Mount Pleasant, Mich.- For only the sixth time in history, Central Michigan and Youngstown State will face-off on the hardwood as a part of ESPN's BracketBusters on February 23.
 
The Chippewas (9-12, 2-6 MAC) lead the all-time series 4-1 against the Penguins (13-9, 5-4 Horizon). The most recent meeting between the two teams was in 2006 at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in East Lansing. Youngstown State came away with 74-50 victory over Central Michigan. The Chippewas are 2-0 on the road against the Penguins.
 
Central Michigan is 1-0 against teams from the Horizon League this season, defeating Wright State 59-55 at the Utah Thanksgiving Tournament on November 21.
 
Youngstown State will come into the matchup 1-1 against MAC opponents this season. The Penguins fell 85-78 in overtime against Kent State and beat Bowling Green on the road, 58-49. 
 
The game will be a homecoming for senior Kyle Randall, a native of Youngstown, Ohio. Randall ranks third in the Mid-American Conference with 16.9 points per game, and is fourth in the MAC shooting 87 percent from the free throw line.
 
Junior guard Kendrick Perry currently leads Youngstown State with 16.5 points per game. Senior forward Damian Eargle is averaging 12.6 points per game and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
 
This is the tenth straight year that Central Michigan has participated in the event. The Chippewas are 5-4 in the BracketBusters series, with all five wins coming at home. All 12 MAC teams will be participating, including three nationally televised matchups, in the field of 122.
 
BracketBusters will feature teams from across 12 conferences in a two-day men’s college basketball event. Teams from mid-major conferences will matchup to play 61 games, 13 of which will be televised on ESPN 2, ESPNU, and ESPN 3. The 2012 BracketBuster produced 12 berths to the NCAA Tournament, including Ohio who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
 
As a part of the event, Central Michigan will host Youngstown State at McGuirk Arena next season.
 
A complete list of the matchups featuring MAC schools is below:
 
Friday, February 22
North Dakota State at Akron*
 
Saturday, February 23
Ohio at Belmont*
Pacific at Western Michigan*
Central Michigan at Youngstown State
Kent State at Loyola-Chicago
McNeese State at Toledo
Missouri State at Eastern Michigan
Miami at Southern Illinois Carbondale
Manhattan at Buffalo
Ball State at Southeast Missouri State
Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois
Bowling Green at IPFW
 
*Televised game