Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell instructs his players during a...

Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell instructs his players during a timeout in a game against Mount Ida. Credit: Gregory A. Shemitz

Now it's Stony Brook's turn to get some of the ESPN "Bracket Busters" spotlight. The Seawolves will host Manhattan on February 19 at 2 p.m. at Pritchard Gymnasium, it was announced on Monday.

It won't be on ESPN's family of networks, but Seawolves coach Steve Pikiell understood how difficult it is to get a televised game.

"The BracketBuster is a nice event, and we were glad to be invited into the pool," Pikiell said. "We wish we could have gotten a television game, but with only 11 games and 114 teams, we knew that it would be challenge to get on ESPN."

In addition to it being Stony Brook's first appearance in the Bracket Buster, it's also the first time the Seawolves (9-12, 4-5 America East) will face Manhattan (4-18, 2-9 MAAC). The schools are only 56 miles apart.

"Manhattan is a challenging opponent, and we've never seen them before," Pikiell added. "We'll have to bring our 'A' game that day."

The Seawolves will have a return date at Manhattan in November or December of the 2011-12 or 2012-13 seasons.

Stony Brook topped UMBC on Monday night, 69-59, for its second straight win and will host Boston University on Friday.

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