UW-Milwaukee, Butler Selected for BracketBusters presented by eBay TV Package on ESPN Networks

Jan. 30, 2006

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Horizon League schools University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Butler University have been selected to play nationally televised games in the fourth annual BracketBusters presented by eBay, it was announced Monday (Jan. 30) by ESPN.


League-leading and defending champion UW-Milwaukee (15-4, 8-1 Horizon League) will host Missouri State University (13-6, 6-5 Missouri Valley Conference), while second-place Butler (11-8, 4-3) will play at Kent State University (14-6, 8-1 Mid-American Conference) in this year's event.


This year's BracketBusters games will be played Friday through Sunday, Feb. 17-19, with 13 games scheduled to be aired by ESPN, including one on ESPN, five each on ESPN2 and ESPNU, and two on ESPN 360, the network's new video web cast outlet. Networks and tip-off times will be announced next Tuesday, Feb. 7.


"We are very pleased to have the top two teams in the Horizon League standings chosen to compete in this year's BracketBusters event," said Horizon League Commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone. "We know they will represent the League very well on national television in what continues to be an outstanding annual event on the college basketball schedule."


Both UW-Milwaukee and Butler have lived up to the "BracketBusters" name on the national stage recently as the Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and the Panthers repeated the trick last season.


UW-Milwaukee, which will be playing in a BracketBusters TV game for the fourth straight season, is aiming for its second consecutive win in the event after defeating the University of Hawai'i 87-81 last year in Honolulu. The Panthers feature five seniors in their starting line-up and have won 11 of their last 12 games dating to mid-December. Milwaukee will play six games prior to the BracketBusters game, beginning with tonight's at .


Senior guard Boo Davis, the team's sixth man last season, leads the Panthers with 16.5 points per game, while senior forward and Preseason League Player of the Year Joah Tucker is close behind with 15.9 points plus 5.9 rebounds per contest. Senior forward/center Adrian Tigert averages 12.3 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds.


Missouri State, which is currently in fifth place in the Missouri Valley, had lost three of four games before rebounding Sunday with an 80-58 victory at Indiana State University. Junior guard Blake Ahearn leads the Bears with 17.8 points per game.


Butler will be playing in its first BracketBusters TV game, when the Bulldogs meet Kent State, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in 2002 --- one year prior to BU's Sweet 16 run. The Bulldogs won both of their games last week after losing three of their previous four and moved from eighth place in second in the League standings within a span of four days. Butler plays tonight at the University of Illinois at Chicago before opening a three-game homestand later in the week.


Senior forward Brandon Polk, a preseason first-team All-League pick, paces Butler with 17.2 points per game, while sophomore guard A.J. Graves adds 13.1 per contest. Senior guard Bruce Horan, a long-range specialist with 260 career three-pointers, averages 10.3 points.


Kent State has won eight of its last nine games and is tied with the University of Akron for first place in the MAC's East Division. Senior guard Jay Youngblood tops the Golden Flashes with 15 points per game.


In its inaugural year in 2003, two of the three participating Horizon League teams won their BracketBusters games as the University of Detroit Mercy won at the University of California-Santa Barbara 75-59 and UIC defeated Bowling Green State University 83-72 at home, while UW-Milwaukee lost at Southern Illinois University 66-64. In 2004, the Panthers lost at home to Manhattan College 83-76 in the League's lone nationally televised game. In addition to UWM's win at Hawai'i last season, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay fell to Illinois State University at home 79-69.


The seven other games involving Horizon League teams resulting from the BracketBusters presented by eBay expanded pool of 100 teams will be announced Tuesday morning.


Following is a complete list of this year's BracketBusters presented by eBay televised games:

BracketBusters presented by eBay TV Games*

Missouri State (13-6, 6-5 Missouri Valley) at UW-Milwaukee (15-4, 8-1 Horizon League)Milwaukee, Wis.
Butler (11-8, 4-3 Horizon League) at Kent State (14-6, 8-1 Mid-American)Kent, Ohio
Bucknell (16-3, 7-0 Patriot League) at Northern Iowa (18-3, 9-2 Missouri Valley)Cedar Falls, Iowa
George Mason (15-5, 9-2 Colonial) at Wichita State (17-5, 8-3 Missouri Valley)Wichita, Kan.
Louisiana Tech (14-7, 7-1 Western Athletic) at Southern Illinois (15-6, 9-2 Missouri Valley)Carbondale, Ill.
Fresno State (10-8, 3-4 Western Athletic) at Creighton (14-5, 8-3 Missouri Valley)Omaha, Neb.
Akron (14-4, 8-1 Mid-American) at Nevada (15-5, 5-3 Western Athletic)Reno, Nev.
Marist (12-6, 6-4 Metro Atlantic) at Old Dominion (15-6, 8-3 Colonial)Norfolk, Va.
Northwestern State (13-6, 6-1 Southland) at Utah State (14-4, 5-2 Western Athletic)Logan, Utah
Buffalo (14-5, 5-4 Mid-American) at Iona (15-3, 9-1 Metro Atlantic)New Rochelle, N.Y.
Northern Arizona (14-6, 7-0 Big Sky) at Western Kentucky (15-5, 7-1 Sun Belt)Bowling Green, Ky.
Samford (14-5, 7-2 Ohio Valley) at Ohio (11-5, 6-3 Mid-American)Athens, Ohio
Albany (12-8, 7-2 America East) at Virginia Commonwealth (14-5, 8-3 Colonial)Richmond, Va.

Bold italics indicates games involving Horizon League teams

* Game times and networks to be announced Tuesday, Feb. 7