Grizzlies to participate in expanded BrackBusters field
8/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Montana men's basketball team will participate in ESPN's BracketBusters for the second consecutive season. The Grizzlies faced Oral Roberts last season in BracketBusters play, winning 88-74 in at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula.
ORU won the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tourney where the Golden Eagles fell 94-78 to top-seed Memphis. The Griz also advanced to the NCAA tourney, their second in two seasons. UM defeated No. 5 seed Nevada before falling to No. 4 seed Boston College in the Round of 32.
The fifth annual BracketBusters event, a two-day men??s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 16-17, will feature 13 nationally televised games selected from an expanded pool of 102 teams.
The field is highlighted by the return of last year??s BracketBusters participants George Mason and Wichita State, a Final Four and Sweet Sixteen team, respectively, who met in last year??s event and the NCAA Tournament. Last year??s field included a potential 100 teams (vying for 13 BracketBusters games), while the 2005 event featured 64 teams (vying for 11 BracketBusters games).
For the second consecutive year, the event will feature five BracketBusters games exclusively on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, and two on ESPN360, ESPN??s customized broadband service. ESPN2 will televise six contests. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced January 29, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 5.
BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play over the past few years, 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 Conference and Colonial Athletic; 11 from the Ohio Valley Conference; 10 from the Missouri Valley and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic Conference and Horizon League; eight from the Big West; four the Big Sky and Southern; three from the Big South and Patriot; two from the America East, Mid-Continent and Southland; and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference.
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.
BracketBusters is an example of ESPN college basketball franchise programming. Others include Rivalry Week, Feast Week, Holiday Hoops, Judgment Week and Championship Week.
This year??s BracketBusters pool features teams with 70 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); Elite Eight ?C Kent State (2002); and six Sweet Sixteen squads ?C Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005), Nevada (2004), Butler (2003) and Southern Illinois (2002).
ORU won the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tourney where the Golden Eagles fell 94-78 to top-seed Memphis. The Griz also advanced to the NCAA tourney, their second in two seasons. UM defeated No. 5 seed Nevada before falling to No. 4 seed Boston College in the Round of 32.
The fifth annual BracketBusters event, a two-day men??s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 16-17, will feature 13 nationally televised games selected from an expanded pool of 102 teams.
The field is highlighted by the return of last year??s BracketBusters participants George Mason and Wichita State, a Final Four and Sweet Sixteen team, respectively, who met in last year??s event and the NCAA Tournament. Last year??s field included a potential 100 teams (vying for 13 BracketBusters games), while the 2005 event featured 64 teams (vying for 11 BracketBusters games).
For the second consecutive year, the event will feature five BracketBusters games exclusively on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, and two on ESPN360, ESPN??s customized broadband service. ESPN2 will televise six contests. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced January 29, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 5.
BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play over the past few years, 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 Conference and Colonial Athletic; 11 from the Ohio Valley Conference; 10 from the Missouri Valley and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic Conference and Horizon League; eight from the Big West; four the Big Sky and Southern; three from the Big South and Patriot; two from the America East, Mid-Continent and Southland; and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference.
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.
BracketBusters is an example of ESPN college basketball franchise programming. Others include Rivalry Week, Feast Week, Holiday Hoops, Judgment Week and Championship Week.
This year??s BracketBusters pool features teams with 70 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); Elite Eight ?C Kent State (2002); and six Sweet Sixteen squads ?C Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005), Nevada (2004), Butler (2003) and Southern Illinois (2002).
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