CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? Boston University, University of Hartford, UMBC and University of Vermont men’s basketball teams have been selected to the pool of teams to participate in the seventh-annual ESPNU BracketBusters series, a two-day men’s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other. The event, which will be televised on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic on Friday-Saturday, takes place February 20-21.
For the first time, an America East team will have a home game as part of the BracketBusters series. Boston University and Vermont were selected as two of the 51 home sites for the two-day event. Hartford and UMBC will play on the road.
“We are thrilled to once again have four teams chosen for this year’s BracketBusters pool,” said America East Commissioner Patrick Nero. “The added incentive this season is the home games and the potential of having a nationally televised contest in one of our school’s home facilities. It gives us the opportunity to bring major excitement to our campuses and gain national exposure through ESPN and its family of networks. It also measures the continued growth and improvement of America East basketball, which we expect to reach new heights in 2008-09.”
For the fourth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise five BracketBusters games while ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will offer two. ESPN2 will televise six contests. ESPN360.com will also simulcast ESPN2’s six telecasts. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced February 2, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 9.
BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play, will provide the 26 televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference opponents three weeks prior to Selection Sunday. The 76 teams not selected for BracketBusters will compete against each other over the same two days.
The 102-team field will feature 12 teams from the Mid-American and Colonial Athletic; 10 from the Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley, Horizon League and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic and Big West; four from the America East and Southern; three from the Big South; two from the Big Sky, Summit League and West Coast; and one from the Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast and Patriot.
As part of the agreement, all 13 of the BracketBusters home teams, as well as the remaining 38 home squads, will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.
America East has had BracketBuster television games in three of the past four years. Albany appeared on ESPNU in 2005 and 2006, suffering an 83-82 loss at Boise State in 2007 after falling 70-67 at Virginia Commonwealth in 2006. Vermont traveled to Nevada for the event’s marquee game on ESPN2 in 2005. The Catamounts dropped a 74-64 decision to the Wolfpack, but advanced to the NCAA Tournament two weeks later where they upset Syracuse, 60-57, in the first round.
This year’s BracketBusters pool features teams with 77 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); one in the Elite Eight ? Davidson (2008); and six Sweet Sixteen squads ? Butler (2007), Southern Illinois (2007), Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005) and Nevada (2004).