Wednesday's Pregame Beat

7:00 pm: Pitt @ West Virginia: The Backyard Brawl is one of the least publicized rivalries in the country, but there is no doubt it is as fierce as any. What makes the rivalry even more exciting this year is that both teams are good enough to hang around the top of the Big East.

Expect a game reminiscent of the Big Ten tonight. Both the Panthers and the Mountaineers are tough, physical teams that rely on things other than offensive prowess to win them basketball games. Pitt is all about execution, taking smart shots and forcing you to take poor shots. WVU, on the other hand, thrives on taking ill-advised shots, as they send a swarm of 6'8" athletes at the offensive backboards. Pitt has been struggling of late, and going into Morgantown is never an easy thing to do. Keep an eye on WVU freshman Deniz Kilicli, who will be suiting up for the first time tonight.

7:00 pm: South Florida @ Georgetown: Should the Hoyas be on upset alert? USF has won three straight Big East games for the first time in school history (they had never won back-to-back Big East games before), and have done so as a result of Dominique Jones going crazy. Jones is averaging 37 ppg over his last three. Slow him down, and beat South Florida.

8:00 pm: Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt: This game should probably be stuck in the bubble watch category. The Bulldogs have a nice record, but their tournament profile is nothing too impressive. Vanderbilt has been as good as anyone in the SEC this season. A win allows them to keep pace with Kentucky atop the SEC standings.

8:05 pm: Wichita State @ Northern Iowa: This may actually be the game of the night for anyone lucky enough to be able to watch it. A month ago, UNI suffered their only loss of the MVC season, as they went into Wichita and got pretty solidly beat by the Shockers. Win or lose tonight, UNI is going to be dancing. That much we are sure of. But the Shockers are on the bubble, and may be on the wrong side right now. I don't want to say desperately, but they really, really, really need this win tonight.

Bubble Watch

• 7:00 pm: NC State @ Virginia: Is UVa for real? Are they actually going to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth? Is this really a team that can contend for an ACC title? Winning at UNC was nice, but these are the games that real contenders handle with ease.
• 7:00 pm: DePaul @ Marquette: I think Marquette is going to be a tournament team when it is all said and done. They are 4-5 in the conference with their losses totaling eight points, they play six teams with losing league records in their last nine games, and of the other three, two are at home. Winning tonight will help that cause, and avenge a heartbreaker the Eagles lost at DePaul.
• 7:00 pm: William & Mary @ Old Dominion: The Tribe and the Monarchs both are in good enough shape that, if they can get hot down the stretch, have the chance to play their way into an at-large bid. This game will definitely be looked at down the road.
• 7:00 pm: George Mason @ Georgia State: Mason is probably out of at-large consideration right now, and a loss to GSU only ensures that.
• 7:00 pm: Richmond @ St. Joe's: The Spiders are firmly on the at-large bubble right now. They probably cannot afford a loss to St. Joe's, even if it is on the road.
• Conference USA: Big night in C-USA tonight as the top six teams all square off:
  
  8:00 pm: Marshall @ Tulsa: Expect plenty of NBA scouts in attendance to see Jerome Jordan and Hassan Whiteside square off.
  8:00 pm: UAB @ Memphis: A changing of the guard taking place? Memphis has dominated the league for years, but UAB seems to be the favorite this season. Good news for the Blazers is that they are expected to have Aaron Johnson available tonight.
  10:00 pm: Houston @ UTEP: Houston is probably all but out of tournament consideration, but UTEP, who is tied atop the league standings, is still very much in contention.
  
  Check back tomorrow for a full C-USA bubble breakdown.
• 9:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Missouri: Both of these teams should be dancing come March. Missouri is probably in a little bit better shape, but losing to the Tigers on the road is not really a bad loss this season.
• 10:00 pm: UNLV @ Wyoming: The Runnin' Rebels absolutely cannot afford to lose this game. They are on the bubble as it, and Wyoming is playing without their two best players and just lost to Air Force.
  

Other notable games

• 7:00 pm: Arkansas @ Georgia
• 7:00 pm: Xavier @ UMass
• 7:00 pm: Duquesne @ Temple
• 7:00 pm: VCU @ UNC-Wilmington
• 7:30 pm: Iowa State @ Baylor
• 7:30 pm: GW @ Charlotte
• 9:00 pm: Illinois @ Iowa
• 9:00 pm: Kansas @ Colorado