Sports
ESPN To End BracketBusters Series
< < Back to espn-end-bracketbusters-seriesAfter 2013, ESPN will end its BracketBusters series in its current form.
ESPN announced the news that is will discontinue its BracketBusters series going forward late Monday in a statement.
"Given the evolving college landscape, we felt the event in its present form has run its course," said the statement, according to ESPN.com news services. "We'll continue to work with our conference partners to develop new, creative events to further grow the sport. Our goal is to maintain the BracketBusters brand in some fashion in the future."
Ohio is scheduled to participate in an ESPN BracketBuster game for the 10th time this season on Feb. 23 against an unnamed opponent. Ohio is 6-3 all-time in BracketBuster contests dating back to the series' inception in 2003. The Bobcats have won each of their last three BracketBuster games, the latest being an 81-63 rout of UNC-Asheville last season.
In 11 years, the BracketBuster series has grown from a small band of games including a handful of the nation's premier mid-major teams to a large-scale event showcasign non-power conference teams around the country. The two-day event gives non-powere conferences television exposure, often for the benefit of the NCAA selection committee. The series began with 18 participants in 2003 and will include 122 teams in 2013.
The matchups for this season's BracketBusters competition will be announced on Jan. 28.