Sept. 8, 2004
Fairfax, Va. - George Mason, which has advanced to the postseason four times in the last six years, including an NIT invite last season, has been chosen to participate in the 2005 ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday series on Feb. 19, 2005. The Patriots are among 64 teams representing 13 conferences in the event, and are joined by 2004 postseason Colonial Athletic Association teams, Drexel and defending CAA champion Virginia Commonwealth. Mason is slated to host its ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday game against an opponent to be determined.
Now in its third year, Bracket Buster Saturday is an ESPN television property that provides NCAA Tournament-caliber teams the opportunity to face off in a one-day, 32-game event. A total of 11 games will be televised, including six games on ESPN or ESPN2. The other five games will be produced and distributed in the markets of the competing teams through ESPN Regional Television and will be available nationally through ESPN's Full Court pay-per-view service. The 42 teams not selected for Bracket Buster Saturday will compete against each other on the day.
While teams have already been pre-designated as being at home or on the road, the actual pairings won't take place until three weeks before the event (this year - January 30, 2005) and are based on regular-season play. As part of the agreement, all home squads will play a "return" game at the home facility of their opponent next season.
"We are extremely excited to have our three post-season teams from last year included in this year's event," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. "Bracket Busters is an innovative event that provides important late season national television exposure for those teams trying to position themselves for the NCAA Tournament."
Three starters are back from a George Mason team that set school records for overall wins with a 23-10 mark and for wins at home, going 14-1, while reaching the CAA championship game. The Patriots posted a pair of victories in the NIT, defeating Tennessee and Austin Peay before being eliminated by Oregon.
"ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday is a great event," George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga said. "It provides some outstanding college teams an opportunity to play against quality non-conference competition late in the season. Several of those teams will gain valuable exposure, which will help them make the NCAA Tournament field. Our goal is for George Mason to be one of those teams, and we are excited to be a part of this event."
The George Mason Men's Basketball 2004-05 schedule also includes two early season tournaments that feature some of the top programs in the nation. Mason is slated to open the season in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament on Nov. 11. The tournament is a 16-team event played at four different host schools with the four winning teams advancing to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 18-19. Mason will begin with a match-up against IPFW at FedExForum, the new home of the NBA Grizzlies, in Memphis, Tenn. The other game features host Memphis and Savannah State. The Patriots will play one of those teams depending on the outcome of those first round match-ups, on November 13th.
The Patriots will also participate in the 10th annual BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C on Dec. 4-5. Mason tackles Maryland Saturday and moves on to the consolation or championship game Sunday, December 5 against George Washington University or Michigan State.
The CAA Men's Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 4-7th at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va.
The inaugural Bracket Buster Saturday in 2003 featured 18 teams, while last year's event had 46 teams, including 2003 CAA champion UNC Wilmington. This year's pool features 24 team appearances in the last two NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen squads - Butler (2003) and Nevada (2004).
HOME TEAMS VISITING TEAMS
Colonial Athletic Association Colonial Athletic Association
George Mason Drexel
Virginia Commonwealth
Big West
Pacific America East
Vermont
Horizon
Butler Big Sky
Detroit Northern Arizona
Illinois-Chicago Portland State
Wisconsin-Green Bay Weber State
Wright State
Youngstown State Big West
Cal State-Northridge
Metro Atlantic Athletic
Fairfield Metro Atlantic Athletic
Manhattan
Mid-American Niagara
Akron
Ball State Mid-American
Bowling Green State Buffalo
Central Michigan Eastern Michigan
Kent State Northern Illinois
Miami (Ohio) Ohio
Western Michigan
Missouri Valley
Creighton Mid-Continent
Drake Oral Roberts
Evansville Valparaiso
Northern Iowa
Southwest Missouri State Missouri Valley
Bradley
Southern Illinois State
College of Charleston Southern Illinois
East Tennessee State Wichita State
Sun Belt Ohio Valley
Middle Tennessee State Austin Peay
Western Kentucky Murray State
Western Athletic Southern
Boise State Chattanooga
Fresno State Georgia Southern
Hawaii
Louisiana Tech Sun Belt
Nevada Arkansas-Little Rock
Rice New Orleans
Tulsa
Western Athletic
San Jose State
Southern Methodist
Texas-El Paso
