College Basketball Viewing Guide For Sunday, 11/17/2013

If you, like me, are a fan of an NFL team that's not exactly in the playoff hunt, your interest in America's most popular sport is waning right now. But, if you love college basketball, get ready for the first of three consecutive Sundays with plenty of high quality action on tap.

All TV info is courtesy Matt's College Sports on TV site. He has many more games listed, and you'll also want to check out his listings for information on which ACC and SEC regional contests and CSN and FSN games (all games listed here marked with a *) are available on which affiliates.

All times are Eastern.

Early Afternoon Window

Boston U. Terriers at Connecticut Huskies (2K Sports Classic), 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
The Huskies steamrolled Detroit in the first of their two preliminary games in this event and should probably give the Terriers the same treatment. Meanwhile, BU, who will travel to UC Irvine, conquerers of Washington, for a 2K Sports Classic subregional, squeaked past Northeastern in their opener before rolling by transitional D1 program UMass-Lowell back on Wednesday.

Indiana State Sycamores at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 12 p.m. (ACC RSNs*/ESPN3)
On Friday night, it looked like the Sycamores were going to grab a great win at Belmont, thanks to a 16-point halftime lead. They ended up losing by one. Indiana State will need to do better in South Bend, especially after some poorly-timed losses cost them an at-large last season. The Fighting Irish are 2-0 after easy wins over Miami (Ohio) and Stetson.

Mid-Afternoon Window

Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Houston Cougars (Legends Classic), 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
The Cougars can move to a surprising 4-0 with a win over the 1-2 Mountain Hawks, who aren't the same team that was a Patriot League contender, even after C.J. McCollum got hurt. For example, they lost at Fordham on Friday.

Stanford Cardinal at Denver Pioneers, 2 p.m. (ROOT Sports Rocky Mtn.)
Johnny Dawkins' squad handled Northwestern on Thursday, but they'll be on upset alert today as they visit the Pioneers, who will challenge North Dakota State for the Summit League auto bid.

Late Afternoon Window

Belmont Bruins at North Carolina Tar Heels (Hall of Fame Tip-Off), 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
On Friday night, the Tar Heels only managed to defeat Holy Cross by eight in their opener in this tournament, while the Bruins gained a significant amount of confidence with their huge comeback win over Indiana State. Don't think Belmont will be all that intimidated heading into the Dean Dome.

Long Beach State 49ers at Kansas State Wildcats (Puerto Rico Tip-Off), 4 p.m. (FSN*/FCS Atlantic)
The Wildcats haven't impressed this season, but neither have the 49ers who aren't exactly playing with a full roster right now. This could be an upset alert, but given LBSU's performance so far, K-State shouldn't have much trouble.

Michigan Wolverines at Iowa State Cyclones, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Melvin Ejim probably won't be back for the Cyclones this afternoon, but ISU should still be able to give the Wolverines a serious test, especially with the way Naz Long has been playing. Both squads will have to adjust to a major step up in competition after grabbing two easy wins apiece against overmatched opposition.

Towson Tigers at Villanova Wildcats (Battle 4 Atlantis), 5 p.m. (FS1)
On Thursday night, the Tigers took out the Big 5's Temple at home. Making it two in a row against Philly opposition won't be so easy, considering the location.

Stony Brook Seawolves at Indiana Hoosiers (2K Sports Classic), 5 p.m. (BTN)
The defending Big Ten regular season champs opened its 2K Sports Classic with a very narrow win over NEC contender LIU Brooklyn. Today, they take on another mid-major conference favorite, the Seawolves, who would love to add a road upset to get on the national radar.

South Carolina Gamecocks at Clemson Tigers, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
On Tuesday afternoon, the Gamecocks lost at Baylor in somewhat controversial fashion. A win at Littlejohn Coliseum would be a nice rebound for Frank Martin's team, who looks to be significantly better than forecast. The Tigers, meanwhile, have blown by Stetson and Delaware State in their first two games.

Twilight Window

Bradley Braves at Illinois Fighting Illini (Global Sports Invitational), 6 p.m. ET (Big Ten Digital Network)
For all intents and purposes (the Illini still have to play Chicago State, a team the Braves defeated already), tonight's game will decide the title for this round-robin event. Bradley won the last meeting between the two, claiming the Las Vegas invitational crown back in 2009.

Oregon State Beavers at Maryland Terrapins, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Might this be the last time President Obama gets to see his brother-in-law, OSU coach Craig Robinson, coach in the DC area? The Beavers opened their season with a loss to Coppin State before recovering to defeat Portland Pilots on Wednesday night. The Terps on the other hand, followed up a one-point loss to UConn in Brooklyn with an easy home win over transitional Abilene Christian.

Evening Window

Robert Morris Colonials at Kentucky Wildcats (Keightley Classic), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
In March, the Colonials stunned the Wildcats in Moon Township, Pa. in the first round of the NIT. I don't think the resut tonight at Rupp will be similar.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Gonzaga Bulldogs (Maui Invitational), 8 p.m. (KAYU/ROOT Sports Northwest)
The 2-0 Zags blew by Colorado St. Rams to open the Tip-Off Marathon on Monday night, while the Grizzlies are 0-3 after consecutive road losses against UNC, UCLA, and Cal. Yikes.

Be sure to follow @DobberSBN on Twitter and to like Blogging the Bracket on Facebook.