Tuesday's Pregame Beat

Jimmy V Classic:

• 7:oo pm: Georgetown vs. Butler: We finally get a chance to see how good Georgetown is. The Hoyas come in largely untested except for a slugfest with a very mediocre Temple team. The Hoyas top five is talented, but they have no bench to speak of. They are don't have much size inside. Butler, on the other hand, is very good, but they struggled out in Anaheim, going 1-2. Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack are both playing well this season, but Matt Howard has yet to find a groove. Expect Howard to have a big day against a relatively weak Georgetown frontline.
  
• 9:30 pm: Indiana vs. Pitt: The Hoosiers and the Panthers are both down this season. Indiana has some talented youngsters on their team, specifically Maurice Creek and Christian Watford, but they are still at least a year away from being able to compete for an NCAA Tournament berth. For Pitt, it is more a result of what they lost last season. But Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker have been playing well of late, Dante Taylor will eventually be a good post player, and there are rumblings that Jermaine Dixon will be suiting up tonight.
  

7:00 pm: Dayton @ George Mason: Dayton was predicted by many to be the flag-bearer in the A-10, but they have been a bit of a disappointment in this young season. The one thing the Flyers bring to the table is toughness, both defensively and on the glass. It may be too much for a young George Mason squad.

8:30 pm: Vanderbilt @ Illinois: Important game for both teams. I would expect both the Commodores and the Illini to make the tournament this season, but a game like this could have implications for both conference RPI and seeding come March.

9:00 pm: Xavier @ Kansas State: Kansas State can be a player in the Big XII with their size and athleticism up front and their dynamic back court of Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen. X is a question mark, however. The Musketeers, and Jordan Crawford specifically, have been inconsistent this season. With losses to Marquette and Baylor already this season, Xavier needs a couple good wins if they play on dancing.

10:00 pm: Arizona State @ BYU: Arizona State could end up being the third (or second) team from the Pac-10 to make the dance, but with how weak the Pac-10 has looked, winning this game on the road would be huge. BYU will compete atop the talented MWC, but they have yet to really beat anyone of note.

Other notable games:

• 7:00 pm: Morgan State @ Minnesota
• 7:00 pm: Temple @ Miami OH
• 8:00 pm: UW-Milwaukee @ Marquette
• 8:05 pm: Iowa @ Northern Iowa