BracketBusters Projections

ESPN BracketBusters weekend isn't until February 17-19, but pairings for the 13 televised games (6 ESPN/ESPN2, 5 ESPNU, 2 ESPN3) will be announced Monday. In total, 142 teams will compete in BracketBusters. Last year 13 participants advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including one (VCU) that made it all the way to the Final Four.

Home and road teams were determined prior to the season. Here's one man's projection of the 13 televised games. Each team's record and current RPI is listed in parentheses.

1. St. Mary's (18-2, #28) @ Creighton (19-2, #13)
2. Long Beach State (13-6, #36) @ Murray State (17-0, #31)
3. Wichita State (17-3, #25) @ Davidson (14-4, #45)
4. Nevada (15-3, #62) @ Oral Roberts (19-4, #46)
5. Akron (12-7, #57) @ Iona (15-5, #51)
6. Drexel (16-5, #85) @ Weber State (14-3, #74)
7. Northern Iowa (13-8, #53) @ Cleveland State (16-4, #58)
8. UNC-Asheville (12-7, #135) @ George Mason (17-5, #109)
9. Old Dominion (13-9, #122) @ Ohio (15-4, #72)
10. Drake (11-9, #108) @ VCU (17-5, #97)
11. College of Charleston (12-8, #119) @ Butler (11-10, #113)
12. Buffalo (10-6, #90) @ Loyola-Maryland (14-5, #83)
13. UCSB (8-7, #144) @ South Dakota State (14-6, #69)

Other Possible Home TV Teams
Missouri State (11-10, #84), New Mexico State (13-7, #87), Loyola Marymount (10-9, #101), Milwaukee (12-8, #105), Kent State (12-6, #110), Illinois State (13-8, #114), Manhattan (14-7, #118)

Other Possible Road TV Teams
Indiana State (11-9, #123), Oakland (11-11, #124), Valpo (12-8, #125), Fairfield (10-9, #139), Western Michigan (8-11, #140), Texas-Arlington (13-5, #143), Youngstown State (9-8, #146)


And here are projections from the Creighton White and Blue Review. ...

http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=16421

Interested to see what happens with my Milwaukee Panthers. This will provide an opportunity for a solid non-conference win. They've had a really tough non-conference schedule this season, with losses at Michigan State, at Marquette, at Northern Iowa, and vs. Wisconsin.

Overall, I love those few days of BracketBusters. Mid-major basketball holds a soft spot in my heart.

I always like BracketBusters weekend. Usually a few good games, and it's the definitive sign that Championship Week is just around the corner.

Your Panthers and quite a few other teams deserve a televised BracketBuster more than Butler does, but I can't see any way ESPN keeps them off their airwaves.

A question from the uneducated crowd... do these schools adjust their schedules just for this BracketBuster weekend or were these matchups set long ago?

Home and road teams as well as dates (Feb. 17-19) were determined before the season. Pairings finalized about 3 weeks in advance.