This mid-January evening isn't quite as busy as the typical Wednesday, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few big matchups to pay attention to, most prominently in the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.
More info and my viewing picks for the night after the jump.
Four Star
St. John's Red Storm at Louisville Cardinals, Big East Network/SNY/WHAS/MASN/ESPN3/Full Court (7 p.m. ET)
The Red Storm's difficulties in hitting and defending the three ball could be an issue against the Cardinals, especially if Louisville gets down early (like against Marquette on Saturday).
KenPom.com prediction: Cardinals 76-67, 69 poss.
Penn St. Nittany Lions at Purdue Boilermakers, Big Ten Network (8:30 p.m. ET)
The Boilermakers need to end a two-game losing streak, while the Nittany Lions need to grab a meaningful road win to boost their tournament hopes.
KenPom.com prediction: Boilermakers 72-58, 63 poss.
Texas A&M Aggies at Texas Longhorns, ESPN2 (9 p.m. ET)
At the moment, these two are tied at the top of the Big 12 standings along with Kansas and Colorado, but one will take a step down. A loss here would be slightly more damaging to the Aggies, since their non-conference slate is a bit weaker than the Longhorns'.
KenPom.com prediction: Longhorns 68-61, 66 poss.
Florida St. Seminoles at Miami Hurricanes, ACC on FSN/FS South/Sun Sports or FS Florida/CSN Washington+/NESN/ESPN3/Full Court (9 p.m. ET)
The Hurricanes will look to add another nice home win to their resume, while simultaneously damaging their rival's position on the edge of the field.
KenPom.com prediction: Hurricanes 69-68, 69 poss.
Three Star
Duke Blue Devils at N.C. State Wolfpack, ESPN (7 p.m. ET)
The Blue Devils will look to not get stunned in Raleigh for the second year in a row. On the other hand, if the Wolfpack want to see even the bubble at this point, they need to start winning now.
KenPom.com prediction: Blue Devils 84-69, 73 poss.
Cincinnati Bearcats at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, ESPN2 (7 p.m. ET)
The Bearcats play the second of three games on the road, visiting Purcell Pavillion, where the Irish have yet to lose this season. Looks like another hit to Cincinnati's sketchy profile.
KenPom.com prediction: Fighting Irish 67-65, 65 poss.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (in Charleston, WV), Capital Classic TV/ESPN3/Full Court (8 p.m. ET)
The Herd can really boost their resume with an upset win over the Mountaineers, a team that's rising up the bracket, in Charleston. West Virginia's won each meeting since Marshall's last triumph in 2006.
KenPom.com prediction: Mountaineers 74-63, 66 poss.
Mississippi Rebels at Vanderbilt Commodores, SEC on CSS/BHSN/ESPN3/Full Court (9 p.m. ET)
The Rebels would fall to 0-4 in the league with a loss in Nashville. On the other hand, the Commodores are trying to get to .500 before a big non-conference game against St. Mary's on Saturday.
KenPom.com prediction: Commodores 81-66, 69 poss.
Colorado St. Rams at UNLV Runnin' Rebels, The Mtn. (10:30 p.m. ET)
The Rams, who won in Cancun, but have little else on their resume, need to grab some surprise conference wins to get in the bubble conversation. A victory in Las Vegas is a lot to ask for, however.
KenPom.com prediction: Rebels 77-62, 68 poss.
Two-Star
Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio St. Buckeyes, Big Ten Network (6:30 p.m. ET)
The Buckeyes only won by five in Iowa City 15 days ago, the first in a series of four close wins for the top-ranked team in the country.
KenPom.com prediction: Buckeyes 77-57, 66 poss.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Houston Cougars, CBS College (7 p.m. ET)
These two are among a group of six one-loss teams in Conference USA at the moment.
KenPom.com prediction: Golden Hurricane, 74-68, 67 poss.
Kent St. Golden Flashes at Buffalo Bulls, STO/ESPN3/Full Court (7:30 p.m. ET)
The Golden Flashes lead the Bulls by a game in the MAC East, but both are chasing West (and overall) leader Ball State, the lone unbeaten in league play.
KenPom.com prediction: Bulls 68-64, 67 poss.
New Mexico Lobos at Utah Utes, The Mtn. (8 p.m. ET)
The Lobos have a chance to grab a huge win in Vegas on Saturday, but a loss to a bad Ute team would cancel out any potential bump from a win over UNLV in advance.
KenPom.com prediction: Lobos 76-70, 70 poss.
One-Star Drive-bys
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, ESPNU (7 p.m. ET)
Bradley Braves at Creighton Bluejays, WTVP Subchannel/Net Television/ESPN3/Full Court (8 p.m. ET)
For broadcast information for games slated to be aired regionally, like Memphis at Southern Miss, James Madison at Old Dominion, East Carolina at UCF, Xavier at St. Bonaventure, Missouri State at Indiana State, Northern Iowa at Wichita State, Drexel at George Mason, Air Force at San Diego State, and San Diego at St. Mary's, 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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