What is the process in which the BracketBusters opponent is determined for the Aces men's basketball team each season?
This will likely be the last year of the BracketBuster event and it has been a good event over time. There are several conferences that participate in the tournament. Each school knows whether they are home or away at the start of the season. As the season goes along, the RPI ratings start to develop. It is easy to track who our possible opponents may be as we receive weekly information showing the various RPI’s of the home teams and those of the road teams. For example, if UE has an RPI rating of 100 and we play on the road, we can look at the home teams and see who is close to 100. At that point, the list of opponents becomes very clear. ESPN has the right to do the match-ups that appeal to them and choose which games will be on television. After that, the match ups are based on “like” RPI comparisons, geographic proximity (if possible), natural rivalries and things along those lines.
This year, we are playing Wright State from Dayton, Ohio. They are a member of the Horizon League and it should be a good match-up as they are having a very good year. Wright State is then obligated to come back and play at the Ford Center within the following two years depending on how it works out schedule wise for both teams.
On the golf website for UE, we noticed that the team has a new indoor facility. What is that facility comprised of and how has that been a benefit to the men's and women's teams thus far?
An indoor facility for our Golf teams has been a high priority. The opportunity for our teams to be able to hit balls on campus without needing to drive somewhere has a lot of value. With a lot of effort and financial generosity from supporters of our golf program, this is becoming a reality. In the Armory, the Student/Athletes will have a putting green, chipping area, and hitting area for woods and irons. There will also be locker rooms for each team. We are hopeful of having a “Grand Opening” of the facility this spring. However, much of it is in place and the teams are using the area now. The feedback has been very positive and it should have a favorable impact on our results. We will have even more details later, but that is the current status now.
The women's basketball team has made a steady turnaround this season, how special is it to see local players contributing in such a big way?
Our team has made significant progress over the past couple of years. Our blend of players now has been very good with several local and regional players to go along with those recruited outside the area. We are playing excellent competition inside and outside the MVC and we have heard a lot of positive things from our fans about the effort and competitive spirit of our team. Unfortunately, we have had some key injuries that have slowed us down from our great conference start, but our team is still working very hard. We have a lot of reasons to believe the future is bright for our team now and into the future.
