Keith Dambrot doesn't mind if other coaches think he's crazy.
The University of Akron head coach has a very good team, one with plenty of big-game experience and one that's won a national-best 13 straight games. But his team still needs quality wins if it's going to eventually earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, and that's why Dambrot actually volunteered to give up a home game and go on the road in the BracketBusters event, which will be played the weekend of Feb. 22-23.
The Mid-American Conference denied Dambrot's request, but when pairings were announced Monday night the Zips still landed a solid opponent. North Dakota State will be coming to Akron for a nationally televised game on Feb. 22.
The BracketBusters concept started in 2003 in an effort to give mid-major programs a boost in Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and strength of schedule, key areas when the NCAA Tournament selection committee makes its choices each March. It's produced high drama and a number of quality matchups through the years; VCU's surprising run to the 2011 Final Four from the First Four may never have happened had the Rams not scored a BracketBuster upset on the road at Wichita State.
This is the final year for the BracketBuster event, which has grown to include 122 teams from 15 mid-major conferences. Thirteen marquee games are broadcast nationally, with teams carefully selected to create compelling matchups. For logistics purposes, home and away teams are previously designated, and Dambrot volunteered his team for a road game because he believed the designated home team pool was markedly stronger than the away team pool.
Akron lost at Oral Roberts in the BracketBuster event last year. The Zips are 3-6 all-time in the event.
"In the big picture, it's been a good thing for us," Dambrot. "We played VCU twice. We played at Nevada, we played Creighton. From that perspective, I've always liked it. We brought some really quality programs into our building. As we go forward as a program, those are the kinds of games we need to play.
"For this year, I was willing to go on the road because we're trying to put ourselves in position to get an at-large berth if we need one. A quality road win would help that. The one way you get the committee's attention is just to keep winning, so our guys just need to handle that."
Part of the reason the BracketBuster is going away, at least in its current form, is that the star power isn't there — and, therefore, not many teams can truly help themselves. Gonzaga no longer participates, and Butler and VCU have moved out of the ranks of the mid-majors and into the Atlantic 10.
Akron (17-4) and currently 53rd in RPI will have a chance to build its resume against North Dakota St., currently 18-5 and 65th in the RPI. The event's marquee game is No. 13 Creighton at St. Mary's. No. 22 Wichita State hosts Detroit, which has an NBA prospect at point guard in Ray McCallum and played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Besides Akron, other Mid-American Conference teams in the spotlight game pool are Ohio, which plays at Belmont, and Western Michigan, which hosts Pacific.
Eleven of the 26 teams selected for the marquee BracketBusters games currently lead or share the lead in their respective conferences. Three currently rank in the top 30 of the RPI: Belmont (18), Wichita State (26) and Creighton (28). St. Mary's is 18-4, but with a current RPI of 58 and a schedule-strength rank of 162, the Gaels face a situation of either beating Creighton in the BracketBuster or having to win the West Coast Conference Tournament to eventually make the NCAA field.
What the likes of St. Mary's, Akron and Belmont might achieve with BracketBuster wins probably doesn't outweigh the work — and total lack of sizzle — involved with pairing so many lesser teams from lesser conferences to fill out the event. It just seems unlikely this year that many teams can actually significantly help themselves.
"It can be a good thing for us if we can win this year, and I think it can be a good thing in the future, maybe in a little different form," Dambrot said.
As part of the BracketBusters agreement, host teams have two seasons to play a return game on the visitor's home floor.
Ohio coach Jim Christian was in his first year as head coach at Kent State in 2003 when the Golden Flashes played in the inaugural BracketBuster event. There were nine games among 18 teams representing six conferences; Kent State lost to Hawaii by a point.
"That was a really good setup," Christian said. "Then, it was a true bracket-buster. It's been something that's helped teams score a quality win and get the right attention.
"It became so big because everybody wanted to be in it, but it became too big. It's great to get the exposure, but I'm probably on the side of saying it's a good thing that this is the last year. It's kind of run its course."
Belmont has won 10 straight and has been an NCAA Tournament team in each of the last two years and five times since 2006. Ohio practiced at Belmont last season during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville.
"Belmont is obviously a really good basketball team," Christian said. "It's a great challenge and opportunity for us."
