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Pregame Shootaround 1.21.13: Bigger Monday features Cincy-Cuse

Villanova v Syracuse

SYRACUSE, NY - JANUARY 12: James Southerland #43 of the Syracuse Orange sits on the bench prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats during the game at the Carrier Dome on January 12, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images)

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Game of the Day: No. 21 Cincinnati at No. 3 Syracuse (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The biggest question heading into this game: Will Cashmere Wright play? It’s going to be a game time decision, but he was out warming up, which is something he didn’t do on Saturday against Marquette. Wright injured his knee last week in a win over DePaul.

The Bearcats need him, even if he’s not at 100%. Beyond the fact that Wright tends to play well against Syracuse, the Orange are excellent ar forcing turnovers with the length in their zone. It’s also important to note that the Orange play zone, and to beat that zone the Bearcats are going to need to be able to penetrate. Wright is the team’s best penetrator.

Syracuse will be without James Southerland, but they were without James Southerland when they went into Louisville and beat the Cardinals on the road.

Who’s Getting Upset?: Southern at Alabama A&M (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

Southern puts their 7-0 SWAC record on the line as they trip to Alabama A&M, who has beaten Missouri State and won at Mississippi State this season.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Wright State at Detroit (7:00 p.m. ET)

Valpo has taken over the lead in the Horizon League race, and that’s because they beat both Wright State and Detroit last week. I think the Titans were a bit upset about the loss; after blowing a 22 point second half lead to the Crusaders, they went out and beat Illinois-Chicago by 51 points and led 53-14 at the half.

Five Things to Watch For

1) Bigger Monday! We get two Big East games and two Big 12 games tonight, with the festivities kicking off at 3:30 p.m.

2) The Red River Rivalry just doesn’t have the same kind of hype in hoops that it does on the gridiron, but that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t important. Oklahoma looks like one of a handful of teams that could slide in behind Kansas State as the third best team in the conference, but to do so they have to beat teams like Texas at home. (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

3) There will be plenty on display when Oklahoma State visits Baylor (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), but what Scott Drew and Travis Ford have been able to do on the recruiting trail has yet to provide their programs with the kind of wins and championships that would be expected.

4) Three weeks ago, Georgetown and Notre Dame both looked like top 15 teams and legitimate threats to finished third in the Big East. Now? The Hoyas are coming off of a loss to South Florida and may be without Greg Whittington for the rest of the season. The Irish nearly blew a game at home to Rutgers after losing at St. John’s. How good are these two teams?

5) Towson is 5-1 in the CAA thanks in large part to Jerrelle Benimon, who is leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and is third in steals.

The Top 25

No. 21 Cincinnati at No. 3 Syracuse (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Georgetown at No. 24 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.