Big Monday expands to the U this week, with the sister station airing a couple of mid-major tilts and a mid-pack match-up from the WCC. The usual Big East/Big 12 combo on the flagship looks to be pretty solid, while the nightcap is one you should definitely stay up for.

Louisville (16-6 overall, 6-3 Big East) at #16 Marquette (16-4, 6-3) – 6 PM CST, ESPN – Louisville is getting back into the swing of things, winning seven of their last nine heading into tonight’s Big East throwdown. But those two losses for the Cards both came on the road, and you can be sure that the Bradley Center and its giant celebrity cutouts will be ready for the ‘Ville.

Grambling State (3-12 overall, 3-5 SWAC) at Mississippi Valley State (7-12, 5-3) – 6 PM CST, ESPNU – I’m not even going to pretend to know anything about SWAC basketball, but it’s nice to see the U bumping up its coverage of the smaller D-1 schools as conference play marches on.

Villanova (13-7 overall) at St. Joseph’s (14-5 overall) – 7 PM CST, CSTV – Nova and St. Joe’s take a break from their conference schedules to battle it out in the Holy War tonight, and if you’ve got CSTV you should give this one a look. There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of a Big Five game, and the fans will be fired up over this one.

Missouri (13-9 overall, 3-4 Big 12) at #5 Kansas (21-2, 6-1) – 8 PM CST, ESPN – One of the nastiest rivalries in college sports is rekindled tonight in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won the first meeting this year by a 76-70 count in Columbia and the Tigers would love to return the favor. But the altercation at a nightclub a week ago still has this Mizzou team playing shorthanded, so things could get very ugly tonight.

Hampton (12-7 overall, 6-1 MEAC) at North Carolina A&T (11-9, 5-2) – Two teams near the top of the MEAC standings battle it out for conference supremacy. But in all honesty, does this game matter in a one-bid league where only the tournament champion will be dancing?

Gonzaga (17-5 overall, 6-0 WCC) at #23 Saint Mary’s (18-3, 5-1) – 10 PM CST, ESPN2 – Game. Of. The. Night. Perhaps I’m a bit biased as I’m already planning a Pac-10/WCC road trip for next season, but this epic battle atop the West Coast Conference is going to be ridiculously exciting. The small gyms these teams play in are always electric for big games, and the Gaels are hoping to finally overcome the Gonzaga stranglehold on the WCC. Drink some coffee, pop some No-Doze, or just take a nap during the Mizzou/Kansas game. But whatever you do, don’t miss this one.

Portland (7-15 overall, 1-5 WCC) at Santa Clara (11-10, 3-3) – 10 PM CST, ESPNU – More WCC excitement over on the U, but it’s a bit overshadowed by the game down in Moraga. Santa Clara is hoping to break from the pack with a home win tonight and keep within arm’s reach of the three teams running away with it. Portland is scuttling, so hopefully they don’t lay down and take a beating in this one.