Two-time defending America East Champion Vermont has been selected to play a nationally-televised game in the third annual ESPN Bracket Buster Series. The Catamounts will travel to Reno, Nev. Saturday (February 19), to face Western Athletic Conference opponent Nevada. The game will be aired live on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. (ET).
Six of the 11 Bracket Buster Series games will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2. The other five televised contests will be produced and distributed through ESPN Regional Television and will be available on ESPN FULL COURT, a satellite pay-per-view service.
“America East Conference is pleased to have Vermont selected to participate in one of the Bracket Buster Saturday games,” said Chris Monasch, Commissioner of America East. “Head coach Tom Brennan and his players have created a tremendous amount of excitement for the Catamounts throughout the state of Vermont and the Northeast. ESPN and Bracket Buster Saturday afford fans around the country the chance to see one of the nation’s quality mid-major programs and to enjoy an outstanding day of college basketball.”
The 2005 field of Bracket Buster teams is the strongest and deepest yet in the three-year history of the series. Eight of the teams paired in the elite 22-team telecast package are currently leading their conferences, while 20 of the 22 are ranked in the top 100 of the RPI ratings.
The Bracket Buster Saturday concept, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play over the past few years, provides participating schools with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents three weeks prior to Selection Sunday. This wild-card format featuring predetermined home and away team entries virtually guarantees that the best teams in the field are matched to play on a national stage. Furthermore, as a result of the Bracket Buster Series, the exposure received by the participating conferences on national television is much more focused and more heavily promoted.
2005 ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday Pairings
Saturday, February 19
Wichita State at Miami (Ohio), ESPN2, 12 noon (ET)
Vermont at Nevada, ESPN2, 2 p.m. (ET)
Western Michigan at Northern Iowa, ESPN2, 4 p.m. (ET)
Southern Illinois at Kent State, ESPN2, 6 p.m. (ET)
UW-Milwaukee at Hawaii, ESPN2, 8 p.m. (ET)
UTEP at Pacific, ESPN, 12 midnight (ET)
Arkansas-Little Rock at Bowling Green, ESPN Regional, 1 p.m. (ET)
Drexel at Ball State, ESPN Regional, 5 p.m. (ET)
Murray State at Rice, ESPN Regional, 5 p.m. (ET)
Buffalo at Fresno State, ESPN Regional, 7 p.m. (ET)
Illinois State at UW-Green Bay, ESPN Regional, 9 p.m. (ET)