United Athletic Conference

DENVER-The Western Athletic Conference will participate in the 11th annual BracketBusters event, a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting potential NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other Feb. 22-23, will feature 13 nationally televised games – across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.

Six teams from the WAC will participate in this year's BracketBuster event. Those teams include Utah State, Texas State, UTSA, Denver, UT Arlington and Idaho.

The NCAA hopefuls will be selected from a pool of 122 teams from 15 conferences, including Ohio University, which made a run into the Sweet Sixteen.

ESPN2 will feature five BracketBusters games, while ESPNU and ESPN3 will each house four games. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced Monday, Jan. 28 with dates, times and networks. The televised matchups are selected by ESPN, while a Committee of Conference Commissioners determines the additional non-televised games.

Last year, two WAC teams were selected to play BracketBuster ESPN television games. Nevada played at Iona on ESPN2, while New Mexico State defeated Drake on ESPNU.

BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Championship play, will provide the 26 televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday. The 96 teams not selected for BracketBusters will compete against each other through the same three days.

The 122-team field will feature teams from 13 conferences: 12 each from Big South, Mid-American Conference and Ohio Valley Conference; 11 from the Big Sky; 10 each from Big West, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley and Southland Conference; nine each from Horizon and Summit Leagues; six from the Western Athletic Association; four from the Southern Conference; three from the MEAC; and two each from the America East and West Coast Conferences.

As part of the agreement, all 13 of the BracketBusters home teams in televised games, as well as the remaining 58 home squads, will play a return game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the 2013-14 season.

BracketBusters is part of ESPN’s college basketball franchise programming, along with Feast Week presented by Lowe’s, Holiday Hoops Presented by Kay Jewelers, Rivalry Week, Bracket Builder Week and Championship Week Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Teams participating this season in BracketBusters have produced 101 appearances in the last seven NCAA Championships.

BracketBusters Home and Away Teams

(Matchups announced Jan. 28)