Anteaters draw Drake for BracketBusters tourney

Big West Conference leader will play host to Missouri Valley Conference foe in mid-major showcase.UC Irvine didn’t get the national television audience it wanted, but the men’s basketball team seemingly got a favorable opponent for the 2006 BracketBusters event.

The Anteaters announced they will play host to Drake University on Feb. 18 as part of the showcase for 100 mid-major college basketball programs. It will be the first meeting between the schools.

Pairings for the event were determined by ESPN -- which will broadcast 13 of the 50 games -- in conjunction with the 12 participating conferences.

As part of its contract with BracketBusters, UCI will play at Drake next season.

Drake is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, and has been to the NCAA tournament four times -- reaching the Final Four in 1969. The Bulldogs are 11-11 this season with a 4-7 mark in conference, good for seventh place. They are led by Al Stewart, a junior guard who’s averaging 11.4 points a game, and junior forward Ajay Calvin (10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game).

The Bulldogs are coached by former Stanford and Iowa mentor Tom Davis.

“Drake competes in a solid basketball conference and is well-coached by Tom Davis,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said in a press release. “They have had some close losses to strong teams and will provide a good nonconference challenge for our team.”

The Anteaters are 12-8 this season, leading the Big West Conference with an 8-0 record. Ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, UCI is third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 42.7%.

Ross Schraeder leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per contest, and Aaron Fitzgerald is averaging 12.5 points and 6.2 assists.

“[UC Irvine] is a fine academic school with a good basketball tradition,” Davis said in a press release. “We know they’re a good veteran team ... We’ll have our hands full.”

The teams have one common opponent from this season. UC Irvine defeated San Jose State, 68-58, on Dec. 3 at the Bren Center. Drake defeated the Spartans in San Jose, 82-64, on Dec. 17.

All eight Big West teams are participating in BracketBusters this season, though none will play in televised games. Among the conference teams with home games for the event, Cal State Fullerton will play host to Eastern Washington, Pacific will meet former Big West member New Mexico State, and UC Riverside will play Southeast Missouri State.

In the other games involving conference teams, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will travel to St. Mary’s, Long Beach State will play at Manhattan, Cal State Northridge will play at Boise State, and UC Santa Barbara will play at former Big West member San Jose State.