USC-Oregon isn’t the marquee game of the night, but it might be the most telegenic – thanks to glittering new Matthew Knight Arena.
Oregon’s brand-smacking news $227.4 million arena makes its men’s hoops debut tonight when the Trojans and Ducks tip off at 7:30 p.m. PT. A sellout crowd of more than 12,000 people are expected for what should be low-scoring, fairly uneven game. But then, with a floor like this, it’s not always about the basketball. (FSN, 10:30 p.m. ET)
(All times ET)
Washington at Stanford, 10 p.m.:
Purdue at Minnesota, 7 p.m. (ESPN): The Boilermakers’ first real test since a Dec. 1 matchup against Virginia Tech is intriguing for a variety of reasons. The Purdue angles are covered here by David Hess, while it’s the Gophers’ first game since Trevor Mbakwe’s latest legal issue. Can he and the rest of Minnesota’s deep frontcourt match JaJuan Johnson?
Virginia Tech at North Carolina, 9 p.m. (ESPN): The loser will relegated to NCAA tournament bubble status on Twitter for the 24 hours. (In the Twitter world, that’s a month or so.) In reality, both teams aren’t in dire shape for the Big Dance, though the Hokies – as usual – could use a big win a little more.
Washington at Stanford, 10 p.m.: The Huskies aren’t discussing the details of the alleged sexual assault involving one of their teammates. Will it become a distraction to one of the nation’s scariest offenses? Here’s our first look.
Utah State at Boise State, 10:15 p.m.: Stew Morrill said earlier this month that his Aggies were an “average team.” Ignore the angry coachspeak. That hasn’t been true of Utah State for years. Still, a trip to Boise State is no easy W. Not when the Broncos are forcing that many turnovers.
EAST
Old Dominion at Drexel, 7 p.m.
Mount St. Mary’s, Md. at Long Island U., 7 p.m.
Bryant at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.
Fairleigh Dickinson at Robert Morris, 7 p.m.
Cent. Connecticut St. at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
Wagner at St. Francis, NY, 7 p.m.
Monmouth, N.J. at St. Francis, Pa., 7 p.m.
Providence at West Virginia, 7 p.m.
SOUTH
UNC Greensboro at Appalachian St., 7 p.m.
Winthrop at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.
Liberty at High Point, 7 p.m.
S.C.-Upstate at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
ETSU at North Florida, 7 p.m.
VMI at Radford, 7 p.m.
Rhode Island at Richmond, 7 p.m.
Elon at W. Carolina, 7 p.m.
Chattanooga at The Citadel, 7:05 p.m.
Presbyterian at Charleston Southern, 7:30 p.m.
UMKC at Centenary, 8 p.m.
San Jose St. at Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m.
W. Kentucky at Troy, 8 p.m.
Lipscomb at Belmont, 8:15 p.m.
Tenn.-Martin at Tennessee Tech, 8:30 p.m.
Murray St. at Jacksonville St., 8:45 p.m.
Mississippi St. at Mississippi, 9 p.m.
Virginia Tech at North Carolina, 9 p.m.
MIDWEST
N. Dakota St. at IUPUI, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m.
Purdue at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
S. Dakota St. at W. Illinois, 8 p.m.
Loyola of Chicago at Wis.-Green Bay, 8 p.m.
Ill.-Chicago at Wis.-Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Houston Baptist at Chicago St., 8:30 p.m.
E. Kentucky at E. Illinois, 8:30 p.m.
Morehead St. at SE Missouri, 8:30 p.m.
Minot St. at North Dakota, 9 p.m.
SOUTHWEST
Louisiana-Monroe at Ark.-Little Rock, 8 p.m.
Fla. International at North Texas, 8 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas St., 8:05 p.m.
S. Utah at Oral Roberts, 8:05 p.m.
FAR WEST
UCLA at Oregon St., 8:30 p.m.
Pepperdine at Gonzaga, 9 p.m.
E. Washington at Montana, 9 p.m.
Hawaii at New Mexico St., 9 p.m.
Seattle at Utah Valley, 9 p.m.
Sacramento St. at Weber St., 9 p.m.
Portland St. at Montana St., 9:05 p.m.
Idaho St. at N. Colorado, 9:30 p.m.
Cal St.-Fullerton at Cal Poly, 10 p.m.
Santa Clara at San Diego, 10 p.m.
Washington at Stanford, 10 p.m.
UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 10 p.m.
UC Riverside at CS Northridge, 10:05 p.m.
Utah St. at Boise St., 10:15 p.m.
Washington St. at California, 10:30 p.m.
Southern Cal at Oregon, 10:30 p.m.
San Francisco at Saint Mary’s, Calif., 10:30 p.m.
Loyola Marymount at Portland, 11 p.m.
Want more? I’m also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller.