The pairings are out for the Feb. 17-19 BracketBuster weekend, specifically the 13 games to be aired that Saturday by ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. At a glance, here were my first thoughts:
Who has the most to gain?
Bucknell. Everyone knows about the Bison now, especially if you live in Kansas. What we don't know is whether or not the Patriot League could ever get a second team into the NCAA Tournament. It says here, though, that Bucknell would indeed be selected as an at-large if it wins its BracketBuster game at Northern Iowa (InsideRPI No. 13) and then stays perfect until the Patriot League Tournament. In that scenario, the Bison would own victories at Syracuse (No. 32), at DePaul (No. 68), and at UNI, plus a homecourt drubbing of No. 39 Saint Joseph's. Personally, I'd give the Bison a long look even without a win at Northern Iowa, provided the game is competitive.