Southland Conference Announces 12 Matchups in Sears BracketBusters

Southland Conference Announces 12 Matchups in Sears BracketBusters

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ESPN BracketBusters Schedule

FRISCO, Texas - First-place UT Arlington will visit Weber State in one of 12 games Southland Conference teams will play in this year's Sears BracketBusters event, which will be held on campus sites Feb. 17-19. The 10th annual event features 142 teams from 16 conferences, the largest pool in the event's history and includes two teams that reached last year's Final Four.

All 12 Southland teams will play in this year's expanded field, which is highlighted by 13 nationally televised games on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3. The televised games were announced on a BracketBusters special Monday night on ESPNU. The games televised by the ESPN family of networks are selected by ESPN, while a committee of conference commissioners determines the additional non-televised games.

UT Arlington visits Weber State on Saturday, Feb. 18. The game will be available exclusively on ESPN3. The Mavericks, who are riding an 11-game win streak and ranked No. 19 in this week's collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, are 15-5 overall and are 7-0 in the Southland. UTA (RPI: 136), which won its only regular-season conference championship in 2004, is in search of its first appearance in the NCAA since 2008. The Wildcats (RPI: 91) are 16-4 overall and are tied atop the Big Sky Conference standings with Montana. Both teams are 8-1 in league games. This will be the first meeting between UT Arlington and Weber State.

Lamar will also play on ESPN3 though it was not announced on the BracketBusters special Monday night. The Cardinals will play at George Mason, which reached the NCAA Final Four in 2006. The Lamar (RPI: 119) is 13-8 overall and 4-3 in the Southland's East Division, while the Patriots (RPI: 102) are 18-5 overall and 10-1 and in first place of the Colonial Athletic Association. The teams, which have met just once previously - a 65-63 George Mason victory in the opening round of the 1986 NIT in Beaumont, Texas - will play at 3 p.m., Central. Lamar has made five appearances in the NCAA tournament, but not since 2000.

Joining UT Arlington and Lamar with BracketBusters road games are UTSA, Central Arkansas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas State. All 12 games involving Southland Conference teams will be played on Saturday, Feb. 18.

UTSA will visit Georgia State, a team it has played 13 times, but not since it won 60-48 in 2008. UTSA is 14-7 overall and has the Southland's second-best league record at 6-1. The Roadrunners (RPI: 182) will face a Panthers team that is 14-8 overall and 6-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Georgia State (RPI: 160) is trying to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001. UTSA, which made its fourth NCAA tournament appearance last year, and Georgia State will play at 6 p.m., Central. UTSA leads the series 8-5, but is just 2-4 in Atlanta.

Central Arkansas will take a bus trip to Ruston, La., where it will face Louisiana Tech, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, at 3:30 p.m, Central. The Bears are 7-12 overall and 2-5 in league play in just their second year of full postseason eligibility at the Division I level. In its second season under head coach Corliss Williamson, UCA (RPI: 285) has already surpassed last year's overall and conference win totals. Louisiana Tech (RPI: 190)  is 11-11 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The Bears won the only previous meeting between the schools, claiming a 35-29 victory during the 1941-42 season.

A&M-Corpus Christi will travel to Central Michigan for a 6 p.m., Central, tipoff. The Islanders (RPI: 310), under the guidance of first-year coach Willis Wilson, are 4-16 overall, but are 3-5 in league play after winning two of their last four games. Central Michigan (RPI: 255) is 7-13 overall and 2-5 in the Mid-American Conference. This will be the first meeting between the schools.

Texas State and South Dakota have never played, but will face each other for the first time in Brookings, S.D. The Bobcats (RPI: 318) are 8-12 overall and 1-6 in the Southland having lost their last four games. The Coyotes (RPI: 273) are 7-14 overall and 2-10 in the Summit League. The teams will tip off at 7 p.m.

The six Southland teams playing at home are Northwestern State, McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana.

Northwestern State has the highest RPI among the six Southland teams playing at home. The Demons (RPI: 177), who are 12-9 overall and tied with McNeese State atop the league's East Division, will play host to Campbell, out of the Big South Conference. Northwestern State has made two appearances in the NCAA tournament, its last in 2006 when it upset Iowa in the first round. The Camels (RPI: 176), who have not played in the NCAA tournament since 1992, are 14-10 overall and 8-4 in league play. The teams have split a pair of games in the all-time series, but have not played since Campbell won 67-64 in 1979. Tipoff will be at 4 p.m.

McNeese State will welcome Southeast Missouri State to Lake Charles, La., for its BracketBusters game. The Cowboys are 9-10 overall, but share the East Division lead with Northwestern State at 5-2. McNeese (RPI: 239) is the defending Southland Conference regular-season champion and finished last season in the NIT. The Redhawks are 11-9 overall and 6-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The teams have not played previously.

Stephen F. Austin plays host to High Point out of the Big South Conference at 6 p.m. The Lumberjacks are currently 11-9 overall and sit in third place of the Southland's West Division with a 5-2 record. SFA (RPI: 276) is trying to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. The Panthers (RPI: 289) are 8-14 overall and 4-8 in league action. This will be the first meeting between the schools.

Sam Houston State, just two years removed for an NCAA tournament appearance in 2010, willl play host to Toledo out of the Mid-American Conference. The Bearkats (RPI: 291) are 8-13 overall and 2-5 in the West Division, while the Rockets are 10-11 overall and 2-5 in the MAC. The first meeting between the schools will tip off at 2 p.m.

Nicholls State will welcome IUPUI to Thibodaux, La. for its BracketBusters game at 3:30 p.m., Central. The Colonels (RPI: 309) are 5-15 overall and are 1-7 in league play. They face an IUPUI (RPI: 274) team that is 8-15 overall and 2-5 in the Summit League. Nicholls improved to 2-0 in the series with a 70-62 win in 1981.

Southeastern Louisiana plays host to Tennessee-Martin out of the Ohio Valley Conference at 6 p.m. The Lions (RPI: 319) are 8-11 overall and 2-5 in the Southland. The Skyhawks (RPI: 314) are 3-20 overall, but are 0-10 in league play. Southeastern and UT Martin have met 11 times previously with the Lions holding a 7-4 series advantage. The teams have not played since Southeastern won 78-65 in 1978.

Sears BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA tournament play, will provide the 26 televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday.

The 71-game event features teams from 16 conferences: 12 each from Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-American Conference and Southland; 11 each from Ohio Valley Conference and Big South; 10 each from Horizon League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley and Summit League; nine each from America East, Big Sky and Big West; eight from the Western Athletic Association; four from the Southern Conference; three from the MEAC; and two from the West Coast Conference.

Teams participating this season in Sears BracketBusters have produced 87 appearances in the last six NCAA Championships.

Three Southland Conference teams have previously participated in four BracketBusters games. Northwestern State has previously played in two BracketBusters matchups and rode its first appearance in 2006 at Utah State to a first-round upset over Iowa in the NCAA tournament. The Demons also met Tennessee Tech in a BracketBusters game. Stephen F. Austin also played in the 2006 event and Sam Houston State played in 2007. While the conference is winless in its four previous BracketBusters games, which have all been played on the road, the league won all four of the guaranteed return games the following year.

As part of the agreement, all 13 of the Sears BracketBusters home teams in televised games, as well as the remaining 58 home squads, will play a return game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the 2013-14 season.
 

Southland Conference Games in 2012 Sears BracketBusters
Toledo at Sam Houston State, 2 p.m.
Lamar at George Mason (ESPN3), 3 p.m.
Southeast Missouri State at McNeese State, 3 p.m.
Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech, 3:30 p.m.
IUPUI at Nicholls State, 3:30 p.m.
Campbell at Northwestern State,  4 p.m.
Tennessee-Martin at Southeastern Louisiana, 6 p.m.
High Point at Stephen F. Austin,  6 p.m.
UTSA at Georgia State, 6 p.m.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Central Michigan, 6 p.m.
Texas State at South Dakota, 7 p.m.
UT Arlington at Weber State (ESPN3),  7 p.m.