Pacific Has Chance to Make Some Believers

Cal State Northridge and Pacific got involved in ESPN’s made-for-TV Bracket Buster Saturday event because it was a rare chance for the Big West Conference teams to gain national exposure.

It worked out well for one and not the other. Pacific, ranked 19th and riding a 17-game win streak, plays host to Texas El Paso at 9 tonight in a game televised nationally by ESPN. Northridge visits the East Coast to play Fairfield in relative obscurity.

Some coaches and college basketball analysts have criticized the format, saying that instead of boosting mid-major teams’ chances for NCAA at-large berths, it gives the selection committee another reason to eliminate them.

There’s no such criticism in Stockton. Pacific has already sold out the 6,150-seat Spanos Center for tonight’s game, and the Tigers (21-2), with a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 25, can use another quality victory to position themselves for a berth if they fall in next month’s Big West tournament. Texas El Paso is 20-6 with an RPI of 68.

“I know our kids are really excited about it, and so is the whole town,” Coach Bob Thomason said. “To win will sure help us. We did a great job with our schedule in the preseason.”

Northridge, which is 14-10 overall, accepted an invitation to be in the 64-team pool before the season and had hopes of being selected for a nationally televised game.

With five returning starters, the Matadors put together an ambitious nonconference schedule but lost seven of their first nine games. Coach Bobby Braswell said their record was the reason ESPN did not choose them for one of the 11 Bracket Buster games it is televising today either nationally or regionally.

Other contests involving possible NCAA bubble teams include Vermont (19-4) at Nevada (19-5), Southern Illinois (21-6) at Kent State (16-9) and Wichita State (18-5) at Miami (Ohio) (16-6).

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Eric Stephens

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Busting Loose

Is it a chance to impress the NCAA selection committee, or just programming for ESPN? Whatever the case, today is Bracket Buster Saturday, the cable sports network’s third annual event honoring those so-called mid-majors that wreak such havoc on your NCAA tournament office pool each March.

Sixty-four schools sent in their RSVP before the season, including Cal State Northridge. The teams were paired last month, but the Matadors’ game at Fairfield was not one of the six chosen for a national broadcast. The marquee games do offer a full day of alternative programming for the college basketball fan who needs a break from the Big 12 or Atlantic Coast Conference. Today’s TV schedule (all times PST):

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WICHITA STATE vs. MIAMI (OHIO) at Miami, Ohio, 9 a.m., ESPN2

Wichita State (18-5) led the Missouri Valley Conference for much of the season but enters this game on a two-game losing streak. The Shockers have experience and balance, with seniors Randy Burns (12.3 points per game) and Jamar Howard (11.7) leading seven players who average six or more points a game. But Miami (16-6), leader of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference, has a force up front in Danny Horace, a 6-6 senior averaging 15.4 points and 9.6 rebounds.

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VERMONT vs. NEVADA at Reno, 11 a.m., ESPN2

UCLA fans were introduced to Taylor Coppenrath when the lanky forward scored 38 points last season at Pauley Pavilion, as Vermont came within a point of ruining Ben Howland’s debut as UCLA coach. The 6-9 senior has averaged 24.1 points in helping Vermont (19-4) to first place in the America East. But Western Athletic Conference leader Nevada (19-5), the Cinderella of last year’s NCAA tournament with victories over Michigan State and Gonzaga, can counter with Nick Fazekas, a 6-11 sophomore averaging 20.9 points.

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WESTERN MICHIGAN vs. NORTHERN IOWA at Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1 p.m., ESPN2

Western Michigan (16-9), taking a break from a close battle with Bowling Green for the MAC West Division title, has a two-pronged attack in seniors Ben Reed (17.5 points per game), a 6-3 guard, and Levi Rost (17.3), a 6-7 forward. Northern Iowa (18-8), one of three MVC teams on the ESPN2 schedule and coming off a 67-61 victory over league leader Southern Illinois a week ago, is sparked by junior sharp-shooter Ben Jacobson, who averages 17.7 points and makes 48% from beyond the three-point arc.

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SOUTHERN ILLINOIS vs. KENT STATEat Kent, Ohio, 3 p.m., ESPN2

Southern Illinois (21-6) is one of the few Bracket Buster teams that can feel relatively confident about getting into the NCAA tournament without winning its conference tournament. The MVC-leading Salukis allow only 60.7 points per game and have a marquee player in Darren Brooks, a 6-3 junior guard who leads the team in scoring (14.3), rebounding (5.4) and assists (4.6). Kent State (16-9) can counter with DeAndre Haynes, who scores 10.1 points per game and leads the MAC with an average of six assists.

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WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE vs. HAWAII at Honolulu, 5 p.m., ESPN2

Some mid-major conferences are more major than others, and the Horizon League isn’t one of them. Wisconsin Milwaukee (20-5), the league leader, will almost certainly have to win the league tournament to get an NCAA berth. But the Panthers’ Bracket Buster game at least affords them a Hawaiian vacation in mid-February and a chance to showcase the talents of senior guard Ed McCants, who averages 17.2 points per game. With a sub-.500 record in the WAC, Hawaii (14-7) also has no NCAA tournament hopes beyond winning its conference tournament. Julian Sensley, a 6-9 junior, averages 13.2 points to lead a balanced Hawaii offense.

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TEXAS EL PASO vs. PACIFIC at Stockton, 9 p.m., ESPN

At 21-2 and ranked 19th in the nation, Pacific might not think it has anything more to prove to the selection committee. But the Tigers play in the Big West, from which Utah State couldn’t get an at-large berth last year with a 25-3 mark. Pacific will pit the front-line play of 6-9 Christian Maraker (14.1 points per game) of Sweden and 6-8 Guillaume Yango (13.0) of France against a 20-6 Texas El Paso team led by forward Omar Thomas (19.5).