Tables may not appear optimally on mobile devices.

Note: At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a lineup broken down by telecast window. Within each window, I’ve grouped games by importance, then tip time.

Reminders of the different groupings are in the table below. Since we still have quite a few neutral-site contests to come before 2019 closes, I’ve added those classifications for the time being.

All NET rankings are from the NCAA’s website and reflect games played against D1 opposition only through Thursday, December 19, 2019. Records reflect all games played through Friday, December 20, 2019. All times are Eastern.

Top 30 at Top 75 (1 Game)

Group 1 for both the host and visitor (1/1)

1. Kansas Jayhawks (9-1) at 23. Villanova Wildcats (8-2) (Big East/Big 12 Battle), 12 p.m. (Fox)

Last season, the Jayhawks topped the Wildcats by three in Lawrence, seven months after Nova blasted KU in the National Semifinals en route to the 2018 National Championship. While KU is at the top of both polls and the NET (as of Friday morning anyway), Villanova hasn’t lost at home since dropping back-to-back games to Michigan and Furman 13 months ago.

Top 50 vs. Top 50 (2 Games)

Group 1 for both teams (1/1)

5. Butler Bulldogs (10-1) vs. 35. Purdue Boilermakers (7-4) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, approx. 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
10. Dayton Flyers (9-1) vs. 28. Colorado Buffaloes (9-2) at Chicago, 6:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

In 2017, the Boilermakers finally won consecutive Crossroads Classic games by knocking off the Bulldogs. However, Purdue returned to its typical losing ways in the event in 2018. With Butler being one of the nation’s biggest surprises early, Matt Painter’s team will have its work cut out for it in Saturday’s late game in Indy. Meanwhile, I’ll be at the United Center for the Legends Classic, where the first game of the evening will feature a 2019 NIT First Round rematch between two squads with excellent chances of earning an NCAA bid. Last March, Colorado beat Dayton by a 78-73 count in Boulder.

31–75 at Top 75 (2 Games)

Group 1 for the visitor only; Group 2 for the host (1/2)

55. VCU Rams (9-2) at 15. Wichita State Shockers (9-1), 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
37. Creighton Bluejays (9-2) at 52. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-3), 8:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National & Arizona)

VCU travels to Wichita one day shy of a year after their resounding 70-54 victory over the Shockers in Richmond. Considering Gregg Marshall’s team is coming off consecutive wins over Big 12 opponents Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, the Rams should be in for a much more difficult contest this afternoon. Tonight in the desert, ASU will look to recover from Wednesday’s embarrassing 40-point loss to Saint Mary’s by breaking Creighton’s five-game win streak.

51—100 vs. Top 50 (6 Games)

Group 1 for the team on the left only; Group 2 for the team on the right (1/2)

79. Missouri Tigers (6-4) vs. 32. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3) at St. Louis, 1 p.m. (SECN)
59. Akron Zips (9-2) vs. 21. Liberty Flames (13-0) (Battle for the Capital championship in Washington, D.C.), approx. 3:30 p.m. (FloHoops.com ($))
54. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-5) vs. 36. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) at Tulsa, Okla., approx. 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
91. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-4) vs. 29. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3) at Chicago, approx. 9 p.m. (BTN)
69. St. John’s Red Storm (10-2) vs. 14. Arizona Wildcats (10-2) at San Francisco, approx. 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
95. Nevada Wolf Pack (8-4) vs. 39. Saint Mary’s Gaels (11-2) at San Francisco, approx. 12:30 a.m. 12/22 (ESPNU)

Just two of these six games featuring teams from outside of basketball’s Power 7, and Liberty’s attempt to remain unbeaten and Saint Mary’s opportunity to add a decent semi-home win to their impressive semi-road win over Arizona State both deserve your attention. Otherwise, Minnesota’s semi-away game against Oklahoma State in Tulsa and Cincinnati and Iowa’s NCAA rematch in Chicago look to be the most interesting of this group. However, St. John’s will look to pick up a second NET Top 15 win against Arizona in San Francisco. The Red Storm stunned the 12th-rated West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big East/Big 12 Battle two weeks ago.

Top 50 vs. 51—100 (3 Games)

Group 2 for the team on the left; Group 1 for the team on the right only (2/1)

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1) vs. 74. Kentucky Wildcats (8-2) at Las Vegas, approx. 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
2. San Diego State Aztecs (11-0) vs. 60. Utah Utes (9-2) at Los Angeles, 6:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks Mountain (full game) & National (second half only))
47. LSU Tigers (7-3) vs. 77. USC Trojans (9-2) at Staples Center, Los Angeles, approx. 9 p.m. (FS1)

On Wednesday, Kentucky lost the first game of a two-contest Vegas residency to Utah, and the Wildcats will have to up their performance considerably to knock off an Ohio State team that has a real shot to be No. 1 on Monday. As for the Utes, they travel to Los Angeles for a Hall of Fame Classic matchup with a San Diego State team that was top of the NET earlier this week. The second half of that Staples Center doubleheader sees USC make the short trip from campus to meet an LSU team that was blown out by the ETSU Buccaneers in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.

51—100 vs. 51—100 (2 Games)

Group 2 for both teams (2/2)

56. Utah State Aggies (11-2) vs. 63. Florida Gators (7-3) at Sunrise, Fla., approx. 2:30 p.m. (FS1/FS Florida)
88. Belmont Bruins (8-3) vs. 92. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-5) at Huntsville, Ala., 3:30 p.m. (SECN)

Utah State needed overtime to defeat South Florida at the Battleground 2K19 on Wednesday night, and now both teams will find themselves in Sunrise, Fla. for the Orange Bowl Classic this afternoon. The Aggies take the floor in the second game of the day, when they’ll meet a Florida team that hopes to build upon Tuesday’s dominant victory over Providence in Brooklyn. In Huntsville, meanwhile, Belmont will have the opportunity to pick up its second power conference win of the season (after Boston College on November 16th) in a semi-road contest against Bama.

51–100 vs. 101–200 (2 Games)

Group 3 for the team on the left; Group 2 for the team on the right only (3/2)

98. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-5) vs. 163. UCLA Bruins (7-4) at Las Vegas, 3 p.m. (CBS)
62. Saint Louis Billikens (9-2) vs. 122. Kansas State Wildcats (6-4) at Kansas City, 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))

With both UNC and UCLA struggling this season, the CBS Sports Classic’s pairings are a bit more on point than expected. Last November, the Tar Heels defeated the Bruins in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Arena by a 94-78 score. I doubt today’s game will reach that total! Over in Kansas City, a pair of 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifiers meet. It’s the second semi-road contest in as many Saturdays for both teams. The Billikens lost to Auburn in Birmingham and K-State fell to Mississippi State in Newark, N.J., with both games ending with identical 67-61 scores.

31–75 at 136–240 (1 Game)

Group 3 for the visitor; Group 2 for the host only (3/2)

42. Texas Longhorns (9-1) at 157. Providence Friars (6-6) (Big East/Big 12 Battle), 2 p.m. (Fox)

Exactly one year ago, the Friars defeated the Longhorns by a 71-65 score in Austin. Given how Providence has struggled so far this season, they could use a similar result at home this afternoon.

76–160 at 76–135 (1 Game)

Group 2 for the visitor only; Group 3 for the host (2/3)

90. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7-3) at 78. Rhode Island Rams (6-3), 2 p.m. (YUR TV New England/ESPN+ ($))

The Rams last played 15 days ago, a 75-61 home win over in-state rival Providence. Today, they’ll play the first of two C-USA opponents in a row (and three on the season), a Hilltoppers squad that defeated Arkansas after OT two weeks ago.

101—200 vs. Top 50 (2 Games)

Group 1 for the team on the left only; Group 3 for the team on the right (1/3)

110. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-3) vs. 31. Indiana Hoosiers (10-1) at Indianapolis, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
159. South Florida Bulls (6-5) vs. 25. Florida State Seminoles (9-2) at Sunrise, Fla., 12 p.m. (FS2/FS Florida)

In the first game of the Crossroads Classic, Notre Dame will look to defeat Indiana for the first time since 2013. Meanwhile, the Orange Bowl Classic’s opener is an in-state matchup between a South Florida team that has yet to defeat a power conference foe this season and an FSU squad that can win its third game of the season against an in-state opponent.

76–160 at Top 75 (5 Games)

Group 1 for the visitor only; Group 3 for the host (1/3)

126. Rider Broncs (7-2) at 57. Temple Owls (7-3), 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
107. UCF Knights (9-2) at 50. Oklahoma Sooners (7-3), 2 p.m. (FS Oklahoma)
84. Eastern Washington Eagles (7-3) at 4. Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-1), 5 p.m. (KHQ/Root Sports/AT&T SN Rocky Mtn. & SW/WCC Network)
148. Eastern Michigan Eagles (9-1) at 27. Michigan State Spartans (8-3), 7 p.m. (BTN)
120. Northern Kentucky Norse (8-3) at 72. UNCG Spartans (9-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))

If you’re looking for upset potential, you could do worse than these five games which all feature strong home teams facing tricky opponents days before Christmas break.

101–200 vs. 101–200 (1 Game)

Group 3 for both teams

136. Boston College Eagles (7-5) vs. 166. California Golden Bears (6-5) at San Francisco, approx. 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National & Bay Area)

Don’t expect there to be a huge crowd at Chase Center to see teams likely to finish at or near the bottom of the ACC and Pac-12.

31–75 at 241–353 (2 Games)

Group 4 for the visitor; Group 2 for the host only (4/2)

68. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (9-2, 1-0 Southland) at 257. McNeese State Cowboys (5-6, 0-0), 4 p.m. (McNeese stream)
43. Oregon State Beavers (9-1) at 279. Texas A&M Aggies (4-5), 8:30 p.m. (SECN)

SFA can move to 2-0 in Southland play by ruining McNeese’s conference opener. In College Station, Texas A&M will look to return to the .500 mark by defeating surprising Oregon State. However, the Aggies have yet to defeat a power opponent (including Gonzaga in that group) this season (0-3).

161–353 at 76–135 (3 Games)

Group 2 for the visitor only; Group 4 for the host (2/4)

197. Coppin State Eagles (4-8) at 81. Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes (7-3), 2 p.m. (ACCN)
200. UC Davis Aggies (5-8) at 76. San Francisco Dons (9-3), 5 p.m. (WCC Network)
206. North Florida Ospreys (7-6) at 80. Syracuse Orange (6-5), 6 p.m. (ACCN)

Miami closes out its non-conference schedule with a home contest against Coppin State, while Syracuse still has a visit from the Niagara Purple Eagles to follow today’s matchup with a potentially tricky UNF squad.

201–353 vs. Top 50 (2 Games)

Group 1 for the team on the left only; Group 4 for the team on the right (1/4)

337. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (3-7) vs. 48. Ole Miss Rebels (7-3) at Jackson, Miss., 2 p.m. (SEC Network+)
214. San Diego Toreros (6-7) vs. 11. Stanford Cardinal (10-1) at San Francisco, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National & Bay Area)

161–353 at Top 75 (12 Games)

Group 1 for the visitor only; Group 4 for the host (1/4)

263. Samford Bulldogs (6-7) at 30. Georgetown Hoyas (8-3), 12 p.m. (FS1)
336. Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-8) at 19. Michigan Wolverines (8-3), 12 p.m. (BTN)
310. Jackson State Tigers (3-8) at 16. Memphis Tigers (9-1), 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
258. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (4-7) at 46. Tennessee Volunteers (7-3), 1 p.m. (SEC Network+)
320. UTRGV Broncs (4-7) at 40. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-3), 2 p.m. (FSN)
315. VMI Keydets (5-7) at 64. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3), 4 p.m. (ACCN)
230. UMBC Retrievers (6-7) at 75. George Mason Patriots (10-1), 4 p.m. (MASN/ESPN+ ($))
227. Milwaukee Panthers (5-6) at 49. Wisconsin Badgers (5-5), 5 p.m. (BTN)
269. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-7) at 8. Auburn Tigers (10-0), 6 p.m. (SECN)
164. Northwestern Wildcats (5-5) at 45. DePaul Blue Demons (11-1), 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
286. Weber State Wildcats (4-6) at 38. BYU Cougars (9-4), 9 p.m. (BYU TV)
187. Texas Southern Tigers (3-7) at 13. Oregon Ducks (9-2), 10:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks National & Oregon)

The 14 home/quasi-home teams above are 57-1 against Quadrant 4 opponents so far this season. The lone loss, DePaul to the 165th-ranked Buffalo Bulls on December 8th. Of course, the Blue Demons face arguably the most difficult opponent here, local rival Northwestern. However, Texas Southern did win in Eugene last November.

Chronological Schedule

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