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Pregame Shootaround 1.30.13: Bubble-heavy docket tonight

Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee, Chris Babb

Iowa State guard Will Clyburn 921) and Tyrus McGee (25) celebrate as guard Chris Babb (2) moves to join following their 73-67 win over Kansas State in an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)

AP

Game of the Day: Iowa State at Oklahoma State (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Oklahoma State was ranked nationally. A sluggish start to Big 12 play has changed that, but it hasn’t changed the roster makeup of the Cowboys. They still have Marcus Smart and LeBryan Nash. They still have one of the nation’s best dunkers in Markel Brown. They still have Phil Forte, who is starting to shoot the ball better.

But Iowa State has been one of the most surprising teams in the conference. In addition to coming within a banked-in Ben McLemore three of knocking off Kansas in Phog Allen, the Cyclones also knocked off Kansas State at home. Toss is a loss to Texas Tech, and the Cyclones have been thoroughly unpredictable this season.

The best individual matchup of the night may be Will Clyburn going toe-to-toe with Nash.

Who’s Getting Upset?: No. 3 Indiana at Purdue (8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Net)

Indiana’s biggest game of the year to date is on Saturday. They’re hosting No. 1 Michigan. Between then and now they have to go into Mackey Arena and beat a tough -- and tougher at home -- Purdue team that’s itching for a win over their rival to boost an NCAA tournament resume that, frankly, needs the boost.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: UMass at La Salle (7:00 p.m. ET)

You like up-and-down basketball? You like watching talented guards? Well, La Salle has four of them, and UMass point guard Chaz Williams just may be the best guard on the floor tonight.

Five Things to Watch For

1) At this point in the season, we’re still trying to figure out who the second best team in the Big 12 is. Baylor is 5-1, but they’ve feasted on cupcakes early on in league play. The Bears will get a test tonight against a good -- and still improving -- Oklahoma team. (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

2) VCU takes the court for the first time since losing their second straight league game on Saturday. They’ll visit Rhode Island, who knocked off St. Louis on the road early this month. (7:00 p.m. ET) That won’t be the most interesting Atlantic 10 game of the night, as Richmond, one of the teams to beat VCU, visits Temple, who may be the single most confounding team in the country this year. (7:00 p.m. ET)

3) The score may not make it out of the 50’s, but there may not be more riding on a game than Wyoming has riding on tonight as No. 20 New Mexico visits. The Cowboys have struggled without Luke Martinez, but they have a chance to steal a game from a New Mexico team that managed 34 points against San Diego State on Saturday. (9:00 p.m. ET, ROOT)

4) Three teams will put an undefeated record in league play on the line tonight. Northeastern hosts Georgia State (7:00 p.m. ET), Memphis visits East Carolina (7:00 p.m. ET), and Akron heads to Bowling Green (7:00 p.m. ET).

5) It’s still too early in the season to get too excited about bubble talk, but tonight there are what feels like 30 games with bubble implications on the docket. From Northwestern and Purdue trying to knock off Michigan and Indiana, respectively, to the middle of the Atlantic 10 and Big East trying to shake themselves out, to the myriad of bubble-battles -- Villanova at Notre Dame, Maryland at Florida State, Iowa State at Oklahoma State -- happening tonight, it feels the kind of night that is going to give us a lot to talk about on Thursday morning.

The Top 25


  • Northwestern at No. 1 Michigan (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Net)
  • No. 3 Indiana at Purdue (8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Net)
  • South Carolina at No. 4 Florida (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • No. 5 Duke at Wake Forest (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • No. 10 Oregon at Stanford (11:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
  • No. 14 Miami at Virginia Tech (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • No. 17 Missouri at LSU (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • Texas at No. 18 Kansas State (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
  • No. 20 New Mexico at Wyoming (9:00 p.m. ET, ROOT)
  • Missouri State at No. 21 Creighton (8:00 p.m. ESPN3)
  • Rutgers at No. 24 Cincinnati (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

Other Notable Games


  • Valparaiso at Youngstown State (7:05 p.m. ET)
  • Maryland at Florida State (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
  • Boise State at Colorado State (9:00 p.m. ET, ROOT)
  • Dayton at Xavier (9:00 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Net)
  • St. Mary’s at San Francisco (10:00 p.m. ET)

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.