Happy New Year! Today is typically highlighted by bowl games, but since so many of those contests have moved away from the actual holiday, college basketball has stepped in to fill the void!
After the jump, I'll take a look at today's TV schedule, highlighted by several Big East encounters.
Big East
Action starts bright and early at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. Central, ESPN2) as West Virginia, fresh off a home loss to St. John's, visits Marquette, who's playing their first Big East contest after closing their non-league slate with a one-point loss at Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.
DePaul is staring 0-2 in the Big East in the face as they head to the Nation's Capital to take on a Georgetown team who was handled by Notre Dame in South Bend on Wednesday (Big East Network/MASN/MSG/BHSN/Altitude/CST/ESPN3/Full Court, 1 p.m. ET).
Speaking of the Irish, they face a real "contender or pretender" contest at undefeated Syracuse (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. ET).
The day's action closes with St. John's game at Providence--a matchup that could have bubble implications (Big East Network/SNY/Cox Sports/MASN/BHSN/ESPN3/Full Court, 7 p.m. ET).
Other Conference Action
The Horizon League Network has a full slate of conference games available for free streaming online, starting at 1 p.m. ET. The highlights are 14-1 Cleveland State's home game with UIC at 2 p.m. ET (direct link) and Valparaiso's trip to Butler at 2 p.m. ET (direct link, also available on ESPN3 and Full Court).
Preseason Missouri Valley favorite Wichita State looks to move to 2-0 in the conference, as they visit a Bradley team who lost at Indiana State on Wednesday (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m. ET).
Western Kentucky opens Sun Belt play at 1-0 Arkansas State, who topped South Alabama Thursday (Sun Belt/CSS/CST/ESPN3/Full Court, 8 p.m. ET).
Key Non-Conference Contests
Dayton hosts New Mexico, looking to avenge last year's two point loss at The Pit (CBS College, 2 p.m. ET). Even though the Lobos aren't quite at the level of San Diego State, BYU, and UNLV, a Flyer win would boost their sagging resume.
Unpredictable Boston College, who fell at Rhode Island Wednesday, hits the road again to face a South Carolina team they topped by nine in Chestnut Hill last season (ESPNU, 5:30 p.m. ET).
For broadcast information for games slated to be aired regionally, like San Diego at NC State, Bowling Green at Saint Louis, and Indiana State at Evansville, 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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