BALTIMORE, Md. – Morgan State will face cross-town rival Towson on Saturday, February 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the Towson Center as one of 51 games that comprise the seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters.
The Morgan State Bears are the first MEAC team to participate in the two-day men's basketball event that pits 102 potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other three weeks prior to Selection Sunday.
Morgan State and Towson, who will meet for the 23rd time, last faced each other on November 28, 2005 in the Towson Center where the Bears fell 71-66 as the Tigers evened the series 11-11.
Morgan is currently 17-10 on the year and in first place in the MEAC with a 11-2 mark. Included among its victories is a stunning 66-65 win over the Maryland Terrapins in College Park. Towson and Morgan have one common opponent this season in Hampton. The Tigers beat the Pirates 82-73 while the Bears fell at home 62-57.
Towson is 1-1 in its brief BracketBuster history. The Tigers bowed to Bucknell in Lewisburg two years ago before beating High Point in the Towson Center last year.
BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play, features all 12 teams from the CAA and the Mid-American; 10 from the Missouri Valley, Horizon League, Metro Atlantic Athletic (Loyola) and Ohio Valley; nine from the Western Athletic and Big West; four from the America East (UMBC) and Southern; three from the Big South, two from the Big Sky, Summit and Big South and one from the Mid-Eastern Athletic (Morgan State), Northeast and Patriot.
ESPNU BracketBusters will feature 13 nationally televised games—on ESPNU or ESPN360.com—selected from a pool of 102 teams.
The field includes teams with 77 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four – George Mason (2006); one in the Elite Eight – Davidson (2008) and six Sweet Sixteen squads – Butler (2007), Southern Illinois (2007), Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005) and Nevada (2004).
Drexel, James Madison, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, Towson and William & Mary are playing home games, while Delaware, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra, Northeastern and VCU are road teams.
As part of the agreement, all BracketBusters home teams in 2009 will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December next season.
Tickets for the game may be purchased at the Morgan State University Athletics Ticket Office. General admission is $10 and tickets will go on sale on Friday, February 6. For more information please call 443-885-3830.
