PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley's Feb. 23 game versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee (12-10) in the sixth annual O'Reilly ESPN BracketBusters series will be shown on ESPN360.com and will tipoff at 8 p.m. (CT) at Carver Arena, according to an announcement from ESPN this afternoon. Bradley (14-11) will be making its first-ever appearance on the Internet-based network.
According to a fact sheet provided with today's announcement, ESPN360.com is ESPN's signature 24-hour sports broadband network, delivering more than 2,500 live global sports events per year. The service offers a mosaic of screens that allow users to follow multiple events simultaneously, and expanded controls including live-event pause, rewind and fast forward. ESPN360.com is available at no additional charge to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. It has more than doubled its distribution since November 2006, and is available in more than 20 million households nationwide via more than 20 Internet service providers around the country including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.
Consumers wanting more information about ESPN360.com, which high speed Internet services currently provide it, and how they can get it should go to http://www.espn360.com.
Atlhough Bradley's final three home games will feature some sort of television coverage, tickets remain at a premium, giving the Braves a chance to average more than 10,000 fans per home game for just the third time in program history. Approximately 500 tickets remain for Saturday's 1:05 p.m. game versus Creighton, while slightly more than 1,000 are available for both the Feb. 23 game versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Feb. 26 regular-season home finale versus Southern Illinois.
By averaging 11,202 during the final three games, Bradley would set season records for both total and average attendance. The Braves set the total attendance mark by drawing 165,376 fans to 17 games last season, while a record average of 10,178 turned out for Bradley's 14 home games during the 1999-2000 season. Bradley has drawn 129,241 fans to the first 13 home games (9,942) so far this season, including three crowds in excess of 11,000.
The Bradley athletic department will sponsor its first “Redout” of the season Saturday and encourages fans to wear red for the televised game versus the Bluejays. To support the red look in the building, the Department of Athletics will distribute red Bradley Basketball t-shirts to everyone in attendance Saturday. In a halftime ceremony Saturday, Bradley also will honor its former student-athletes who were selected for the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Teams in their respective sports last season.
The Feb. 23 game versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee will feature special appearances by the popular entertainment act ZOOperstars, as well as NCAA Tournament mascot J.J. Jumper. The game against the Panthers also features a “Zim's BracketBusters Blowout Promotion.” Buy-one-get-one-free tickets are available in Priority 3 and 4 sections at Carver Arena, and if the Braves win the game in front of a sellout crowd, everyone in attendance will be eligible for a buy-one-get-one-free entre? at Zim's Restaurant in Campus Town.
Single-game tickets for Bradley men's basketball games at Carver Arena range from $8-18 based on location and are available for purchase in person at the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office, the Carver Arena Box Office or online at www.BradleyBraves.com.
In addition to today's BracketBusters announcement, Bradley also learned its March 1 game at Creighton will tip off at 7:05 p.m. from QwestCenter OMAHA. Although the Bradley-Creighton finale was not selected for television as part of the MVC-TV Wildcard Weekend, local cable provider Comcast retains the rights to add the game to its Bradley Basketball broadcast package.
