With college football's regular season winding down, there are more TV opportunities for college basketball on Saturday afternoon. After the jump, I'll take a look at the day's slate, highlighted by a battle of bluebloods, a National Championship rematch, and conference challenges galore.
If a team's name appears as a link, click it to visit that school's SB Nation blog for more coverage.
Utah State at Georgetown, ESPNU (12 p.m. ET): The Hoyas won a shootout with Missouri on Tuesday night, but they should expect a very different sort of game out of the Aggies. I'll be in the upper deck of the Verizon Center for this one.
Kentucky at North Carolina, CBS (12:30 p.m. ET): This game showcases some of the most highly touted freshmen in the country, the Wildcats' Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight and the Tar Heels' Harrison Barnes. UNC could use a win like this after early losses to Minnesota and Illinois.
Harvard at Michigan, Big Ten Network (1 p.m. ET): Tommy Amaker returns to Ann Arbor with a Crimson team that looks to be a favorite in the Ivy, which has already beaten Colorado.
Butler vs. Duke at East Rutherford, ESPN (3:15 p.m. ET): It looks like the Bulldogs will be overmatched in this National Championship rematch, especially if Ronald Nored is out injured.
Alabama at Purdue, ESPN2 (3:30 p.m. ET): Early on, the Crimson Tide look to be one of the worst teams in the SEC, while the Boilermakers look to grab a second straight win in the series.
Illinois vs. Gonzaga at Seattle, ESPN (5:15 p.m. ET): The Fighting Illini head West after claiming a nice win over North Carolina Tuesday night. The Bulldogs, who have seemed a bit off this season, could use this win for some confidence.
N.C. State at Syracuse, ESPN2 (5:30 p.m. ET): These two teams feature top recruiting classes, but the Orange may have a bit more veteran leadership. That and the Dome advantage should cause the Wolfpack problems.
Southern Mississippi at Mississippi, ESPNU (8 p.m. ET): Larry Eustachy's Golden Eagles are unbeaten and would love to grab a name win in Oxford. These two could potentially meet again in the Cancun Governor's Cup on Christmas Eve.
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Last night, Kansas State escaped Pullman with a 63-58 win over Washington State, meaning the Big 12 has a lead 5-zip heading into today's action. That league needs just two more victories to claim the series.
California at Iowa State, FSN/Comcast SportsNet (2 p.m. ET): The Golden Bears looked to be a revelation after they blasted New Mexico in Berkeley, but a 1-2 trip to Florida, including a historically bad five-point first half against Notre Dame, has tempered expectations. They'll face a tough test against a Cyclone team that's fighting hard for Fred Hoiberg.
Texas Tech at Washington, FSN/Comcast SportsNet (4 p.m. ET): A win in Seattle would do wonders for a Red Raider team that will be lucky to be on the bubble come March.
Oregon State at Colorado, ESPNU (10 p.m. ET): Take my advice and watch something else or go to sleep. Not much to see here other than the Buffs' dynamic duo of Alec Burks and Cory Higgins.
MVC/MWC Challenge
The Missouri Valley has a lot of work to do in this event, as the Mountain West currently owns a 4-0 lead. The Bradley-Utah matchup will only air regionally.
Northern Iowa at TCU, The Mtn. (2 p.m. ET): Can you believe the Horned Frogs own more wins than the Panthers right now? Plus, TCU already owns a win over a Valley foe, a 74-68 victory over Bradley in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off event.
Indiana State at Wyoming, The Mtn. (7 p.m. ET): The Sycamores will have to deal with Laramie's altitude, but should be able to give the Cowboys a fight.
Wichita State at San Diego State, The Mtn. (10 p.m. ET): You may have to go to a bar and fight off UFC people, but this game, pitting two of the strongest teams from outside of BCS conferences, will be worth it.
Here are some other non-conference games set to air on this first Saturday in December.
- South Alabama at Louisville, Big East Network/WHAS/ESPN3 (1 p.m. ET)
- Belmont at Vanderbilt, SEC on CSS/CST/BHSN/ESPN3 (2 p.m. ET)
- Rider at Pittsburgh, Big East Network/SNY/FSN Pittsburgh/ESPN3 (2 p.m. ET)
- Rhode Island at Providence, Big East Network/Cox Sports NE/SNY/BHSN/ESPN3 (4 p.m. ET)
- Savannah State at Indiana, ESPNU (5 p.m. ET)
- Duquesne at Penn State, Big Ten Network (6 p.m. ET)
- Hawai'i vs. BYU in Salt Lake City, BYU TV (6 p.m. ET)
- Cal State Northridge at Denver, FSN Rocky Mountain/FCS Pacific (6:30 p.m. ET)
- Cornell at Minnesota, Big Ten Network (8 p.m. ET)
Early Conference Play
League play is in its early stages in several conferences. Sadly, today's CAA openers will only be telecast regionally. (I'll be checking out UNC Wilmington at George Mason this evening.) EDIT: GMU-UNCW has been picked up by ESPN3.
- Wright State at Detroit, FS Detroit/FCS Atlantic/Horizon League Network (12 p.m. ET): The Raiders and Titans are hovering around .500 now, but they'll hope to challenge Cleveland State, Loyola-Chicago, and Butler for the Horizon League crown.
- Western Carolina at Chattanooga, SportSouth/FCS Pacific (1 p.m. ET): After indifferent early non-league runs (except for the Catamounts' win at DePaul), these two get into SoCon play, where they should be factors.
- Youngstown State at Green Bay, Horizon League Network (2 p.m. ET): The Penguins and Phoenix are both in search of their first conference win.
- Valparaiso at Loyola-Chicago, Horizon League Network (4 p.m. ET): The Ramblers are going to be a force in the Horizon race, as shown by their two-point loss to Butler on Wednesday.
- Murray State at Morehead State, Racer Sports/ESPN3 (7:30 p.m. ET): The Racers face probably their biggest test in the OVC in their second conference game, taking on Kenneth Faried and the Eagles on their homecourt.
- Cleveland State at Milwaukee, Horizon League Network (8 p.m. ET): The Vikings will look to stay unbeaten on the year, but they'll have to stop the Panthers' Anthony Hill (30 pts., 11 rebs. against Youngstown St. Thursday) in the process.
For broadcast information for games that will be telecast regionally, like William & Mary at VCU, West Virginia at Miami (FL), Georgia Southern at College of Charleston, Drexel vs. Northeastern and Boston College vs. Massachusetts in Boston, Albany at Siena, Winthrop at Liberty, UNC Wilmington at George Mason, Miami (OH) at Dayton, and New Mexico at New Mexico State, 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.
Enjoy this post? Follow Blogging the Bracket on Twitter and Like the site on Facebook.