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UNCG to play in BracketBusters series for second straight year
GREENSBORO, NC – For the second straight year, UNC Greensboro will participate in ESPN’s BracketBusters series as part of its men’s basketball schedule.
BracketBusters games will be played Feb. 16-18 this season with a record number 102 teams participating. The field consists of 12 teams from the Colonial Athletic Association, including last year’s Final Four team George Mason, 12 teams from the Mid-American Conference, 11 from the Ohio Valley Conference, 10 from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference, nine from the Horizon League and Western Athletic Conference, eight from the Big West, four from the Big Sky and Southern Conferences, three from the Big South Conference and Patriot League, two from America East, Mid-Continent and Southland Conferences, and one from the West Coast Conference.
“Obviously this is a great opportunity for our program and we and very pleased to be a part of this venture once again this season,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement. “Last year’s road game against St. Peter’s guaranteed us a quality home game against them this season. This year, we’ll get to play at home, so it gets us another quality home game this year and a good return game on the road next season. Hopefully, we’ll play well enough to get into the main draw and grab a national television audience.”
Representing the Southern Conference along with UNCG will be Chattanooga, Appalachian State and Elon. Chattanooga and UNCG will play home games, while Appalachian State and Elon will go on the road. Opponents will be determined approximately three weeks before. Thirteen games will be designated part of the main draw and will be shown on ESPN’s family of networks. Five games will be shown on ESPN-U, six will be aired on ESPN-2 and two will be shown on ESPN 360, the network’s new broadband service.
Bracket Busters sets up a two-year scheduling package. Last year, UNCG traveled to St. Peter’s on the Saturday of Bracket Busters weekend. This year, St. Peter’s returns the trip to visit Greensboro on Dec. 21.
BRACKETBUSTERS PARTICIPANTS
Home Teams: Creighton, Drake, Illinois State, Indiana
State, Missouri State, Wichita State, Montana, Northern Arizona,
Coastal Carolina, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State,
UC Santa Barbara, Delaware, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra,
Northeastern, VCU, Butler, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola-Chicago, Wright
State, Youngstown State, Fairfield, Marist, Niagara, Rider, Siena,
Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo,
Western Michigan, Oral Roberts, Morehead State, Samford, Southeast
Missouri State, UT-Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech,
Bucknell, Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro, Boise State, Fresno State,
Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Francisco.
Road Teams: Bradley, Evansville, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Albany, Maine, Eastern Washington, Portland State, Liberty, Winthrop, Cal State Fullerton, Pacific, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Drexel, James Madison, Old Dominion, Towson, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary, Cleveland State, Detroit, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, Canisius, Iona, Loyola (MD), Manhattan, Saint Peter’s, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Ohio, Valparaiso, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Murray State, Colgate, Holy Cross, Appalachian State, Elon, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Utah State.
- UNCG -
