It's Bracket Busting Time!

As you might expect, one of my favorite weekends of each winter is BracketBusters weekend, where the best mid-major programs face each other weeks before Selection Sunday in an effort to boost their seeding and at-large cases.

Monday, ESPN released this season's pairings, and the 11 national TV games won't disappoint. You may want to set aside some time on Friday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 20, to get to know some of this season's potential surprise teams and get a leg up on your office pool.

The two marquee games feature teams included in this week's AP poll. On Friday night, Old Dominion, a team included in my bracket for this week, can grab a big late season win at 24th-ranked Northern Iowa, the current leader of the Missouri Valley. On Saturday morning, No. 23 Butler, runaway leaders of the Horizon League, hosts Siena, a team that's won an NCAA game in each of the last two years.

Of the remaining nine, the matchup that intrigues me the most is Louisiana Tech's trip to Northeastern. The Bulldogs, coached by former Utah interim head man Kerry Rupp, are currently tied for the WAC lead, while the Huskies may be playing the best ball in the Colonial at the moment, as evidenced by their 10-point win over Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon.