The Long Beach State men’s basketball team will receive more national exposure this season, as ESPN2 will broadcast its BracketBuster matchup against Montana on Feb. 19.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
It will be one of 11 games televised on the ESPN family of networks.
“I think when you get in the BracketBuster you’re not worried about the opponent,” 49ers head coach Dan Monson said Monday. “For us, [we are] one of the 22 teams to get a national TV spot.”
Early this season, ESPNU televised the matchup between LBSU and UC Davis, in which The Beach (13-10, 8-2 Big West Conference) squeaked out a 60-54 victory.
Monson understands the importance of the national attention.
“Exposure, you can’t measure that,” Monson said. “It’s more opportunity to showcase what you got — not just as a team, but as a school.”
This will be LBSU’s first BracketBuster game since 2008 when it lost to Green Bay at the Pyramid. The team responded in 2009 by traveling to Green Bay and winning, 81-68.
Since the Grizzlies travel to the Pyramid for the BracketBuster this season, LBSU will travel to Montana next season.
Montana (16-5, 7-1 Big Sky Conference) reached the NCAA tournament last season, but lost in the first round to the University of New Mexico.
“You’re not getting one of those TV games without playing a tough opponent,” Monson said. “They’re very big, and very good.”
Even with the national TV spot against an unfamiliar team, Monson doesn’t plan to do anything different to prepare.
“We’ll look at some game tape and make a game plan,” Monson added.
Eight other Big West teams will play in non-televised BracketBuster games, most notably UC Santa Barbara hosting Boise State.
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