Illinois-Chicago, Loyola, Bradley, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Valparaiso are among 64 schools that will compete Feb. 19 in the third annual Bracket Buster, ESPN announced Wednesday.
Twenty-two teams will play in 11 televised games to be determined by ESPN in conjunction with 13 conferences.
“The creative philosophy is to create an opportunity for teams to receive exposure just three weeks before NCAA bids are made,” said Jon LeCrone, commissioner of the Horizon League, home of UIC and Loyola.
UIC was awarded a home game in the event. Loyola, Valpo, Bradley, Illinois State and SIU will play on the road.
OFFICIAL: As reported earlier by the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Rockets finalized a trade with the Bulls on Wednesday to acquire Dikembe Mutombo. The Rockets sent guards Adrian Griffin, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks to the Bulls. Piatkowski will be counted on in Chicago for his 3-point shooting.
WON: Lindsay Davenport is two victories from a second U.S. Open title and the No. 1 ranking. She beat Shinobu Asagoe of Japan 6-1, 6-1 in just 46 minutes. Svetlana Kuznetsova also advanced.
TRADED: The Miami Dolphins may have found a replacement for running back Ricky Williams, acquiring Lamar Gordon from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2005.
SELECTED: Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish will join Andy Roddick for the U.S. Davis Cup team’s Sept. 24-26 semifinal against Belarus, which will be played on hard courts in Charleston, S.C.
EXTENDED: Andy Reid received a four-year contract extension from the Philadelphia Eagles that will take him through the 2010 season.
