for the remainder.