The great thing about the start of a new year is that all the major conferences finally get their schedules underway, which means there are intriguing match-ups on TV six days a week. And if you’ve got the ESPN Full Court package, you can even find some obscure shit on Friday nights if you’re sitting at home.

Tonight there are some interesting ones to watch in the Big East, while I’ll be keeping an eye on Missouri beating the crap out of a local patsy. I’ve got three or four other MU games waiting on the DVR to watch, so I think I’ll probably know Stefhon Hannah’s favorite flavor of bubblegum before we drive to Columbia on Friday.

#11 Indiana (12-1) at Michigan (4-10) – 6 PM CST, ESPN
I feel sort of bad for John Beilein and the tough situation in Ann Arbor, but not bad enough to actually watch this snoozefest. Wake me when he gets some of his pasty white recruits on campus.

Bradley (7-8) at Southern Illinois (6-8) – 6 PM CST, ESPNU
Two of the most powerful mid-major darlings are struggling through sub-par seasons. You’ve got to like the Salukis at home, but they’ve rarely won the ones they should have this year.

Wichita State (8-6) at Missouri State (8-7) – 6 PM CST, ESPN2
Sigh.

Brown (8-5) at Baylor (11-2) – 7 PM CST, Fox Sports Southwest
This one is only on in Texas, but it’s worth a look if you haven’t seen the new and improved Bears. No, really.

#8 Georgetown (11-1) at DePaul (6-7) – 8 PM CST, ESPNU
Georgetown likely wins this one, but I really like the Demons to give them a scare. DePaul is a streaky team, and right now they are on a little tear. Combine that with G-town’s slow tempo, and there’s almost no way they get blown out. Of course, to pull it off, DePaul would first need to improve on free throw shooting…and rebounding…and closing out leads in the second half.

Florida (13-2) at Alabama (11-4) – 8 PM CST, ESPN2
The Gators are sporting a great record just a year after losing practically their entire championship team, but they’ve done it against a schedule of cupcakes. They’ll definitely be tested on the road in Tuscaloosa as the two teams open up SEC play.

For those with the ESPN Full Court package….

St. John’s (7-6) at Connecticut (10-3) – 6 PM CST
A perpetually rebuilding St. John’s program takes on the temporarily reloading UConn squad.

Loyola (6-8) at #3 Kansas (14-0) – 7 PM CST
If you’re into cruel and unusual punishment.

UMKC (5-11) at Missouri (9-5) – 7 PM CST
I realize that I have an addiction because I’m watching this. But they don’t have a 12-step program for it…yet.

Seton Hall (10-4) at #16 Marquette (11-2) – 7 PM CST
The Golden Eagles were surprised by West Virginia, but they should be fully ready for the Pirates tonight.

I’ve got to be at my McJob in less than an hour, so I’ll just throw out the sparse Sunday TV listings for those of you who won’t be tuned into the NFL playoffs. (Although really, all Longhorn fans should be watching VY against the Chargers.)

4:30 PM CST, FSN – Cornell (6-4) at #8 Duke (10-1)
6:30 PM CST, FSN – #1 North Carolina (14-0) at #19 Clemson (12-1)

I’d say that Clemson game is Carolina’s toughest test to date, but the Tigers are famous for chalking up a ton of early-season wins and then collapsing faster than Marie Osmond. Clemson gets this one at home, so it’ll be the first real road challenge for the Heels — sorry, but Rupp Arena doesn’t count this season — and perhaps we can finally learn something about this team beyond “they’re really good.”

For those of you with ESPN Full Court, here’s what’s on your plate today…

Right now – #13 Pittsburgh (12-1) at #16 Villanova (10-2)
Right now – Vermont (6-7) at Albany (5-8)
1 PM CST – #11 Marquette (11-1) at West Virginia (10-3)
2 PM CST – Xavier (11-3) at Auburn (9-2)
3:05 PM CST – Weber State (5-7) at Northern Colorado (6-8)
5 PM CST – St. Peter’s (4-9) at Siena (7-5)

The undefeated teams marched on Thursday night, as Memphis crushed overmatched Siena, 102-58 and Vandy ran away from Rice, 76-58. While Memphis doesn’t have any real threats until the end of the month, the Commodores start SEC play next Wednesday. They open with South Carolina, who will likely be without gunner Brandis Raley-Ross, and then head to Lexington to face a struggling Kentucky squad. That means the next threat to Vandy’s impressive streak will most likely come on January 17th when they head northeast to face in-state rival Tennessee.

Pac-10 play got underway out west last night, with three games on the slate. Arizona State needed a late comeback, but ultimately knocked off Oregon, 62-54. The Arizona Wildcats seem to be hitting their groove after a rough start, and continued their winning ways with a 76-63 victory over Oregon State at home. UCLA started their title defense on the road, topping Stanford, 76-67.

Is DePaul finally starting to put it together? The Blue Demons stumbled through a very difficult non-conf schedule (SOS of 27 according to Ken Pomeroy), blowing halftime leads in four of their seven losses. The worst of those came against Vanderbilt, who eliminated DePaul’s 18-point second-half advantage before winning in overtime. Last night, it seemed like Villanova was going to repeat the late-game comeback, as they trimmed an 11-point deficit down to only four points less than two minutes later. But the Blue Demons stepped up on defense, the Wildcats melted down, and Coach Jerry Wainwright watched his squad seal a third-straight victory. Can the Blue Demons right the ship and make some noise in the middle of an abnormally weak Big East?

When I was a kid, the A-10 was routinely on Big Monday and John Calipari had UMass an established power. Since then, the conference has…dropped off the map, to put it nicely. But this season, it seems that the Atlantic 10 could be in the hunt for multiple NCAA bids. Xavier is one of the top teams in the league, and they have played a challenging slate so far. Their 20th-ranked schedule and 11-3 mark is impressive, but last night’s 108-70 demolition of Virginia was absolutely ridiculous. The Cavaliers shared the ACC regular-season crown with UNC last season, and had a 10-2 mark before last night’s embarrassment. The X-Men already have a win over #11/12 Indiana on the resumé and fell just short of an upset of #8/9 Tennessee during the holidays. Watch out for the upstart Muskies the rest of the way.

Friday night means a lack of quality hoops, but those with a true addiction can check out Fairfield at Loyola (Maryland) on ESPNU at 6 PM CST.

It’s been a long, long day at work, so I’m going to cut right to the national TV listings and then get to wrapping up last night’s game against TCU. Fast Break should be back at full force tomorrow morning, along with another Horns in the League update.

5 PM CST – Virginia Tech at Richmond, CSTV
6 PM CST – West Virginia at Notre Dame, ESPN2
7 PM CST – Virginia at Xavier, CSTV
7 PM CST – Ohio State at Illinois, ESPN
8 PM CST – Villanova at DePaul, ESPN2
9:30 PM CST – UCLA at Stanford, FSN

A hearty welcome to all the football fans who may have made their way over here now that the pigskin season is officially over for UT. We hope you enjoy your stay in the world of college hoops, a wonderful place where computers don’t decide who plays in championship games and even the smallest of underdogs gets an equal shot in the best playoff in sports.

North Carolina steamrolled Nevada last night, but lost guard Bobby Frasor in the process. The junior guard tore his left ACL and will miss the rest of the season, but don’t immediately think this is a huge loss for the Heels. Frasor was only averaging 17 minutes and three points per game so far this year after missing a lot of action last season with a foot problem. While this might cause some extra wear and tear on starter Ty Lawson, the Heels still have five other reserve guards on the roster who can try to eat up minutes.

Closer to home, Big 12 foe Mizzou torched Coppin State, 72-38. Coach Mike Anderson shuffled his lineup in this one, putting Stefhon Hannah and DeMarre Carroll on the bench to open the game. Mizzou’s high-pressure defense stifled the Eagles all night, forcing 22 turnovers and holding them to only 25.5% shooting.

There’s mostly just bowl games on TV tonight, although there’s a little mid-major flavor on the U, where a highly-disappointing Southern Illinios team plays host to 17th-ranked Butler (8 PM CST, ESPNU). And although it’s not televised outside of the Deep South, Ole Miss puts their undefeated mark on the line when taking on cross-state rival Southern Miss in a neutral-site game at Southaven.