The Week Ahead

Long Beach State at Texas (Monday): The Big West favorite has already defeated UCLA; can they throw a scare into the Longhorns?

Butler vs. Georgetown (Tuesday): Butler struggled in the 76 Classic, while Georgetown  has coasted to a 6-0 record. Expect offensive efficiency by both teams.

Vanderbilt at Illinois (Tuesday): Illinois has been somewhat disappointing thus far, but the Illini have a chance to bounce back against Vandy.

Xavier at Kansas State (Tuesday): Xavier might no longer be the A-10 favorite, but the Musketeers aren’t going anywhere. KSU is coming off a 17-point thrashing of Washington State.

Pittsburgh at Indiana (Tuesday): After Pitt’s embarrassing offensive display against New Hampshire, Indiana might have more offensive talent than the Panthers.

Arizona State at BYU (Tuesday): Arizona State looks like it could be better than expected in the Pac-10, while BYU is still a MWC favorite.

Duquesne at West Virginia (Wednesday): Duquesne let a win over Pittsburgh slip through its fingers, but they have another shot at WVU.

Radford at Kansas (Wednesday): Radford is going to be one of the better low-majors in the NCAA Tournament, but threatening Kansas is too much to ask.

Kentucky vs. Connecticut (Wednesday): Storylines galore in this match-up. John Calipari and Jim Calhoun don’t like each other all that much, dating back to Cal’s days at UMass. Should be the best game of the week.

Idaho at Washington State (Wednesday): Idaho is coming off of a dominant win over Portland, while Washington State was blown out by Kansas State.

DePaul vs. Mississippi State (Thursday): DePaul has struggled without Mac Koshwal, while MSU has looked better since a couple of early losses.

Syracuse vs. Florida (Thursday): Another Big East-SEC showdown this week. Both teams have been very impressive in the early going, with ‘Cuse winning the NIT Season Tip-Off and Florida defeating Michigan State.

Old Dominion at Dayton (Friday): Two non-BCS teams to potentially watch come March. ODU is a CAA favorite, and Dayton is a legit Sweet Sixteen threat.

Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt (Friday): Western Kentucky has struggled so far this season, but a win at Vandy would really give them momentum.