On The Menu: January 30, 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.

Big 12/SEC Challenge

No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers (17-3) at Florida Gators (13-7), 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Vanderbilt Commodores (12-8) at Texas Longhorns (13-7), 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones (16-4) at No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies (17-3), 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Ole Miss Rebels (13-7) at Kansas State Wildcats (12-8), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Tennessee Volunteers (10-10) at TCU Horned Frogs (9-11), 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-7) at Arkansas Razorbacks (10-10), 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (17-2) at LSU Tigers (13-7), 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Georgia Bulldogs (11-7) at No. 17 Baylor Bears (16-4), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (16-4) at No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks (16-4), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-10) at Auburn Tigers (9-10), 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

Back in early 2010, I proposed that conference challenges move to late January/early February to break the monotony of conference play and better prepare teams for the postseason. Six years later, the Big 12 and SEC are experimenting with that idea. While there are a couple of clunkers in this group of 10 games, there are plenty of possibilities to earn a late quality non-conference win both for teams on the bubble (like Florida and LSU) and those who need to differentiate themselves from their opposition for better seeding (Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, West Virginia). Plus, there are a couple of possible trap games, though Baylor and Texas at least get those opponents at home.

ACC

Clemson Tigers (13-7, 6-2) at Florida State Seminoles (13-7, 3-5), 12 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-8, 2-5) at Syracuse Orange (14-8, 4-5), 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers (16-4, 5-3) at No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (17-3, 6-1), 1 p.m. (CBS)
No. 15 Miami Hurricanes (16-3, 5-2) at North Carolina State Wolfpack (11-10, 1-7), 3 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)
Boston College Eagles (7-13, 0-7) at No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels (18-2, 7-0), 4 p.m. (ESPN)

Clemson can get itself closer to a bid by picking up a road win at fellow bubble team Florida State, which would complete a season sweep for the Tigers. With a win over struggling Georgia Tech, Syracuse can get itself back to .500 in the conference with two more games to come on this homestand. Miami and North Carolina need to take care of business against possibly overmatched opponents, but Virginia-Louisville is a vital contest for seeding, as both squads are in the four to five range at the moment.

Big East

Butler Bulldogs (14-6, 3-5) at Marquette Golden Eagles (14-7, 3-5), 12 p.m. (FS1)
No. 7 Xavier Musketeers (18-2, 6-2) at DePaul Blue Demons (7-13, 1-7), 2 p.m. (CBSSN)
No. 10 Providence Friars (17-4, 5-3) at Georgetown Hoyas (13-8, 6-2), 8 p.m. (FS1)
Seton Hall Pirates (14-6, 4-4) at Creighton Bluejays (14-7, 5-3), 8 p.m. (select FSN outlets)

While Xavier should be able to easily handle DePaul, Saturday's other three Big East games are all vital to the bubble teams involved. Georgetown and Creighton are strongly advised to take advantage of being at home.

Big Ten

Michigan Wolverines (16-5, 6-2) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (11-10, 2-6) at New York, 12 p.m. (BTN)
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-15, 0-9) at No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers (17-4, 7-1), 2:15 p.m. (BTN)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-9, 4-4) at No. 21 Purdue Boilermakers (18-4, 6-3), 4:30 p.m. (BTN)

Michigan and Penn State will play a rare late-season neutral-site contest as part of the first-ever Big Ten Day at Madison Square Garden. Indiana and Purdue will both look to defend their homecourts, though that could be a challenge for the Boilermakers, as Nebraska has won its last three road games.

Pac-12

Washington Huskies (14-6, 6-2) at USC Trojans (16-5, 5-3), 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, L.A.)
Stanford Cardinal (11-8, 4-4) at Utah Utes (16-5, 5-3), 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Bay Area, Rocky Mountain)
Washington State Cougars (9-11, 1-7) at UCLA Bruins (12-9, 3-5), 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, L.A.)
Oregon State Beavers (12-7, 3-5) at No. 18 Arizona Wildcats (16-5, 4-4), 9:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Oregon, Arizona)

Washington can keep pace with Oregon Ducks, who plays Arizona State Sun Devils tomorrow, by completing a sweep of USC, but the Trojans will be keen on avenging their January 3rd loss in Seattle. UCLA will also have revenge on its mind, and the Bruins cannot afford a second loss to Washington State on their questionable profile. Stanford could use a win at Utah, following a Wednesday loss at Colorado, while Arizona and Oregon State will each aim to avoid an 0-2 week.

SEC

Alabama Crimson Tide (11-8, 2-5) at South Carolina Gamecocks (18-2, 5-2), 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-11, 1-6) at Missouri Tigers (8-12, 1-6), 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

These four teams started their SEC schedules late so they could meet while the other 10 squads participated in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. So, you're left with South Carolina looking to avoid a bad home loss and Mississippi State and Missouri aiming to get out of the league basement.

American Athletic

Tulane Green Wave (8-14, 1-8) at Tulsa Golden Hurricane (13-7, 5-3), 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Memphis Tigers (13-7, 4-3) at No. 13 SMU Mustangs (18-1, 7-1), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

With Tulsa likely to top Tulane at home, Memphis's trip to Dallas is the most intriguing of these games. However, even a win over the Mustangs likely won't be enough to resuscitate the Tigers' at-large chances.

Atlantic 10

La Salle Explorers (5-13, 1-6) at Dayton Flyers (17-3, 7-1), 2 p.m. (NBCSN)
Saint Joseph's Hawks (17-3, 6-1) at Rhode Island Rams (12-8, 4-3), 6 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Flyers will look to avenge the four-point loss they suffered to the Explorers back on January 9th, while the Hawks can sweep the Rams with a victory in Kingston.

Elsewhere

UAB Blazers (17-4, 7-1 C-USA) at Marshall Thundering Herd (11-10, 7-1), 12 p.m. (CBSSN)
Stony Brook Seawolves (16-4, 7-0 America East) at Vermont Catamounts (13-9, 5-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (14-5, 7-0 Southland) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (16-5, 7-0), 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Wagner Seahawks (13-7, 6-3 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (10-12, 7-2), 3 p.m. (NEC Front Row)
Georgia State Panthers (12-6, 5-4 Sun Belt) at Little Rock Trojans (18-2, 8-1), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saint Peter's Peacocks (8-10, 6-3 MAAC) at Monmouth Hawks (16-5, 8-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Princeton Tigers (12-4, 2-0 Ivy) at Yale Bulldogs (12-5, 3-0), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (13-9, 4-2 A-Sun) at North Florida Ospreys (17-6, 6-0), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Army Black Knights (12-8, 3-5 Patriot) at Bucknell Bison (11-9, 8-1), 7 p.m. (PatriotLeague.tv)
College of Charleston Cougars (13-7, 5-4 CAA) at UNC Wilmington Seahawks (15-5, 7-2), 7 p.m. (CAA.tv)
Sam Houston State Bearkats (11-10, 6-2 Southland) at Houston Baptist Huskies (13-7, 7-0), 8 p.m. (Houston Baptist University)
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (8-11, 2-4 Big West) at UC Irvine Anteaters (17-5, 6-0), 10 p.m. (ESPNU)

If you want a taste of what's to come during the Championship Fortnight, strap in for a full day of possible conference tournament semifinal and final matchups.

Youngstown State Penguins (9-13, 4-5) at Valparaiso Crusaders (18-4, 8-1), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)

The Crusaders should be able to stay atop the Horizon League, though the Penguins have won their last two road games—against what look to be the conference's worst two teams.

New Mexico Lobos (12-8. 5-2) at Boise State Broncos (15-6, 6-2), 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
San Diego State Aztecs (15-6, 8-0) at UNLV Runnin' Rebels (13-8, 4-4), 8 p.m. (CBSSN)

While the Aztecs will look to avoid the trap the Runnin' Rebels have set for them in the desert, the Broncos, who lost in Vegas at midweek, face a vital home game against a Lobo squad that can jump them in the Mountain West standings.

Saint Mary's Gaels (17-2, 8-1) at Pacific Tigers (6-13, 4-5), 11 p.m. (CSN California/ROOT Sports)

The Gaels will look to further cement their position as WCC leaders by completing a sweep of the Tigers, whom they defeated by 16 in Moraga on January 14th.

Viewing Picks

Early Afternoon Tips

Virginia at Louisville, 1 p.m. (CBS)
West Virginia at Florida, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Vanderbilt at Texas, 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
Clemson at Florida State, 12 p.m. (ACC RSNs/ESPN3)
Butler at Marquette, 12 p.m. (FS1)
Georgia Tech at Syracuse, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
UAB at Marshall, 12 p.m. (CBSSN)
Michigan vs. Penn State at New York, 12 p.m. (BTN)

Mid-Afternoon Tips

Iowa State at Texas A&M, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Washington at USC, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, L.A.)
Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Wagner at Mount St. Mary's, 3 p.m. (NEC Front Row)
Ole Miss at Kansas State, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Stony Brook at Vermont, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Tennessee at TCU, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Minnesota at Indiana, 2:15 p.m. (BTN)
Miami at N.C. State, 3 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN3)
La Salle at Dayton, 2 p.m. (NBCSN)
Xavier at DePaul, 2 p.m. (CBSSN)

Late Afternoon Tips

Oklahoma at LSU, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Stanford at Utah, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Bay Area, Rocky Mountain)
Nebraska at Purdue, 4:30 p.m. (BTN)
New Mexico at Boise State, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Texas Tech at Arkansas, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
Boston College at North Carolina, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

Early Evening Tips

Kentucky at Kansas, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Georgia at Baylor, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saint Joseph's at Rhode Island, 6 p.m. (CBSSN)
Saint Peter's at Monmouth, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Princeton at Yale, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Florida Gulf Coast at North Florida, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
College of Charleston at UNC Wilmington, 7 p.m. (CAA.tv)
Georgia State at Little Rock, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Army at Bucknell, 7 p.m. (PatriotLeague.tv)
Washington State at UCLA, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Washington, L.A.)
Alabama at South Carolina, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
Tulane at Tulsa, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)

Mid-Evening Tips

Providence at Georgetown, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Seton Hall at Creighton, 8 p.m. (select FSN outlets)
Memphis at SMU, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
San Diego State at UNLV, 8 p.m. (CBSSN)
Sam Houston State at Houston Baptist, 8 p.m. (Houston Baptist University)
Oklahoma State at Auburn, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Youngstown State at Valparaiso, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Mississippi State at Missouri, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Late Evening Tips

Oregon State at Arizona, 9:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National, Oregon, Arizona)
UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saint Mary's at Pacific, 11 p.m. (CSN California/ROOT Sports)

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