Tech slated for a road game in this year's
event
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Tech will be one of 142
teams to take part in this year's Sears BracketBusters and
will have a chance to receive national exposure on an ESPN network
as part of the event.
The 10th annual Sears BracketBusters, a
three-day men’s college basketball event pitting potential
NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other Feb. 17-19, will
feature 13 nationally televised games – on either ESPN,
ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3. This year will mark the largest
Sears BracketBusters pool in the event’s
history, which includes two teams that reached the 2011 Final Four
in Houston — Butler and VCU.
Tennessee Tech played host to Gardner-Webb as part of last
season's BracketBusters event, scoring a 60-58 victory at the Eblen
Center. This year, the Golden Eagles will play on the road against
one of 58 potential host squads.
For the seventh straight year, ESPNU will feature five
Sears BracketBusters games, while ESPN or ESPN2
will televise up to six and ESPN3 will carry two. The 13
Sears BracketBusters matchups will be announced
Monday, Jan. 30 with dates, times and networks. The television
matchups are selected by ESPN, while a Committee of Conference
Commissioners determines the additional non-televised games.
Sears BracketBusters, named because of the
success of the teams in NCAA Championship play, will provide the 26
televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference
opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday. The 116 teams not
selected for Sears BracketBusters will compete
against each other through the same three days.
The 142-team field will feature 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.
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.
Sears BracketBusters is part of ESPN’s
college basketball franchise programming, along with Rivalry
Week, Feast Week presented by Lowe’s, Holiday Hoops Presented
by Kay Jewelers, Judgment Week and Championship Week
Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Teams participating this season in Sears
BracketBusters have produced 87 appearances in the last
six NCAA Championships.