The University at Albany and University of Vermont men's basketball squads have been selected to the pool of teams to participate in the fourth annual Bracket Buster Saturday Series, a one-day men's college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 18. The Bracket Buster will feature 11 nationally televised games, including six games on ESPN or ESPN2, and the remaining five games on ESPNU, selected from an expanded pool of 100 teams representing 18 conferences.
The Great Danes are expected to be one of America East's top squads in 2006 with four of five starters returning for the upcoming season. The Catamounts have won three-straight America East Championships and last season pulled off an impressive overtime victory over No. 4 Syracuse, 60-57, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We are extremely excited to have two of our members be selected to this year's Bracket Buster pool," said America East Commissioner Patrick Nero. "Having the chance to get national exposure through ESPN's various networks is a tremendous opportunity for both Albany and Vermont as well as America East."
Vermont was also one of 22 teams chosen to participate in the 2005 Bracket Buster Saturday Series Field. The Catamounts traveled to Reno, Nev. to take on the Western Athletic Conference's Nevada live on ESPN2 where UVM was defeated 74-64.
The Bracket Buster event has allowed Division I conferences to participate in a cutting-edge format that involves "wild-card" pairings for the pool of participating teams, with
half of the Bracket Buster Saturday teams pre-designated as "home" and the
remaining half as "road" teams. Albany and Vermont have both been designated as "road" teams.
What sets the Bracket Buster Saturday Series apart from other made-for-television events is that the pairing of teams is not pre-determined. The actual pairings take place three weeks in advance of the event, and those match-ups are determined on the basis of regular-season play.
Another important component for Bracket Buster Saturday participants is future scheduling. Each team that participates in the Bracket Buster Saturday series any given year agrees to enter into a home-and-home series with its to-be-named opponent. The return game of each series is made in November or December in the season following the Bracket Buster Saturday game; this return game allows for the completion of the two-game series contract and is not part of the Bracket Buster Saturday event in that second year.
In an effort to provide a greater opportunity for NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, the event has expanded its pool of teams (18 in 2003, 46 in 2004 and 64 in 2005) each year to produce a better cross section of squads for the basketball bonanza. A total of 11 games will be televised, including six games on ESPN or ESPN2, and the remaining five games on ESPNU -- ESPN’s new collegiate network that was launched on March 4, 2005.