With early round action wrapping up in the slew of early-season tournaments, fans are now being treated to a host of great match-ups involving top teams across the country. The Puerto Rico Tip-Off started its quarterfinal slate earlier today, while the four premier teams in the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic square off in Madison Square Garden tonight. We’ll be back later tonight with some thoughts on the Longhorn victory over Western Carolina, but in the meantime enjoy the games below…

#24 Syracuse (2-0) vs. #12 California (2-0) | 6 P.M. CST | ESPN2

Both teams have yet to live up to their hype this year, with Syracuse stumbling in a pre-season exhibition game and the Golden Bears failing to put away Murray State in their season opener. In the big picture, a win tonight is much more important for a Cal team that will be playing a much weaker conference schedule than the Orange and will need quality non-conf wins to boost their profile.

Be on the lookout for ‘Cuse sophomore Scoop Jardine in this one, as he enters the game with 13 assists in the first two contests. If facing “real” opponents cuts into his playing time, those gaudy numbers will surely decline. But if he performs at that level against Cal, you can be sure hoops commentators across the country will be taking notice.

Sam Houston State (2-0) at #5 Kentucky (2-0) | 6 P.M. CST | ESPN FC1
It’s certainly not a match-up of the same caliber as the games in Madison Square Garden, but this one does give fans another early chance to catch Coach Cal’s loaded Wildcats. Potential Freshman of the Year John Wall dropped 19 points in his collegiate debut on Monday night, but none were more important than the two he added at the buzzer to knock off upset-minded Miami of Ohio. Kentucky fans hope things will be a little less intense in this one, while Wall and Patrick Patterson look to lead the team to a 3-0 start.

#15 Ohio State (2-0) vs. #4 North Carolina (3-0) | 8 P.M. CST | ESPN2
Another high-quality match-up from MSG, as the Buckeyes look to break out against a Carolina team that is loaded with freshman talent. For Ohio State, the man to watch is Evan Turner, a Player of the Year candidate who started the season with a triple-double and is averaging a ridiculous 19 points, 17 rebounds, and seven dimes through the first two games. Fans will also want to keep an eye on how Dallas Lauderdale does against UNC’s frontcourt, easily the best in the nation. Lauderdale is slowly coming back from breaking his finger in the pre-season, and tonight he’ll certainly have his mending hands full with the Tar Heel big men.

Central Arkansas (1-1) at #1 Kansas (2-0) | 7 P.M. CST | ESPN FC2
Kansas survived a close call in St. Louis on Tuesday night, as Memphis missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer which would have won the game. You can be sure that Coach Bill Self has used that narrow victory as motivation over the last fourty-eight hours. And that’s very bad news for the visiting Bears.

Utah Valley State (1-1) at #18 Minnesota (2-0) | 7 P.M. CST | Big Ten Network
The Golden Gophers scored 106 points in the second halves of their first two games, running away with both of them by a combined margin of 77 points. Things shouldn’t be getting any tougher against the Wolverines tonight. The game will be a nice warm-up for the Gophers’ upcoming neutral-site showdown with Butler, but it’s likely only worth a glance during commercials of the other contests.

La Salle (1-0) at South Carolina (2-0) | 8:30 P.M. CST | ESPNU
The SEC already has a black eye this year, as Mississippi State lost by double digits to Rider at home last week. Picked to finish near the bottom of the conference this year, South Carolina could earn a little credibility back for the league with a win over a top A-10 team. Helping the Gamecocks’ chances is the fact that this game in Charleston, SC is practically a home date.

With today marking the earliest date that teams could schedule non-exempt games (read: non-tournament games), college basketball will truly be tipping off all across the nation. Most of the games on tonight’s slate are going to be pure snoozers, but for fans hoping to get a look at the year’s top teams, ESPN and its Full Court package offer an early treat.

Morehead State at #5 Kentucky – 5:30 PM CST, ESPNU – Even though John Wall isn’t playing, the Wildcats certainly will not be lacking talent in their season opener. Returning superstar Patrick Patterson leads Kentucky as they begin their quest for another championship banner to hang in Rupp.

William & Mary at #14 Connecticut – 6:30 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – Texas fans can get an early look at the Huskies, who will host the Longhorns in a huge non-conference match-up in January. All eyes will be on the UConn backcourt, where the experienced leadership of Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson should anchor another salty squad for Coach Calhoun.

Idaho State at Iowa State – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – Not much appeal in this one beyond the potato and corn fields of America. Unless, of course, you’re a basketball writer with a Big 12 focus who has been waiting seven long months for this week to arrive…

Hofstra at #1 Kansas – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – The Jayhawks not only brought back the bulk of a team that won the Big 12 title in 2009, but added even more talent with a recruiting class highlighted by the talented Xavier Henry. If the football team doesn’t come on court to renew their bad blood with the Jayhawk hoopsters, this one should be in the books early.

Loyola (Illinois) at Kansas State – 7:00 P.M. CST, ESPN FC – The best team no one is talking about in the Big 12 is K-State, who returns Denis Clemente and five other upperclassmen. In addition to the speedy guard — who lit up Texas for 44 points last season — Coach Frank Martin will rely on the talents of freshman forward Wally Judge, one of the top newcomers in the nation.

Wright State vs. #13 Washington – 9:00 PM CST, FSN – Many pundits are picking the Cal Bears to claim the Pac-10 title, but the defending-champion Huskies will be far from a pushover. Guard Isaiah Thomas looks to build on last season’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, while highly-touted recruit Abdul Gaddy will be joining him in the backcourt. With big man Quincy Pondexter on campus for another year, Washington’s inside-out attack should get the season off to a running start against the Raiders.

The college basketball season is now just fifteen minutes away. Here are your TV listings for the night:

Florida International at #4 North Carolina – 6 P.M. CST, ESPNU
The biggest story of the night will undoubtedly be the regular-season coaching debut of Isiah Thomas, although the new may have already started wearing off following a loss to the NAIA’s Northwood in an exhibition on Wednesday night. For the defending-champion Tar Heels, the key storyline in early November will be how the team moves forward following the loss of Tyler Hansborough, Wayne Ellington, and Ty Lawson. The return of Marcus Ginyard following last year’s foot injury will definitely provide senior leadership, something the Heels will likely need for their quintet of ESPN Top 100 recruits.

Alcorn State at #17 Ohio State – 6 P.M. CST, Big Ten Network
This is a guaranteed yawner from the opening rounds of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, but fans will get their first look at how the Buckeyes have matured following an offseason where nearly the entire team returned. The only key piece missing from last year’s squad is big man B.J. Mullens, who left for the NBA after just one season. Dallas Lauderdale will be expected to fill the void this year, although he will likely be missing this early season matchup as he recovers from a broken finger he suffered in preseason practices.

Albany at #25 Syracuse – 8 P.M. CST, ESPNU
Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson lit up the scoreboard in Syracuse’s exhibition on Tuesday night, dropping in 17 second-half points en route to a 22-point performance. Unfortunately for the Orange, it came in an embarrassing loss to D-II school Le Moyne. To be fair, Syracuse was experimenting with man-to-man for much of the game, a drastic departure from Jim Boheim’s famously stingy zone D. But the result certainly raises eyebrows in a season where pundits are wondering if this young Syracuse team can handle the rigors of the Big East conference. A convincing win over the visiting Danes would help to wash away some of the bad taste that is already tainting this season.

Murray State at #12 California – 10 P.M. CST, ESPNU
In what is likely going to be a down year for the Pac-10 Conference, hopes are high for the talented and experienced Golden Bears. Cal returns four starters from last year’s team, including a pair of senior guards in Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle. It’s a well-proven axiom that solid backcourt play leads to quality results in March, so many expect the Bears to be dancing into the second weekend. If you can’t stay up to watch this one, be sure to set the DVR and get your first look at the Best Team Nobody Knows.

The first piece of the 2009-10 Longhorn lineup puzzle has fallen into place, as Dexter Pittman announced his decision to return for his senior season in an April Fools Day press conference. Despite joking about being courted by football coach Mack Brown at the start of the presser, Pittman was completely serious in discussing the progress he still hopes to make with strength coach Todd Wright. “This season was only me scratching the surface,” the big man told reporters.

With freshmen Jordan Hamilton, Shawn Williams, and Avery Bradley joining the team next season along with transfer Jai Lucas, one Longhorn will have to leave the team or play without a scholarship. Now that Pittman has announced his decision, that leaves only Damion James as an early-entry candidate for the NBA.

On a side note, Texas fans who want a glimpse of the future can see Bradley in tonight’s McDonald’s All-American Game at 7 P.M. CDT on ESPN2.

National Broadcasts (All times Eastern)

West Virginia Mountaineers (13-4, 3-2 Big East) at #12 Georgetown Hoyas (12-4, 2-2) | 7 PM, ESPN
The Hoyas are looking to start piling up wins in conference play now that the toughest stretch is behind them. Despite the league placing eight teams in the top twenty-five, the next six games for Georgetown include only one ranked opponent. The Mountaineers, unfortunately, have no such luck. After traveling to face Georgetown tonight, they will take on Pitt and Louisville before the end of January. For two teams stuck in the middle of a packed conference, this could very well be a turning point.

#18 Purdue Boilermakers (14-4, 3-2 Big 10) at #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-2, 4-2) | 7 PM, ESPN2
Michigan State’s home loss to Northwestern has cracked the door open in the Big 10, and these two teams are the ones best positioned to take advantage. Sure, the Golden Gophers had their own loss to the Wildcats on Sunday, but they have the privilege of only playing the Boilermakers once — and having home court in tonight’s match-up. The Spartans, who now lead the conference by only one game, still have two-games on tap with Purdue. If Minnesota can hold home court tonight, they could reap the rewards as the other contenders knock each other off.

St. Louis Billikens (11-6, 2-1 Atlantic 10) at Temple Owls (9-7, 1-1) | 8 PM, CBS College Sports
If you’re fortunate enough to get this channel, you might be disappointed that the A-10 game on the air tonight isn’t Dayton’s visit to Foggy Bottom. But if you happen to tune into this contest between two of the conference middle-tier squads, you’ll be treated to the play of star Dionte Christmas, who is leading the way with 21 points and six boards.

St. Mary’s Gaels (17-1, 4-0 WCC) at San Diego Toreros (12-7, 4-0) | 9 PM, ESPN2
The WCC has quietly built itself into a power conference at the top, with Gonzaga still statistically ranked as one of the best teams in the land. But it’s the emergence of St. Mary’s and San Diego that have made the league stronger. San Diego crashed the NCAAs last year with a win in the conference tournament before shocking the country with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Meanwhile, the Gaels have earned all sorts of pub with their Australian pipeline, which has brought previously unheralded players such as Patty Mills and made them stars in the states. While this may seem like an unimportant game to the casual viewer, it’s actually a must-win if either team hopes to challenge the Zags this year.

#13 UCLA Bruins (14-3, 4-1 Pac-10) at Washington State Cougars (11-6, 3-2) | 9 PM, FSN
After stumbling early in the season against Michigan and Texas, the Bruins have quietly plugged along, having won ten straight games prior to Saturday’s overtime loss to Arizona State. The loss dropped the Bruins into a three-way tie for the league lead with Cal and Washington, who they will face this weekend. Ben Howland’s team can’t afford to look ahead to that match-up, though, as guard Taylor Rochestie lit up Oregon this weekend to the tune of 30 points. And the Cougars will certainly be fired up in front of the home crowd, as they hope to exorcise the demons of an eight-game losing streak to the Bruins.

USC Trojans (12-5, 3-2 Pac-10) at Washington Huskies (13-4, 4-1) | 11 PM, FSN
Coach Tim Floyd has brought a frustrating brand of defense to Los Angeles, which has turned the Trojans from a conference also-ran to a contender in just a few seasons. Never was that defensive transformation more apparent than Thursday night, when USC absolutely shut down Arizona State’s National Player of the Year candidate James Harden. The super soph, who has averaged 22 points per contest, was stifled by the Trojans, going 0-for-8 from the field and finishing with only four points from the line. USC will have to spread out that solid defense tonight, though, as the Huskies run a balanced attack with four players averaging double-digits in scoring.

ESPN Full Court

Not a lot to choose from on the pay package tonight, but if you want to be the guy who predicts the 14-seed upsets come March, you might get some added intel from this set of games.

Vermont Catamounts at Hartford Hawks | 7:30 PM, ESPNFC1

UW-Milwaukee Panthers at Valparaiso Crusaders | 8 PM, ESPNFC2

New Mexico State Aggies at Boise State Broncos | 9 PM, ESPNFC4

It’s not exactly a night that will keep you glued to the couch, which might seem obvious when Ohio State and Illinois play in the headliner…

Top 25 Action

Ohio State (13-3 overall, 3-2 Big 10) at #25 Illinois (15-3, 3-2) | 7 PM ET, ESPN
Bruce Weber and the Illini have bounced back from an awful 2007-08 season much faster than anyone might have expected, but a tough stretch to open conference play has left them in the middle of the standings. Ohio State finds itself in the middle of that same pack, but enters tonight’s game in Champaign as winners of five straight against Illinois. The Buckeyes will have their work cut out for them, however, as they are ranked 250th in the country in offensive rebounding and are facing the nation’s 10th-ranked defense.

North Carolina State (10-5 overall, 1-2 ACC) at #2 Duke (16-1, 3-0) | 8 ET, ESPN Full Court
Duke has been playing absolutely lights out as of late, most recently shutting down Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor. They are sporting an NCAA-best +0.345 efficiency differential, just ahead of their Tobacco Road rival, North Carolina. In simpler terms, the Blue Devils outscore their opponents by 0.345 points per possession, which means that even if the Wolfpack can slow things down to their tempo, they will only lose by……approximately 22 points. Uh oh.

Big 12 Games

Colorado (8-8 overall, 0-2 Big 12) at Texas Tech (10-7, 0-2) | 8 PM ET, ESPN Full Court
It’s a game matching two teams that have the potential to be the absolute worst squads in the Big 12! If that doesn’t scream “must watch,” I’m not sure what else does. Perhaps a marathon of the Ryan Seacrest-produced reality show, Momma’s Boys?

Around the country

Tennessee (11-5 overall, 2-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (12-5, 1-2) | 9 PM ET, ESPN
Last year, these two teams put on one of the most exciting games of the season, as the Commodores eked out a three-point win over their cross-state rivals, who had just reached No. 1 for the first time in school history. This year, there’s not nearly as much on the line, but excitement is still on tap. Just ask stat guru Ken Pomeroy, who hopes his new FanMatch feature can pinpoint the most intriguing match-ups of the night. And according to Mr. Pomeroy’s brand-spanking-new ranking system, this particular Battle of Tennessee has a 71.7% chance of kicking major ass. Guaranteed.

The Big 12 Conference revealed the 2008-09 men’s basketball schedule yesterday, a slate which includes three Big Monday appearances for the Longhorns. The weekly spotlight on ESPN opens with this year’s contest between Texas and Oklahoma, with Rick Barnes’ crew also playing on Monday nights against Texas A&M (February 16th) and in a home game against Baylor (March 2nd).

The full conference schedule is available on the league website, while the Texas schedule is compiled here for your convenience.

Texas’ 2008-09 Big 12 Schedule
Saturday, January 10th – vs. Iowa State
Monday, January 12th – at Oklahoma (ESPN)
Saturday, January 17th – at Texas Tech
Saturday, January 24th – vs. Texas A&M (ESPNU)
Tuesday, January 27th – at Baylor
Saturday, January 31st – vs. Kansas State
Wednesday, February 4th – vs. Missouri (ESPN2)
Saturday, February 7th – at Nebraska (ESPN)
Tuesday, February 10th – vs. Oklahoma State
Saturday, February 14th – at Colorado (ESPN)
Monday, February 16th – at Texas A&M (ESPN)
Saturday, February 21st – vs. Oklahoma (ESPN)
Wednesday, February 25th – vs. Texas Tech (ESPN2)
Saturday, February 28th – at Oklahoma State (ESPN)
Monday, March 2nd – vs. Baylor (ESPN)
Saturday, March 7th – at Kansas (CBS)

An in-progress composite schedule will pop up here on the site later this afternoon, which will include the non-conference games that have been confirmed, along with any dates that have been announced. Check the top menu bar under “Schedules” to find the 2008-09 slate once it’s added.

Lots and lots of news for the Horns now that the regular season has come to a close. And that starts with the Big 12 conference awards, where Rick Barnes took home Coach of the Year in a season where his Longhorns set a school record for regular season victories. D.J. Augustin was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team, while A.J. Abrams and Damion James were named to the second team. The king of hustle, Justin Mason, was named to the All-Defensive Team.

In the latest Bracketology from Joe Lunardi, the Horns are still a 2-seed playing in the Phoenix regional with UCLA as the 1-seed. God forbid this projection actually holds, as good ol’ Joe has a potential second-round match-up for Texas with Arkansas…in Little Rock. Hardcore amateur bracketologists will be happy to know that Joe is now going daily with his picks from until Selection Sunday.

Andy Glockner’s Bubble Watch — now also a daily feature — has the Big 12 with three “locks” in Texas, Kansas, and OU. He feels that Baylor and K-State are solidly in, and barring a Bear implosion against Colorado on Thursday, I would have to agree. That leaves A&M in the “work left to do” category, which could be something of a misnomer. As long as the bubble doesn’t contract further with cinderella auto-bids, the Aggies should be fine. But while they don’t actually need another win, they certainly can’t afford to somehow lose to Iowa State.

While everybody is focused on seeds and bubbles, there is still that weekly tradition of the polls, which saw Texas climb to 6th in the AP and 8th in the ESPN/USA Today.

Although there’s no Big Monday, there’s more tournament action from Championship Week tonight. Auto-bids will be handed out in the Southern Conference (8 PM CST, ESPN2), where bubble team fans will be pulling hard for Davidson. At the same time, those nervous folks will be hoping that Gonzaga can stave off San Diego in the WCC Championship (8 PM CST, ESPN). And just underway in Albany, Rider and Siena are battling for the MAAC title on ESPN2.

There’s somebody laughing at me over in the Big 12 offices, as having two road games in a week played in far-off locales is really doing a number on my hours of sleep and amount of writing on the website. Trying to cram 40 hours of work into a week that also includes trips to and from Manhattan, Kansas and Lubbock, Texas leaves me with little time to get caught up around here. So, apologies for the lack of content beyond Fast Breaks this week, and a promise to hit you guys with this week’s blogpoll and some notes from the K-State game tonight and/or tomorrow night. For now, on to the news from around the interwebs.

The losses by Memphis and then Tennessee left the power rankings in disarray this week, and Luke Winn took the opportunity to revisit his top seven teams. When all was said and done, he shot Texas all the way to the #1 slot. Hope there’s not an SI.com curse, too…

Texas climbed to fifth in ESPN’s Power 16 this week, grabbing first-place votes from Hubert Davis and Doug Gottlieb. Dick Vitale continued his irrational voting, slotting the Longhorns in 11th behind the likes of Stanford, who has the same number of losses as Texas. Of course, the Cardinal has faced the 97th-toughest schedule in the country, while Texas has played the 3rd-toughest. Sure, polls are meaningless. But the fact that this guy actually has a vote in the AP poll is re-god-damned-diculous.

Grant Wahl has an article today exposing some truly despicable fan behavior, including death threats towards Kevin Love and bottles of water thrown at the family of Eric Gordon. I’ve heard some bad things yelled in the O-Zone at the Frank Erwin Center, but nothing like this. I suppose I’m fortunate that I haven’t run into any truly dicey situations on the road, but I’m also not related to a big-time recruit who “betrayed” a fan base. I have no problem with the student sections yelling things at the players on the court, because that’s a part of the game — but assault and homophobia need to be left in the backwoods.

There’s not enough time to do a full TV listing post tonight, but you definitely want to fire up the Tivo for a lot of great match-ups. Notre Dame and Louisville kick things off (6 PM CST, ESPN) followed by a key battle between Michigan State and Wisconsin in the Big 10 (8 PM CST, ESPN2). Thursday night also means Pac-10, so fans can check out USC/Arizona (8 PM CST, ESPN) or Washington State/Cal (10 PM CST, FSN).

The website was inexplicably unavailable for about an hour and a half this afternoon. Apologies for the downtime, as the adventures of Michael Beasley and the recording iPod are certainly life-changing. Now, on to tonight’s TV listings, which could be useful for those folks not watching Clinton and Obama live from the UT Rec Sports Center…

Pittsburgh (19-6 overall, 7-5 Big East) at #21 Notre Dame (19-5, 9-3) – 6 PM CST, ESPN
Levance Fields had a quiet return to the Panther lineup on Friday night, but his presence is huge for a Pitt squad that lost four games in his absence. They are still without Mike Cook, but are hoping that Fields can provide a bigger boost in his second game back — a boost big enough to, say, snap Notre Dame’s 34-game home winning streak?

Massachusetts (16-9 overall, 5-6 A-10) at Rhode Island (20-6, 6-5) – 6 PM CST, ESPN2
It’s a rare chance to see some Atlantic 10+4 basketball for folks who don’t have the CSTV network, so you may want to tune in. The Rams have been fairly average in conference play and missed a chance to land a huge win when they fell short against Xavier on Monday night. This could be their last chance to secure a victory against the RPI Top 50 before the conference tourney, so this bubble-licious team really needs to grab the W tonight.

Michigan (8-17 overall, 4-9 Big 10) at Minnesota (15-9, 5-7) – 8 PM CST, ESPN
Tubby Smith and John Beilein are two high-profile coaches in their first year rebuilding programs in the upper Midwest. And though they say that coaches are the true superstars of college hoops, I don’t think these two have the drawing power to make watching this one worth your time.

Oregon (15-10 overall, 6-7 Pac-10) at USC (15-9, 6-6) – 10 PM CST, FSN
Andy Glockner still has both the Ducks and Trojans in the “Work Left to Do” category of his latest Bubble Watch. Neither can really afford to lose this game and dip below .500 in league play…or further below it in Oregon’s case.