UH men's basketball team to play in inaugural ESPN series

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i will be announced as one of 18 participating teams in ESPN's inaugural "Bracket Busters" men's college basketball series and play a road game in February.

An official announcement is scheduled via a conference call today.

However, people familiar with the project say UH is one of four Western Athletic Conference teams that will participate. The others are believed to be Fresno State, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech.

The field also will include Gonzaga, Western Kentucky, Ball State and UC Santa Barbara.

"It should really help the RPI — especially if we win," said Herman Frazier, UH athletic director.

All nine games will take place at the site of participating schools. UH is expected to play its game on the road, and school officials have asked that the Rainbows be assigned as close to the West Coast as possible.

UH coach Riley Wallace said "from everything I've been told, we'll probably play at Santa Barbara. Louisiana Tech will probably be at home and the rest of us from the WAC will be on the road."

Because of the "Bracket Buster" game, Wallace said the Rainbows and Fresno State will have to move their game from February to accommodate the appearance. He said UH is asking the Bulldogs to play at the Stan Sheriff Center on either Dec. 7, 8 or 9.

"Bracket Buster" matchups will be based upon each team's Ratings Percentage Index in late January or early February with games taking place in late February. Five games are guaranteed to be on ESPN or ESPN2 with the other four slotted for regional exposure.

The idea behind the concept is to enhance the RPI and visibility of teams beyond the so-called "big six" conferences.

The RPI rankings, which are based upon record and strength of schedule, are a major component in the selection committee's process.