Bracket Buster showcase for league

Youngstown State's men's basketball team will take part in the second annual Bracket Buster tournament Feb. 21, when the Penguins travel to Bowling Green in a 3:30 p.m. tip-off at Anderson Arena.
What does this actually mean for the Penguins?
Well, about the only thing the Penguins gain is a game that they didn't have to schedule and the main thing is that they get a return home game next season with Bowling Green.
Some fans have inquired as to whether winning the Bracket Buster event would help Youngstown State get into the NCAA Tournament. Well, that answer is no, although a win would help the Penguins' and Horizon League's RPI rating, which is one method the NCAA uses to determine the field of 65.
This season, the Penguins would have to win the Horizon League tournament and earn the automatic bid.
This will be the case for most of the 46 teams participating in this year's event.
Pairings not pre-determined
What sets the Bracket Buster event apart from other made-for-television events is that the pairings of the teams is not pre-determined.
The pairings take place three weeks in advance of the event and those match-ups are determined on the basis of regular season play.
Another important component of this event is future scheduling. Each team that participates any given year agrees to enter into a home-and-home series with its opponent.
The return game of each series is made in November or December in the season following the Bracket Buster game and is not part of the Bracket Buster event in that second year.
Possible home game
The Penguins could get selected to participate in this event next season and in that case would be given a home game in the event.
The Bracket Buster tournament is a product of ESPN, which will televise 10 of the 23 matchups. The YSU-Bowling Green game is not one of the 10 which will be televised.
This year's field has more than doubled from last year, which consisted of 18 teams. Five of the nine games were televised nationally on ESPN.
Eight of the nine teams in the Horizon League are participating in this event this year. Only Wright State, which had a scheduling conflict on the playing date, is not participating.
Horizon on television
Only one of the Horizon League teams will be playing in a televised game this year. UW-Milwaukee will play host to Manhattan in a 2 p.m. contest on ESPN2. Five games will be televised on ESPN2 and five more on ESPN Plus and ESPN Full Court.
Besides the Horizon League, all 13 teams in the Mid-American Conference and all 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference are participating.
Probably the best-known, perennial NCAA team in this year's field is Gonzaga. This year's field does have eight Sweet 16 teams, including three teams that advanced to regional finals from the last five NCAA Tournaments.
Kent State is one of those five teams and the Golden Flashes made it to the Elite Eight in 2002. Kent State will play Creighton this year in Kent, also in a televised game on ESPN2 at 4 p.m.
The other games involving the Horizon League teams will include Northern Iowa at UW-Green Bay, Detroit at Ball State, Ohio University at Butler, Eastern Michigan at Cleveland State, Loyola at Illinois State and UNC-Wilmington at Illinois-Chicago.
Spring football nears
The YSU football team will begin spring practice April 2 at Stambaugh Stadium. The Red and White game is set for April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh.
XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.