YSU gets long trip on Feb. 20

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State men’s basketball team will take on UC-Riverside in the 2010 BrackBusters on Feb. 20 in Riverside, Calif., the Horizon League announced on Monday.

Youngstown State (8-13, 2-9) is one of 10 Horizon teams playing in this year’s event and one of five to be playing on the road.

The Penguins are 3-3 in BracketBuster games since its inception in 2004.

“Being a part of the BracketBusters is a chance to showcase our program and the Horizon League on a national stage,” YSU coach Jerry Slocum said in a statement. “We look forward to the opportunity to play UC-Riverside.”

The Penguins have lost five of their last six games, but have games this week at Loyola and UIC, two teams they defeated earlier this month.

UC-Riverside is 8-13 overall and 2-7 in the Big West Conference, and has lost 11 of its last 13 games, including its last four home contests.

This year’s BracketBusters contest will mark the first meeting between Youngstown State and UC-Riverside. It also marks the Penguins’ first trip to southern California since playing UCLA and Weber State to start the 2007-08 campaign.

Five Horizon teams earned home games: Detroit will play host to Eastern Michigan, Green Bay will face Indiana State, Milwaukee will play host to Niagara, and Cleveland State will play Toledo.

In addition, Butler will play host to Siena at 11 a.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.

“I have a lot of respect for Siena,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens in a statement. “They’re very well-coached. They’ve got a great team and we’ll learn more about them in the next few weeks.”

Butler is 18-4 overall and leads the Horizon League with an 11-0 record.

Siena is 19-4 overall and boasts the nation’s longest current winning streak at 13 games. The Saints are also unbeaten (12-0) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Also on the road are Loyola (at Creighton), UIC (at Evansville), Valparaiso (at Bowling Green) and Wright State (at Ohio).

All BracketBusters match-ups will feature a return game at this year’s visiting team during the 2010-11 or 2011-12 season.