College Basketball: Night Watch

As were approaching the end of January, the college hoops scene is beginning to kick up a bit. Conference scrambles are becoming more intense, top 25 teams are fighting to stay within the top tier, and mid-majors are looking for resume builders and every chance to impress the country.

And before I start, let me just say that Kyle Whelliston does an EXCELLENT job with the mid-major rankings.

Tonight marks a big day for the St. Mary’s Gaels. They get another opportunity to impress critics and hopefully break into the top 25 poll (which they should already be in).

At 9 PM et on ESPN2 tonight, Patty Mills and the Gaels face San Diego. I seriously cannot wait to see this one and will be praying for St. Mary’s to pull through against  the conference co-leader. Huge huge game for a conference that may only get two bids (and certainly, Gonzaga will get one of them).

The two best teams in the Horizon also square off tonight. The seemingly invincible Butler Bulldogs (No. 17) are 7-0 in conference play and have won eight straight. But they will face a serious test tonight against Wisconsin-Green Bay, who is only a game back at 6-1.

Ryan Tilemma (16.0 ppg) is definitely a player to watch out for, and with the unpredictability of this league, who knows which team will win tonight. If you want to watch this game (7 PM ET), sign up online for free at www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv and watch it!

In other games…

Illinois-Chicago has a good chance to pick up a win on the road against Detroit. At 2-5 in the Horizon, things seem to be slipping away for them and they cannot afford to lose this one.

Temple and St. Louis, two poor road teams, face off in Philadelphia. The Owls had an odd loss to UMass on Saturday and look to recover, whereas St. Louis (0-4 on the road) just looks to prove they are competitive away from home.

Happy Thursday everyone. Bracket Busters weekend is now officially less than one month away! Also, instead of asking for donations, I just ask for… below