On The Menu: December 12, 2015

Game information courtesy Matt College Sports on TV Website, which has even more games listed.

All times listed are Eastern, adjust accordingly.

Appetizers

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 1 p.m. (ASN/CST/CSN Chicago/CSN California)

Shawn Long and the Sun Belt favorites, 1-3 against Division I opposition, travel to Ruston to face a Bulldog squad that has lost just once in its seven games—back on December 1st at Memphis.

Old Dominion Monarchs at Georgia State Panthers, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)

The Conference USA favorites take on the defending Sun Belt Tournament champions in Atlanta.

Tennessee Volunteers at No. 18 Butler Bulldogs, 2:30 p.m (FS1)

Don't expect a repeat of the Vols' 67-55 win from last December at Hinkle.

Ole Miss Rebels at Southeast Missouri Redhawks, 3 p.m. (ASN/CST/CSN Chicago)
Mississippi State Bulldogs at UMKC Kangaroos, 5 p.m. (ASN)

Both of the SEC's Mississippi schools visit mid-major opposition today, though the WAC contenders have a better shot at pulling an upset.

Saint Mary's Gaels at California Golden Bears, 3:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network National and Bay Area)

This is a difficult first game away from McKeon for the Gaels, who are a perfect 5-0 against Division I opponents.

Stony Brook Seawolves at Northeastern Huskies, 4 p.m. (CAA.tv)

Another intriguing matchups of teams with recent postseason experience and current aspirations, as the perennial America East bridesmaids travel to Boston to take on last season's CAA auto bid winner.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at George Washington Colonials, 4:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Colonials are clearly looking to lock down 12th place in the Big Ten, thanks to their earlier victory over Penn State.

Texas Southern Tigers at Central Michigan Chippewas, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3)

A win in Mount Pleasant wouldn't quite match last year's victory at Breslin, especially since the Chips have disappointed a bit, in recording just two wins in six games against D1 opponents so far this season.

Lunch Specials

Ohio State Buckeyes at Connecticut Huskies, 12 p.m. (CBS)

The Huskies complete the Big Ten portion of their schedule with a winnable game against the Buckeyes, who have yet record a win over an NCAA-quality opponent.

Marquette Golden Eagles at Wisconsin Badgers, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Badgers face a Milwaukee sweep after Wednesday's home loss to the Horizon League Panthers.

Early Bird Specials

Arizona State Sun Devils at No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats, 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)

The Sun Devils are perfect in true road games (Creighton) and against SEC opposition (Texas A&M). Don't expect either one of those statements to remain true after an afternoon at Rupp Arena.

No. 25 Utah Utes vs. Wichita State Shockers (at Intrust Bank Arena), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Shockers need this one badly and have a shot to get it with Fred VanVleet back and Conner Frankamp now eligible.

Kansas State Wildcats at Texas A&M Aggies, 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

The Aggies welcome their former Big 12 rivals, who are a surprising 7-1 with wins over two SEC squads (Missouri and Georgia), to Reed Arena. Last season, the Wildcats topped the Aggies by 7 in Kansas City, a result that helped send A&M to the NIT.

Florida Gators at No. 1 Michigan State Spartans, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

I will be driving to East Lansing for this one. I don't expect the Gators to put up much of a fight, unless they suddenly get hot from the perimeter.

Main Courses

No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels at Texas Longhorns, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN)

The two occasional rivals renew their series after taking a season off. Texas won the last two meetings, though neither of those Tar Heel teams was quite as strong as this one.

No. 23 Cincinnati Bearcats at No. 12 Xavier Musketeers, 5:30 p.m. (FOX)

Ranked crosstown rivals? Do I need to type more here? The Musketeers have won two straight in the series, and have the quality to make it three in a row.

No. 24 Oregon Ducks at Boise State Broncos, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Broncos, who defeated a bad Loyola Marymount squad by one on Wednesday night, need this one to boost their thin profile, especially since the Mountain West isn't full of at-large candidates this season.

The Dessert Cart

Chattanooga Mocs at Dayton Flyers, 7 p.m. (TWCS Ohio)

Matt McCall's Mocs, who have already defeated Georgia and Illinois on the road, will test the Flyers for a bit on Saturday night.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at North Florida Ospreys, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

The 2015 NCAA reps from the Big South and Atlantic Sun meet in Jacksonville with both having a good chance of dancing again.

Albany Great Danes at Siena Saints, 7:30 p.m. (TWCS New York/ESPN3)

Jimmy Patsos' Saints, fresh off a Wednesday win over CAA contender Hofstra, hosts the three-time defending America East Tournament champs, who have won five in a row.

Oregon State Beavers vs. No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks at Kansas City, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

This contest at Sprint Center is the Beavers' lone chance at grabbing a marquee win before Pac-12 play begins.

BYU Cougars at Colorado Buffaloes, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Network National and Mountain)

The Buffaloes have quietly won seven in a row since dropping their opener to Iowa State, but the Cougars will be their stiffest test since that Opening Night contest in Sioux Falls.

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers at Sioux Falls, S.D., 8:30 p.m (BTN)

Speaking of that South Dakota outpost, the Cowboys and Golden Gophers will meet there in a matchup of squads that have disappointed. Maybe Minnesota can win in the state that's home to the two squads they've lost to in the past week.

UC Irvine Anteaters at Utah State Aggies, 9 p.m. (ROOT Sports)

Intriguing matchup between Big West and Mountain West contenders, both of whom are coming off losses—the Anteaters to Saint Mary's on Sunday and the Aggies to BYU on Wednesday.

Northern Iowa Panthers at New Mexico Lobos (Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic), 9 p.m. (ESPN3)

The first of two crucial Saturdays in a row for the Panthers, who take on Iowa State in Des Moines in a week's time. UNI will look to do a little better against the Lobos than they did in their previous encounter with a Mountain West team this season, a season-opening loss to Colorado State at home.

Little Rock Trojans at DePaul Blue Demons, 10 p.m (FS1)

The Trojans have already defeated San Diego State and Tulsa on the road, so a trip to Rosemont won't faze them, even with the odd 9 p.m. Central start time.

Late Night Special

UCLA Bruins at No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Bulldogs will look to match their 13-point win over the Bruins from last season. In theory, UCLA should be motivated, but given their inconsistency, who knows what they'll do at the Kennel.

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