College Basketball On TV For December 31

If you need a break from bowl games on this final day of 2010, there are plenty of college basketball options available to you.

CBS has a rare weekday afternoon game, as they'll air Kentucky's first visit to Louisville's new arena at 12 p.m. ET.

If that's not enough daytime hoops for you, ESPN2 offers a basketball marathon opposite the bowl games on ESPN for the third season in a row.

The 12 p.m. ET tip is a Big Ten opener, a significant game for Northwestern in their quest to finally reach the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats visit Purdue, who looks to be a serious contender for the league crown, even without Robbie Hummel.

You should set your Upset Alert to Defcon 1 at 2 p.m. ET as Andrew Goudelock and College of Charleston visits struggling Tennessee.

Keep it on at 4 p.m. ET, as Florida, who didn't get to play Fairfield on Tuesday thanks to the East Coast snowstorm, could be cold heading into a game at Xavier. The Gators lost to the Musketeers in Gainesville in February.

The 6 p.m. ET start is another Big Ten opener, for Ohio State at least. The Buckeyes visit Indiana, where the natives are restless after Tom Crean's club lost to Penn State on Monday night.

Either Seton Hall or Cincinnati will stand at 2-0 in the Big East after their 8 p.m. ET tip on the Queen City.

Finally, the year closes in Spokane at 10 p.m. ET, as Gonzaga hosts Oklahoma State in a key game for both team's at-large hopes.

After the jump, I'll take a look at your other viewing options to close 2010.

The Evergreen State schools wrap up their respective Pac-10 opening trips to Los Angeles this afternoon. UCLA hosts Washington (FSN, 4 p.m. ET) while Washington State travels to the Galen Center to play USC(FS West/FSN Northwest/FCS Pacific, 6 p.m. ET).

Minnesota fell to Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on Tuesday night. Their second Big Ten assignment is no easier, as they face Michigan State at the Breslin Center (Big Ten, 4 p.m. ET).

South Florida travels to Connecticut (ESPNU, 6 p.m. ET) with both teams looking for their first Big East win of the season. Look for the Huskies to get back on track in this one.

Nevada has been a major disappointment this season, winning only three times.They'll open WAC play at home against a Hawai't team who surprisingly finished 2-1 in the Diamond Head Classic last week (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET).

There are three other national TV/streaming options for today, all this afternoon...

• Eastern Kentucky at Georgia, SEC on FSN/FS South/Sun Sports/FS Houston/FS Southwest/FSN Rocky Mountain/FS Wisconsin/ESPN3/Full Court (1 p.m. ET)
• Coppin State at Texas, Longhorn Sports/FS Southwest/FS Houston (2 p.m. ET)
• North Florida at Kansas State, FS Midwest/ESPN3/Full Court (3 p.m. ET)

For broadcast information for games slated to be aired regionally, like Boston U at Massachusetts and UT Arlington at Arkansas, visit Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV site. Another good resource is the schedule page at BB State.

Please share your thoughts about today and tonight's action in the comments, after you sign up for a free SB Nation account, of course.

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