Jan. 30, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The matchups for the 2007 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event were officially released Tuesday as Samford learned that it will host the Evansville Purple Aces on Feb. 17. The game time for the non-conference duel will be announced later this week.

Samford (12-10, 9-4 Ohio Valley Conference) will be making its second-straight appearance in a BracketBuster game. Last season, the Bulldogs were chosen for the nationwide event and made their debut in the competition against Ohio (ESPN360).

Following a 57-51 loss to Murray State on Monday, Samford is currently tied for second place in the OVC with a 9-4 league record. The Bulldogs are ranked 117th in the latest RPI ratings out of the 336 NCAA Division I basketball programs.

Evansville (12-10, 5-6 Missouri Valley Conference) is ranked 92nd in the latest RPI standings and sits in sixth place in the MVC.

The Purple Aces, based out of Evansville, Ind., have won three of their previous four games and will face off against conference-foe Illinois State Tuesday night. Evansville owns a 3-7 record on the road this season and is shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

Samford and the Purple Aces have played against three common opponents this season.

Both teams have squared off against Southeast Missouri, Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay. Evansville defeated all three opponents, including Tennessee-Martin, 75-57, and Austin Peay, 80-75, on the road. The Purple Aces were victorious over Southeast Missouri, 65-45.

Samford has compiled a 3-1 mark against the trio this season, including a 2-0 record against Tennessee-Martin, a 1-0 mark against Southeast Missouri and 0-1 record against league-leading Austin Peay.

The Bulldogs are 0-3 in their all-time series against Evansville.

The Purple Aces won at Birmingham in the initial meeting during the 1989-90 campaign, 64-51, and then earned victories at home against the Bulldogs in each of the next two seasons, 76-49 and 74-50.

The O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event includes 51 games over a two-day period beginning Feb. 16.

BracketBusters started in 2003 as a way to match up some of the nation's best mid-major teams late in the season when schools were vying for at-large berths in the NCAA Tournament. The event quickly expanded in 2004 to include most of the teams in each of the nation's mid-major conferences.

All 11 Ohio Valley Conference schools are playing in this year's event for the second-straight season.

2007 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters
Ohio Valley Conference Games

Austin Peay at Akron (TV)
Eastern Illinois at Loyola University Chicago
Eastern Kentucky at Youngstown State
Murray State at Rider
Jacksonvillle State at Chattanooga
Loyola College (Md.) at Tennessee State
Saint Peter's at Tennessee-Martin
Bowling Green at Morehead State
Evansville at Samford
Northwestern State at Tennessee Tech
Louisiana Tech at Southeast Missouri