College Hoops Viewing Guide: January 29, 2014

All TV info is courtesy Matt's College Sports on TV site. He has many more games listed, particularly ones broadcast only on local channels and in-house cable sports/local interest channels that are not widely available nationwide. You'll also want to check out his listings for information on which conference regional matchups and CSN, FSN, and Root Sports contest (all games listed in these posts marked with an *) are available on which affiliates.

All times are Eastern.

American

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-12, 2-5) at Temple Owls (5-13, 0-7), 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Memphis Tigers (15-4, 5-2) at UCF Knights (9-8, 1-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

You can safely ignore the Scarlet Knights and Owls tonight, and probably do the same with the Tigers and Knights. UCF has struggled on both ends of the floor in its first six AAC games -- the Knights have only managed to defeat Temple by two points, at home. Plus, this will, somewhat unbelievably, be the fourth game Memphis has played in the Orlando area this season, as the Tigers went 3-0 at the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving weekend. Plus, Memphis has yet to lose a conference road game in 2014.

Last night: SMU (16-5, 5-3), which crushed USF (11-10, 2-6) in University Park back on January 15, fell by a 78-71 count in Tampa. That's the Mustangs' first loss against a team that sits outside of the RPI Top 100.

Atlantic 10

La Salle Explorers (11-8, 3-2) at George Washington Colonials (16-3, 4-1), 7 p.m. (CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus/SNY/A10 Network, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
St. Joseph's Hawks (13-6, 3-2) at Dayton Flyers (13-7, 1-4), 7 p.m. (WHIO/Comcast Network Philadelphia)
Richmond Spiders (14-6, 4-1) at Saint Louis Billikens (18-2, 5-0), 8 p.m. (FS Midwest/FCS Atlantic)

All six of these teams are in the NCAA race, though the Flyers would need a miracle to claim the A10 regular season crown. The Colonials will attempt to avenge a conference season-opening loss to the Explorers when they welcome John Giannini's team to the Smith Center. In Dayton, the Flyers will need to slow down the Hawks' potent offense to snap a three-game skid. Meanwhile, the Billikens can keep first place all to itself if it can end the Spiders' four-game winning streak. Expect defense to be showcased at Chaifetz Arena tonight.

ACC

North Carolina Tar Heels (12-7, 2-4) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-9, 2-5), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Virginia Tech Hokies (8-11, 1-6) at Boston College Eagles (5-14, 1-5), 7 p.m. (ACC RSNs*/ESPN3)
Syracuse Orange (19-0, 6-0) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-6, 4-3), 9 p.m. (ACC RSNs*/ESPN3)
Florida State Seminoles (13-6, 4-3) at N.C. State Wolfpack (13-7, 3-4), 9 p.m. (ACC Network Regional*/ESPN3)
Miami Hurricanes (10-9, 2-5) at Maryland Terrapins (11-9, 3-4), 9 p.m. (ACC Network Regional*/ESPN3)

Of the five ACC contests scheduled for tonight, only the pillow fight in Chestnut Hill has no impact on the conference's NCAA picture, though you could argue that Maryland and Miami are barely in the hunt at the moment, particularly since the Terps have dropped four of their last five.

Naturally, the spotlight will shine brightest on Winston-Salem, where the unbeaten Orange visit a Demon Deacon team that's a perfect 12-0 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Given how Syracuse has been a bit inconsistent in its first three conference road games -- starting slowly at Virginia Tech and BC and allowing Miami back into Saturday's eventual win -- a full 40 minutes of quality effort might make things a bit easier this evening.

Elsewhere, N.C. State can give its NCAA case a boost with a win over Florida State. It's the second consecutive game in the Research Triangle for the Seminoles who were outclassed by Duke on Saturday afternoon. North Carolina will look for its second straight win as it visits a Georgia Tech squad that's dropped three of four.

Last night: Virginia (16-5, 7-1) dealt Notre Dame's (11-10, 2-6) NCAA hopes another blow, as the Cavaliers got 16 points from Malcolm Brogdon as they dispatched the Irish by a 15-point margin at Purcell Pavilion.

Big 12

Iowa State Cyclones (15-3, 3-3) at Kansas Jayhawks (15-4, 6-0), 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

Sixteen nights ago, the Jayhawks took the Cyclones out in Ames, thanks to 23 points from Naadir Tharpe and big nights from Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid. Tonight, Iowa State, which defeated Kansas State on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak, visits the Phog with revenge on its mind. Of course, stopping the Jayhawks' offense at home won't be an easy task for a Cyclone squad that's been struggling on the defensive end over the past few weeks.

Last night: Juwan Staten's layup in the final seconds gave West Virginia (12-9, 4-4) a 66-64 win at reeling Baylor (13-7, 1-6). The Bears have dropped five in a row and barely look like an NIT at the moment. In Manhattan, Texas Tech (10-11, 2-6) gave Kansas State (15-6, 5-3) a fight before succumbing to the Wildcats, 66-58. Will Spradling scored 17 to lead the victors.

Big East

Butler Bulldogs (11-9, 1-7) at Seton Hall Pirates (12-8, 3-4), 9 p.m. (FS1)

Two struggling Big East squads meet in Newark, though the Pirates can get to .500 with a victory. There will be better options out there

Last night: Creighton (18-3, 8-1) needed every one of Doug McDermott's 39 points, capped by a fadeaway three with under three seconds, to end St. John's (12-9, 2-6) three-game winning streak in Omaha. The Bluejays now lead Villanova by a half-game in the Big East race.

Big Ten

Penn State Nittany Lions (10-10, 1-6) at Ohio State Buckeyes (16-4, 3-4), 7 p.m. (BTN)
Northwestern Wildcats (10-11, 3-5) at Wisconsin Badgers (17-3, 4-3), 9 p.m. (BTN)

Both the Buckeyes and Badgers should be able to win their second in a row this evening, as each faces opposition that's more scary in its own gym.

Last night: Shorthanded Michigan State (19-2, 8-1) delivered Iowa (16-5, 5-3) its first home loss of the 2013-14 season, topping the Hawkeyes by two after overtime. Keith Appling scored 16 for the Spartans, while Matt Costello grabbed a double-double (11 points, 12 boards). Iowa's Roy Devyn Marble led all scorers with 21.

Mountain West

Air Force Falcons (9-9, 3-4) at Boise State Broncos (14-6, 4-3), 9 p.m. (ROOT Sports*/MWN, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mountain West Connection)
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (13-7, 4-3) at San Jose State Spartans (6-14, 0-8), 10 p.m. (ESPN3)
Colorado State Rams (12-8, 3-4) at Nevada Wolf Pack (10-10, 5-2), 10 p.m. (MWN, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mountain West Connection)
Wyoming Cowboys (13-6, 4-2) at Fresno State Bulldogs (8-13, 1-7), 10 p.m. (MWN, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mountain West Connection)

With New Mexico playing last night and San Diego State off for the evening, tonight's Mountain West schedule is light on games with bracket impact. In short, Boise State needs to hold serve at home, while UNLV cannot afford to become SJSU's first conference victim.

Last night: Four New Mexico (16-4, 7-1) players reached double figures, led by Cameron Bairstow with 22, as the Lobos cruised at Utah State (12-8, 2-6), prevailing 78-65.

Pac-12

Arizona Wildcats (20-0, 7-0) at Stanford Cardinal (13-6, 4-3), 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Arizona State Sun Devils (15-5, 4-3) at California Golden Bears (14-6, 5-2), 11 p.m. (ESPNU)

A trip to the Bay Area is the next challenge for the undefeated Wildcats, who bring the Pac-12's most efficient offense and defense to the Farm this evening. The Cardinal, who are by no means invincible at Maples Pavilion (having lost to BYU and Cal there already), return home after a rather unimpressive trip to Los Angeles, where they lost to UCLA and needed OT to defeat USC. On the east side of San Francisco Bay, Cal, who got swept in the City of Angels, faces an Arizona State team that will be equally desperate for a win. The Sun Devils' three road wins this season have come against UNLV, DePaul, and USC. In short, a win in Berkeley would boost ASU's hopes nicely.

SEC

Vanderbilt Commodores (10-8, 2-4) at Georgia Bulldogs (10-8, 4-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Texas A&M Aggies (12-7, 3-3) at South Carolina Gamecocks (7-12, 0-6), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Alabama Crimson Tide (9-10, 3-3) at Auburn Tigers (8-9, 0-6), 8 p.m. (SEC TV Regional*/ESPN3) POSTPONED
Mississippi Rebels (14-5, 5-1) at Tennessee Volunteers (12-7, 3-3), 8 p.m. (SEC TV/ESPN3)

It's yet another uninspiring slate of #SECBasketballFever, as just one game -- Ole Miss' trip to Knoxville -- has real NCAA implications. The Rebels have won four in a row, though only one of those wins came against a team that has tourney hopes (LSU), while the Vols, 2-3 in their last five, are coming off a 26-point drubbing at the hands of Florida.

Last night: Missouri (16-4, 4-3) got some hot shooting and a few clutch performances from the foul line to win at Arkansas (13-7, 2-5), 75-71. The Razorbacks have dropped two of their last four at home. Down in Baton Rouge, LSU (13-6, 4-3) opened up a 16-point first half lead on Kentucky (15-5, 5-2) and held on for dear life, grabbing an 87-82 victory over the Wildcats. Johnny O'Bryant III just missed an epic double-double for the Bayou Bengals, scoring 29 and grabbing nine rebounds.

Elsewhere

NEC: St. Francis, N.Y. Terriers (12-9, 3-3) at Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-17, 1-5), 6 p.m. (MSG/FCS Atlantic)
Am East: Vermont Catamounts (12-9, 6-1) at Hartford Hawks (10-12, 4-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
MAC: Northern Illinois Huskies (7-11, 1-5) at Kent State Golden Flashes (11-8, 2-4), 7 p.m. (TWCS*/ESPN3)
Horizon: UIC Flames (5-16, 0-7) at Detroit Titans (9-13, 2-5), 7 p.m. (Horizon League Network) 
Patriot: Loyola, Md. Greyhounds (9-10, 4-4) at Holy Cross Crusaders (11-9, 5-3), 7 p.m. (Patriot League Network, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
Patriot: Army Black Knights (10-9, 6-2) at Boston U. Terriers (14-7, 7-1), 7 p.m. (Patriot League Network, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
Patriot: Bucknell Bison (9-10, 4-4) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks (10-11, 3-5), 7 p.m. (TV 2 Sports/Patriot League Network, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
Patriot: Navy Midshipmen (7-12, 2-6) at American U. Eagles (12-7, 8-0), 7:30 p.m. (Patriot League Network, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
Horizon: Green Bay Phoenix (17-3, 7-0) at Valparaiso Crusaders (12-10, 4-3), 8 p.m. (Horizon League Network/ESPN3) 
MVC: Missouri State Bears (14-6, 4-4) at Drake Bulldogs (11-9, 2-6), 8 p.m. (MC-22/KY3/ESPN3)
MVC: Indiana State Sycamores (16-4, 7-1) at Southern Illinois Salukis (6-15, 2-6), 8 p.m. (WTWO/WSIU/ESPN3)
MVC: Evansville Aces (10-11, 3-5) at Northern Iowa Panthers (10-10, 4-4), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
OVC: Belmont Bruins (16-7, 7-1) at Morehead State Eagles (14-8, 5-2), 9 p.m. (CBS SN)
WCC: Portland Pilots (12-9, 4-5) at San Francisco Dons (13-8, 6-3), 10 p.m. (TheW.tv, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)
WCC: Gonzaga Bulldogs (18-3, 8-1) at Santa Clara Broncos (10-12, 3-6), 11 p.m. (SWX*/TheW.tv, streaming directly at SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness)

Tonight's mid-major action features American and Green Bay seeking to keep their perfect league marks; Indiana State looking to avoid a bad road loss; Belmont visiting Morehead State in a crucial East Division matchup in the Ohio Valley; and the first of two consecutive contests in the Bay Area for Gonzaga.

Last night: Unbeaten Wichita State Shockers (22-0, 9-0) completed a perfect first half of the Missouri Valley schedule by topping Loyola of Chicago Ramblers (8-13, 3-6), 57-45.

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