Virginia Tech (14-8 overall, 5-3 ACC) at NC State (14-7, 3-4) – 6 PM CST, ESPNU – The Wolfpack are quite possibly the most disappointing team of the year, but they are still in the mix for an at-large bid to the NCAAs. The key to their tournament push is the current stretch of nine games, six of which are on their home court. Tonight will certainly be a challenge for State though, as the V-Tech bigs will provide a good match-up for J.J. Hickson and Gavin Grant.

Michigan (5-16 overall, 1-8 Big Ten) at Ohio State (15-7, 6-3) – 6 PM CST, ESPN – Also known by its alternate title, “When Rivalry Week Goes Bad.” This might be an epic showdown on the gridiron, but until John Beilein gets his system and players in place, this series is going to be dominated by the Buckeyes.

#22 Florida (18-4 overall, 5-2 SEC) at #7 Tennessee (19-2, 6-1) – 8 PM CST, EPSN – The Baby Gators have made an incredible run to start the season, but they still have yet to record a truly marquee win. Thompson-Boling isn’t an easy place to steal a victory, but if Florida wants to loudly announce its presence as a legit young threat, escaping with an upset on the road would certainly do just that.

#11 Butler (19-2 overall, 8-2 Horizon) at Valparaiso (14-7, 5-4) – 8 PM CST, ESPN2 – The Bulldogs seem to be cruising through Horizon League play at this point, but their only two losses have both come on the road in conference play. Shawn Huff and the Crusaders hope to hand Butler a third tonight, but the senior-laden Bulldog squad is tough to rattle down the stretch.

Northern Iowa (14-8 overall, 6-5 MVC) at Creighton (15-6, 6-5) – 8 PM CST, ESPNU – It’s been an off year for both the Panthers and Jays, but a victory tonight could keep the winner in the hunt for second in the conference. Just three weeks ago, Creighton pulled off the 68-59 road win over NIU led by Nick Bahe’s 15/6 line. Tonight, the Panthers will be looking for tiny guard Jared Josten to lead the team to sweet revenge.

And here are the ESPN Full Court listings for those who are as addicted as I am…

South Florida (10-12 overall, 1-8 Big East) at #6 Georgetown (18-2, 8-1) – 6:30 PM CST – The Bulls live and die by the play of behemoth Kentrell Gransberry, but he’s having a tough time carrying the team all by himself. Against Georgetown on the road, USF might just want to roll over and play dead.

DePaul (9-12 overall, 4-5 Big East) at Providence (12-9, 3-6) – 6:30 PM CST – There’s a ton of good basketball being played night-in and night-out in the BEast, but this game certainly isn’t it. The Blue Demons have some raw talent but can’t ever seem to get it consistently clicking, while Providence has spent the last few weeks getting knocked around by the league’s upper-level teams. Ought to be quite the match-up.

#18 Texas A&M (18-4 overall, 4-3 Big 12) at Iowa State (13-9, 3-4) – 7 PM CST – It’s tough to say whether Hilton Coliseum will be rowdy for the ranked Aggies or if the rough conference start will keep Cyclone fans at home. If Iowa State actually has its true home-court advantage, Texas A&M’s well-documented road struggles could come into play once more. But I think it’s much more likely that the talented Aggie squad steamrolls the ‘Clones in this one.

#5 Kansas 90, Missouri 71 – Four of the five suspended Mizzou players returned for the Border War and foul trouble plagued the Kansas big men, but that still wasn’t enough to give the Tigers a chance in this one. Sasha Kaun had four personals while Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich each picked up three, but a twelve-point halftime lead was more than enough for Kansas to cruise. The Jayhawks won their fifth-straight game against Mizzou, led by Brandon Rush’s 19 points on the night.

Louisville 71, #16 Marquette 57 – Louisville overcame its recent road woes and put a stop to Marquette’s own home cooking with an easy win at the Bradley Center. The Cards held the Golden Eagles to only 32% shooting on the night and led by a comfortable margin the whole way, snapping a 14-game home winning streak in front of 17,736 Marquette faithful. The win puts the Cards firmly in third place in the Big East, just months after discipline problems and injuries appeared to leave the team rudderless.

#23 Saint Mary’s 89, Gonzaga 85 (OT) – The Game of the Night certainly lived up to its billing, as the fans in Moraga were treated to an extra five minutes of basketball before their hometown Gaels finally put away Gonzaga. It was the third home win over the Bulldogs in the last four years for the Gaels and moved their mark in the McKeon Pavilion to 13-0 on the year. Now the Zags, Gaels, and University of San Diego are all tied for first in the WCC, with each team getting one more crack at the other two before the regular season is complete.

Negligible movement in the polls this week, with the Horns sliding two spots to #12 in both rankings. The Jayhawk loss on Wednesday in Manhattan sent Kansas down a few rungs, slotting them 4th in the AP poll and 5th in the USA Today/ESPN ranking. Texas A&M and Kansas State were the other two Big 12 teams earning spots, with the Aggies sitting at 18th in both polls and the Wildcats checking in at 20th (AP) and 24th (Coaches). Baylor received votes from both the media and the coaches.

The big story this morning is, of course, the sudden departure of Bob Knight. His sudden retirement forces son Pat to hold the reins for the rest of Tech’s season, starting with a road game against Baylor on Wednesday. The odd timing has caused speculation that Knight was perhaps involved in another altercation, or that his wife’s medical problems have become too serious to allow the General to remain on the sidelines. I know I’m not alone in hoping that neither of these things are true, and wish Coach Knight the best of luck in his further endeavors. For two more (differing) views on the story, check in with William S. Reid at CNNSI.com or Pat Forde at ESPN.

Tuesday morning means another round of Bracketology to mull over. This time, Lunardi has the Longhorns as a 4-seed, one of six Big 12 teams in his field. Only the Big East has more in the hypothetical Big Dance, placing a full half of their 16-team conference in the mix. Other B-12 squads who were deemed worthy by Lunardi include Kansas (1-seed), K-State (3), Baylor (6), Texas A&M (7), and Oklahoma (10).

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.

#4 North Carolina 84, Florida State 73 (OT) – The Seminoles tied the game on a three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left in regulation, but the Tar Heels cruised in overtime to defeat upset-minded FSU on the road. The big story of the day, though, was the ankle injury to point guard Ty Lawson. Today his x-rays came back negative, but Coach Williams doesn’t think he’ll be ready for the huge showdown with Duke on Wednesday.

#11 Indiana 75, Northwestern 63 – Eric Gordon’s wrist injury doesn’t seem to be slowing him down any more, as he dropped in 29 points for IU at home. The Wildcats played remarkably well in Assembly Hall, staying within two points of the Hoosiers until the 10:32 mark of the second half. Good defense carried IU the rest of the way, keeping them just a half-game back of Purdue and Wisconsin in the Big Televen.

#13 Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 47 – The Badgers raced out of the gates on the road, never allowing Tubby Smith’s team a chance in this one. Wisconsin turned the tables on Minnesota and their pressure D, forcing 18 Golden Gopher turnovers that led to 20 points. It was Wisconsin’s third road win in the first half of conference play and their fifth overall.