Feb. 4, 2008

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State will host Marist College in the Wolstein Center on Saturday, Feb. 23 as part of the sixth annual O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters.

The game was also tabbed as one of the 14 games that will be televised nationally on one of the ESPN broadcast platforms. Game times and channels will be announced by ESPN next Monday (Feb. 11).

"I am ecstatic that Cleveland State has been chosen as one of the televised games this year," CSU Director of Athletics Lee Reed said. "That decision shows how far the Viking Basketball program has come in just a short time and I look forward to showing off our team to the nation that night."

"This should be an interesting matchup," CSU head coach Gary Waters said. "I coached for five years in New Jersey and during that time, I learned a lot about the teams in that area. They play hard and will be a big challenge for us, especially considering that we are so focused right now on Horizon League play. It will be a welcomed change to play them in a couple of weeks and then again at Marist next year."

Marist, which enters this week with a 14-8 overall record, is in second place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with an 8-3 record.

This is the fifth year that Cleveland State will take part in the ESPNU BracketBusters, but the first in which the Vikings will play in one of the televised games. CSU is 2-2 in the event, defeating Cal State Northridge last year and Delaware in 2006 and falling to Eastern Michigan in 2004 and Central Michigan in 2005.

This will be the second meeting all-time between CSU and Marist with the Vikings claiming a 52-49 decision on Jan. 20, 1987 at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. It was a triumphent return for CSU to the building that had seen the Vikings fall to Navy in the NCAA Sweet 16 round the year before. CSU won despite a 22-point, 10-rebound effort from Marist's Rick Smits.

The 14 games being televised by ESPN breaks down to six contests on ESPN2, five on ESPNU, one on ESPN Classic and a pair on ESPN360.com.

After winning its first seven league games to open the season, Cleveland State (14-9, 7-4) carries a four-game losing streak into Thursday night's (Feb. 7) 7:30 p.m. game against Wright State in the Wolstein Center.

2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters TV Games

Friday, February 22
UC Santa Barbara at Utah State
Davidson at Winthrop

Saturday, February 23
Drake at Butler
Marist at Cleveland State
Miami (OH) at Valparaiso
Milwaukee at Bradley
Creighton at Oral Roberts
George Mason at Ohio
Kent State at Saint Mary's (CA)
Nevada at Southern Illinois
Rider at Cal State Northridge
Siena at Boise State
Virginia Commonwealth at Akron

Sunday, February 24
Wright State at Illinois State

Game Times & Network Assignments To Be Announced By ESPN on Feb. 11