Long Beach State will add Creighton to the list of heavyweights it has faced this season.

ESPN announced Monday that the two teams will be paired up in a Feb. 18 BracketBusters game at CenturyLink Center. The contest will be played at 9 p.m. and televised by ESPN2.

The Bluejays (20-2), who jumped to 12th and 13th in the national rankings Monday, will be the eighth ranked team the 49ers have played this season. Four of the teams (North Carolina, Kansas, San Diego State and Louisville) are still ranked, while Kansas State, Pittsburgh and Xavier were ranked when Long Beach State played them.

"I think our guys are very battled-tested," Long Beach State coach Dan Monson told ESPNU before Monday's announcement program. "This is a group that is very hungry. It's never been to the NCAA tournament, and the legacy of these seniors is riding on that.

"They're pretty focused to get that done."

A victory over Creighton would enhance the 49ers' résumé. Long Beach State stands 16-6, with five of the losses coming to teams that were ranked at the time of the game. The 49ers have won 12 of their past 13 and lead the Big West at 9-0.

Long Beach State's NCAA RPI ranking is 34th — third highest among the BracketBusters designated road teams — but the only team with a higher RPI that Creighton could have played was No. 20 St. Mary's. Wichita State is No. 31 but is from the same conference as the Bluejays.

ESPN paired St. Mary's with unbeaten Murray State, which has an RPI of 33 but is rated 10th in the USA Today-ESPN and Associated Press polls.

Many of the Bluejays would have preferred to play St. Mary's, but there was little emotion displayed as they watched the announcement program after Monday's practice.

"I told them this was not the selection show that we're really worried about," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.

That one comes on March 11, when the NCAA announces the field for its 68-team tournament.

McDermott said the game against Long Beach State will provide the desired test for his team.

"They're obviously a very good team, and they might have played the best nonconference schedule in the country," McDermott said. "Dan Monson is a terrific coach, and he'll have them well prepared.

"They're top 40 in the RPI, so this is a game that can do nothing but help you."

Creighton's NCAA RPI stands at a season-high 14. It's the highest of the designated home teams for BracketBusters.

"You want a quality game that does you a lot of good if you win and it doesn't kill you if for some reason you slip up and lose," McDermott said. "In this scenario, with as well as Long Beach has played and the schedule it has played, it's not going to keep either team out of the tournament win or lose.

"And it can certainly enhance your opportunities for seeding and give you an opportunity to play your way into the tournament."

Creighton is a No. 3 seed in some of the latest bracketology that attempts to predict seedings and pairings for the NCAA tournament. McDermott said he rarely pays attention to the bracketologists.

"I'll start to pay attention a month from now," he said. "If we're packing for St. Louis and I hear we're a No. 3 the night before we leave, then we'll be pretty excited.

"There's a lot of water that has to go under the bridge between now and then."

Creighton is one of five Missouri Valley teams that drew spots in the 13 games that will be televised on the ESPN family of networks. Northern Iowa will kick off the event with a Feb. 17 televised game at Virginia Commonwealth.

Wichita State, Drake and Missouri State also drew television games to be played on Feb. 18. The Shockers will play at Davidson, Drake is at New Mexico State and Missouri State will host Old Dominion.

The five television games are the most for any conference. Thirteen of the 71 games played between teams from 16 conferences will be televised.

Other pairings for Valley teams are Southern Illinois at Ball State, Oakland (Mich.) at Illinois State, Loyola Chicago at Bradley, Western Illinois at Evansville and Indiana State at Butler.

As part of the contract, teams that play at home have to return the game during the 2013-14 season.

Jays now 12th, 13th in national polls

Creighton continued its climb up the national rankings Monday.

The Bluejays moved up two spots to 12th in the USA Today-ESPN coaches poll and also jumped two spots to 13th in the Associated Press ratings. The ranking is Creighton's highest since it was 12th in both polls on Feb. 10, 2003.

The Bluejays are in the top 10 in attendance, as Saturday's record announced crowd of 18,436 boosted Creighton's season average to 16,470. That puts the Bluejays eighth nationally and on pace to shatter their Valley and school record of 15,930 set in 2008-09.

Creighton continues to lead the nation in field-goal percentage (.514) and 3-point percentage (.449), while ranking second in assists per game (19.1) and seventh in scoring (80.9).

Individually, Doug McDermott ranks third in the country in scoring at 23.5 points per game. He is also eighth nationally in field-goal percentage (.617), 68th in rebounds per game (8.4) and 70th in free-throw percentage (.831).

Grant Gibbs is 29th in assists per game (5.7) and 35th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3 to 1), while Antoine Young is 30th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.40 to 1). Gregory Echenique is 89th in blocked shots per game (1.6).

Contact the writer:

402-679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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