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Bucknell intriguing

If you’re a casual college basketball fan, the term “bracket buster” reminds you of those first-round upsets that inevitably ruin your March Madness office pool. Over the past three years, however, the phrase has acquired a second meaning.

Back in 2002, then-ESPN vice president of programming Burke Magnus pitched the idea of hosting a series of televised games featuring the best of the mid-major college teams. Eighteen teams participated in the inaugural event, called Bracket Buster Saturday; that number has gone up to 100 for this year’s festivities, spread out over two days and renamed BracketBusters. Magnus himself was the man in charge of picking 13 out of those 50 matchups to put on the air. Some familiar Cinderella teams made the grade. Others, more anonymous, will get some valuable TV time starting Feb. 17.

The showcase game sees the Bucknell Bison (Patriot League, 9-0) at the Northern Iowa Panthers (Missouri Valley, 10-3). The Panthers have cracked the Top 25 and look poised to return to the NCAA Tournament. From a handicapping perspective, they’ve been golden at 12-7-1 against the spread; however, the Patriot League is so invisible on the betting public’s radar screen that no Bison game has seen a line this year.

So, who are the Bison? You may remember last year’s upset of Kansas in the first round of Bucknell’s first visit to the big dance since 1989. This is almost exactly the same lineup. The offensive load is spread throughout the starting rotation, with a focus on team defense. The Bison are allowing opponents to connect on just 38 percent of their field goals, the fifth-fewest in the nation. Whatever happens at BracketBusters, it will be hard to deny Bucknell a Tournament berth.

Getting hot at just the right time to catch ESPN’s eye, the George Mason Patriots (Colonial Athletic Association, 9-1) won eight of nine outings in January to earn a BracketBusters TV appearance against the Wichita State Shockers (MVC, 10-3). The Shockers are also knocking on the door of the Top 25, and with only one home loss thus far (at the hands of NIU), the Patriots will have their hands full. However, George Mason is not to be overlooked, not with a stellar 11-5-2 ATS record. And certainly not with the fourth-best team defense in Division I, a huge improvement over last season.

If you haven’t seen any MVC action this year, you’re about to. The mid-major with the most buzz has five teams hoping to earn an invite to the big dance. In addition to NIU and WSU, BracketBusters will televise matchups featuring the Creighton Bluejays (10-3) hosting the Fresno State Bulldogs (Western Athletic, 4-5), the Southern Illinois Salukis (9-4) welcoming the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (WAC, 7-3), and the Missouri State Bears (8-5) visiting the Wisconsin Milwaukee Panthers (Horizon League, 9-3). The Bears are an endangered species in the Valley. They’ve been staring up the ladder at the likes of Creighton and SIU for years; a win over the Panthers will be crucial if Missouri State is to finally make it to the Tournament. Easier said than done. Almost everyone from last year’s Sweet 16 team is back in Milwaukee.

BracketBusters has its own Cinderella stories. The most unlikely could be the Samford Bulldogs (Ohio Valley, 12-3), who travel to Athens to take on the Ohio Bobcats (Mid-American, 7-4). The Bobcats lost three games in a row straight up, including two at home, and four against the spread before eking out an overtime victory Feb. 4 versus Bowling Green. It’s about as favorable a road matchup as Samford could ask for, but given that the Bulldogs are stocked with freshmen and are not exactly known for tight, disciplined defense, Samford could be in for a rude awakening.

Here are the other BracketBuster matchups, with dates and times to be announced Feb. 7:

• Buffalo at Iona
• Akron at Nevada
• Butler at Kent State
• Marist at Old Dominion
• Northwestern State at Utah State
• Albany at Virginia Commonwealth
• Northern Arizona at Western Kentucky

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