ESPN Goes Bracket Busting: ESPN announced the lineup for its increasingly popular — and important — BracketBusters event. The cable network will air 13 games featuring 26 teams that are tearing up the mid-major conferences this season, including Bucknell, Northern Iowa, Akron, Western Kentucky and Old Dominion. The premier match up pits Bucknell at Northern Iowa. The Panthers are likely Tournament-bound regardless of the outcome, but the Bison have a lot more at stake. A win at the currently ranked Panthers could be enough to give Bucknell the necessary résumé for an at-large bid should the Bison fail to win the Patriot League championship.
Other must-see games include George Mason at Wichita State, Missouri State at Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Buffalo at Iona, Akron at Nevada, and Northwestern State and Utah State. The Missouri Valley Conference received a nice nod from the ESPN folks as four of the conference’s five televised participants will play at home. If you’re looking for an early prediction of a surprising outcome, watch for the rising Akron Zips to upset the inconsistent Nevada Wolf Pack in Reno. [1/30/06]
