FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team will travel to the Hawkeye State to take on Northern Iowa in a televised ESPN BracketBuster matchup, the network announced Monday evening. Mason will battle the Panthers in Cedar Falls on Saturday, February 19 at 7 p.m. eastern time in a game televised live on ESPN2. It is the fifth straight year that the Patriots' BracketBuster game will be televised.

"We love being a part of the ESPN BracketBuster," said head coach Jim Larranaga. "I think it gives each team an opportunity to showcase its talent. In our situation, we get a chance not only to play against an outstanding Northern Iowa team but play in front of a national television audience on ESPN2."

Northern Iowa is currently riding a seven-game winning streak and is 17-6 overall, 8-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers are ranked No. 54 in the latest RPI rankings, and have notched victories this season over non-conference opponents such as TCU, Indiana and New Mexico. UNI is receiving votes in both polls, and is led on offense by Kwadzo Ahelegbe who is one of three Panthers averaging double-digit scoring.

Mason has risen to 33rd in the latest NCAA RPI rankings as the Patriots have won seven straight games en route to a 9-2 Colonial Athletic Association record (17-5 overall). Among the Patriots' victories this season are wins at Duquesne, tied for the lead in the Atlantic 10, and Harvard, a top-50 RPI team. Senior Cam Long paces the Patriots with a scoring average of 15.5 points per game.

The Patriots and Panthers have never met. Mason is 4-7 in competition with members of the Valley, and have twice faced off against the MVC in the BracketBuster event.

"We have great respect for the Missouri Valley Conference," Larranaga said. "We have competed against Creighton, Wichita State and Southern Illinois many times over the last several years and this gives us an opportunity to face another outstanding Missouri Valley team. It'll be quite a challenge on their home court where they have been hugely successful over the years."

This is the seventh year that Mason has participated in the event, with an overall record of 2-4. The Patriots defeated Manhattan in 2005 and Wichita State in 2006, but have not found victory in the event since. In 2007, Mason hosted Kent State, in 2008 the Patriots were at Ohio and in 2009 Mason traveled to Creighton. Last season, the Patriots hosted College of Charleston.