On The Menu: January 16, 2016

Game information courtesy Matt College Sports on TV Website, which has even more games listed and more specific info on coverage for regional sports networks and American Sports Network telecasts.

All times listed are Eastern, adjust accordingly.

ACC

North Carolina State Wolfpack (10-7, 0-4) at No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels (15-2, 4-0), 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Virginia Tech Hokies (11-6, 3-1) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-6, 1-3), 12 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
Syracuse Orange (11-7, 1-4) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-6, 1-3), 12 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-5, 2-2) at No. 9 Duke Blue Devils (14-3, 3-1), 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Boston College Eagles (7-9, 0-3) at No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers (14-2, 3-1), 2 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (13-2, 2-1) at Clemson Tigers (11-6, 4-1), 2 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)

Today might create a bit more clarity in what's been a jumbled ACC race so far, but don't bet on it. Virginia Tech can establish itself a bit more seriously as a bid threat by winning in Atlanta, and Syracuse can help repair its damaged profile by also claiming a road victory at Wake Forest. Notre Dame can get itself into Tuesday's projection with an unlikely win at Cameron Indoor, while Miami needs to be careful that it doesn't become Clemson's third straight ranked victim in Greenville.

Big 12

TCU Horned Frogs (9-7, 1-3) at No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1), 2 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 22 Baylor Bears (13-3, 3-1) at Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-4, 1-3), 3 p.m. (FS Southwest/FCS Central)
No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers (15-1, 4-0) at No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (14-1, 3-1), 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones (12-4, 1-3) at Kansas State Wildcats (11-5, 1-3), 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-7, 1-3) at Texas Longhorns (10-6, 2-2), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Since you might not have easy access to the 2 p.m. Central showdown in Lubbock, you will definitely want to make up for it by focusing on the pair of Big 12 matchups that are scheduled to tip an hour later. In Norman, West Virginia will try to complete a sweep of the top two teams in the country, though you have to think their chances would be far better if this one, like Tuesday's win over Kansas, was scheduled for WVU Coliseum. Simultaneously in Manhattan, Iowa State will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak, though Kansas State will look to win consecutive games for the first time in this calendar year—and get itself into the bid picture in the process.

Big East

St. John's Red Storm (7-11, 0-5) at No. 23 Butler Bulldogs (12-4, 1-3), 12 p.m. (FS1)
No. 6 Villanova Wildcats (15-2, 5-0) at Georgetown Hoyas (11-6, 4-1), 1 p.m. (CBS)
No. 7 Xavier Musketeers (15-1, 3-1) at Marquette Golden Eagles (12-5, 2-3), 2 p.m. (FS1)
Seton Hall Pirates (12-4, 2-2) at No. 12 Providence Friars (15-2, 3-1), 4:30 p.m. (FS1)

Of the quartet of Big East games set for Saturday, one stands out. That's league-leading Villanova's visit to Georgetown, which wants to show that its recent improvement is real. Elsewhere, Xavier is slated to get point guard Edmond Sumner back just in time for its game in Milwaukee, while Seton Hall could certainly use a quality road win, which they can grab at Providence.

Big Ten

Ohio State Buckeyes (12-6, 4-1) at No. 3 Maryland Terrapins (15-2, 4-1), 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
Indiana Hoosiers (14-3, 4-0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-11, 0-5), 12:30 p.m. (BTN)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-8, 2-3) at Illinois Fighting Illini (9-8, 1-3), 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
Penn State Nittany Lions (10-8, 1-4) at Northwestern Wildcats (15-3, 3-2), 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Unless Indiana has trouble at Williams Arena, only Ohio State's visit to Maryland is worth a watch this afternoon, with the Terps looking to rebound from Wednesday's loss at Michigan. The Buckeyes will have to start better than they did against Rutgers on Wednesday. Maryland won't be so accommodating if a second half comeback is required.

Pac-12

Washington Huskies (11-5, 3-1) at Arizona State Sun Devils (11-6, 1-3), 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, Arizona)
Washington State Cougars (9-7, 1-3) at No. 18 Arizona Wildcats (14-3, 2-2), 9:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, Arizona)

While Arizona is likely to complete a weekend sweep, Washington needs to be very careful in Tempe. If they fall at Arizona State, they will definitely be looking up at USC in the Pac-12 table, and perhaps Oregon as well.

SEC

Missouri Tigers (8-8, 1-2) at No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks (15-1, 2-1), 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies (14-2, 4-0) at Georgia Bulldogs (9-5, 2-2), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Tennessee Volunteers (8-8, 1-3) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-8, 0-3), 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats (13-3, 3-1) at Auburn Tigers (7-8, 1-3), 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Alabama Crimson Tide (10-5, 1-2) at Vanderbilt Commodores (9-7, 1-3), 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
Florida Gators (10-6, 2-2) at Ole Miss Rebels (12-4, 2-2), 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Arkansas Razorbacks (9-7, 3-1) at LSU Tigers (10-6, 3-1), 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Among the afternoon games, South Carolina's first game after a loss and A&M's potentially tricky trip to quality-win hungry Georgia are the most interesting. The bubble showdown between Florida and Ole Miss in Oxford is standout evening matchup, but keep an eye on the other two tips. Vanderbilt really needs to start re-establishing itself and a home win over a surprising Bama squad would be a good start. In Baton Rouge, you never know what you're going to get out of LSU, and an Arkansas squad that's won three straight could give the Tigers trouble.

American Athletic

Cincinnati Bearcats (13-5, 3-2) at Temple Owls (8-7, 3-2), 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
USF Bulls (3-15, 0-5) at Memphis Tigers (11-5, 2-1), 12 p.m. (CBSSN)
East Carolina Pirates (8-9, 0-4) at UCF Knights (8-6, 2-1), 4:30 p.m. (ESPNEWS)

With Memphis and UCF likely to win at home, Cincinnati's visit to Philadelphia is the standout here, especially since the Owls stunned the Bearcats by seven in the American opener for both.

Atlantic 10

UMass Minutemen (8-8, 1-3) at Davidson Wildcats (10-5, 2-2), 12:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
VCU Rams (12-5, 4-0) at Richmond Spiders (10-6, 2-2), 2 p.m. (CBSSN)
La Salle Explorers (5-9, 1-3) at Rhode Island Rams (10-7, 2-2), 2:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
St. Bonaventure Bonnies (12-3, 4-0) at Duquesne Dukes (11-6, 1-3), 6 p.m. (ASN)

By far, the best matchup of this group is the crosstown showdown in the Virginia capital. The Spiders actually swept the Rams last season, with the game at the Robins Center a double OT classic.

Elsewhere

UC Irvine Anteaters (14-5, 3-0) at UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (7-8, 1-1), 7 p.m. (BigWest.tv)
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (14-2, 3-0) at Cal State Fullerton Titans (8-7, 1-1), 9 p.m. (ESPN3)

The Big West co-leaders hit the road. Hawai'i has surprisingly won each of its Big West game in Fullerton, granted its a small sample size of three. UC Irvine, on the other hand, last won at the Thunderdome in 2008!

William & Mary Tribe (12-4, 4-1) at UNC Wilmington Seahawks (11-5, 3-2), 2 p.m. (ASN)
James Madison Dukes (13-5, 3-2) at Hofstra Pride (12-5, 4-1), 4 p.m. (CAA.tv)

The Tribe and Pride, who now share the CAA lead, each take on one of the four squads tied for third. The Tribe have dominated the Seahawks of late, winning six in a row in the series, while the Pride has just one win in the past three seasons against the Dukes.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (11-5, 3-1) at Old Dominion Monarchs (9-8, 2-2), 4 p.m. (FSN)

ODU could really be in trouble in the C-USA race if they follow their heartbreaking overtime loss to UAB on Thursday night with another to Middle.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies (10-7, 2-2) at Detroit Titans (9-6, 3-1), 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Green Bay Phoenix (11-6, 4-1) at Valparaiso Crusaders (14-3, 4-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)

Valpo will look to pick up its fourth straight victory over a potential Horizon contender, while Detroit might be able to get itself into second place with a win over Oakland and a Green Bay loss.

San Diego State Aztecs (11-6, 4-0) at Boise State Broncos (13-4, 4-0), 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

The top two in the Mountain West, and the conference's two best at-large hopes, meet in Boise.

Wofford Terriers (7-10, 4-1) at Mercer Bears (13-4, 3-1), 4 p.m. (FS Southeast/ESPN3)
ETSU Buccaneers (11-6, 4-0) at Chattanooga Mocs (15-3, 4-1), 5 p.m. (SoCon Digital Network)

Chattanooga can put itself back in the catbird seat in the SoCon with a win over the conference's lone remaining unbeaten squad, but the Wofford-Mercer winner will remain on either the Bucs' or Mocs' heels.

Texas Southern Tigers (4-11, 3-0) at Jackson State Tigers (8-9, 3-1), 6:30 p.m. (Jackson State Livestream)

These two sets of Tigers look to be the early favorites in the SWAC, who will likely be headed to the First Four this season.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits (14-4, 3-1) at North Dakota State Bison (12-6, 2-2), 5 p.m. (MidCoSN/ESPN3)

While Omaha currently leads the Summit, I suspect the winner of this Badlands showdown will end up being the true favorite to claim the auto bid, especially with the conference tournament in Sioux Falls.

BYU Cougars (13-5, 4-1) at Portland Pilots (8-11, 2-4), 6 p.m. (ROOT Sports NW/ESPN3)
San Diego Toreros (6-10, 1-4) at No. 25 Gonzaga Bulldogs (13-4, 5-1), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)

BYU will look to follow up its big win over Gonzaga with an expected one over Portland. As for the Bulldogs, they must defeat San Diego to keep pace with the Cougars and idle St. Mary's.

Viewing Picks

Early Afternoon Tips

Villanova at Georgetown, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Ohio State at Maryland, 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 12 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
Cincinnati at Temple, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
Syracuse at Wake Forest, 12 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)
North Carolina State at North Carolina, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
UMass at Davidson, 12:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Indiana at Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. (BTN)
St. John's at Butler, 12 p.m. (FS1)
Missouri at South Carolina, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
USF at Memphis, 12 p.m. (CBSSN)

Mid-Afternoon Tips

Miami at Clemson, 2 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)
Texas A&M at Georgia, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Baylor at Texas Tech, 3 p.m. (FS Southwest/FCS Central)
VCU at Richmond, 2 p.m. (CBSSN)
Notre Dame at Duke, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Xavier at Marquette, 2 p.m. (FS1)
William & Mary at UNC Wilmington, 2 p.m. (ASN)
Oakland at Detroit, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
TCU at Kansas, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Boston College at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
La Salle at Rhode Island, 2:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Nebraska at Illinois, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
East Carolina at UCF, 4:30 p.m. (ESPNEWS)

Late Afternoon Tips

West Virginia at Oklahoma, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Iowa State at Kansas State, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
Seton Hall at Providence, 4:30 p.m. (FS1)
South Dakota State at North Dakota State, 5 p.m. (MidCoSN/ESPN3)
Middle Tennessee at Old Dominion, 4 p.m. (FSN)
ETSU at Chattanooga, 5 p.m. (SoCon DN)
James Madison at Hofstra, 4 p.m. (CAA.tv)
Wofford at Mercer, 4 p.m. (FS Southeast/ESPN3)
Kentucky at Auburn, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Early Evening Tips

Washington at Arizona State, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, Arizona)
Alabama at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
Oklahoma State at Texas, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
BYU at Portland, 6 p.m. (ROOT Sports NW/ESPN3)
UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m. (BigWest.tv)
St. Bonaventure at Duquesne, 6 p.m. (ASN)
Texas Southern at Jackson State, 6:30 p.m. (Jackson State Livestream)

Mid-Evening Tips

Florida at Ole Miss, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Green Bay at Valparaiso, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Arkansas at LSU, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
San Diego at Gonzaga, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Hawaii at Cal State Fullerton, 9 p.m. (ESPN3)
Penn State at Northwestern, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Late Evening Tips

San Diego State at Boise State, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
Washington State at Arizona, 9:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, Arizona)

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