Games to keep an eye on the ticker for... Jan. 22-26

In my early Sunday morning post, I forgot to give props to Southern Illinois on a clutch win at Creighton and finishing the job at the Qwest Center where MO State couldn't.

And here are the weekday games to keep an eye on. With an addendum to the national TV part. I simply can't ignore the games that end up on ESPNU and Versus. I will still ignore CSTV because Conference USA is crap.

Monday
High Point at Coastal Carolina
-One of these two teams should be playing at Winthrop on March 3 for the Big South title.

Chicago State at Kansas State
-Don't keep an eye on this, actually. But let me stand up in the Stephen A. Smith Memorial Speaker's Circle and ask WHAT BUSINESS KANSAS STATE HAS PLAYING THIS GAME IN JANUARY????

Norfolk State at Delaware State
-Top two teams in the MEAC standing and the only ones with records at .500 or better.

Tuesday
Florida State at Boston College
-Seminoles have a drop-dead gorgeous RPI, but they need more marquee wins that just the Florida one for Al Thornton to make his first trip to the Big Dance.

Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois
-Not one guy on Northern Iowa is a complete standout, but there are a bunch of good players and their level of teamwork is up there with anyone in the country.

San Diego State at UNLV
-The Aztecs are underachieving at need this kind of win to get back into the MWC/at-large race.

Wednesday
Drexel at UNC-Wilmington
-Again, you don't really have to keep an eye on it, but I have to make a point. A lot of people criticized Brad Brownell for leaving UNCW for Wright State last spring, and now it looks like he knew exactly what he was doing. Wright State is second in the Horizon (bid stealers, possibly) while UNCW is 4-13. The Raiders also have a possible HL 2008 POY in 5-11 guard Dashaun Wood.

Kentucky at Georgia
-Georgia must have been so pissed to let that game against Alabama get away from them. what better way to get that taste out of their mouth than by giving Kentucky a second straight unexpected loss.

Creighton at Missouri State
-Think there's just a little bit of an element of revenge here?

Michigan at Wisconsin
-I feel like the same script goes on with Michigan every single year. Hot start, big marquee win, then collapse.

Winthrop at High Point
-If Winthrop doesn't drop this game, they should go undefeated in conference.

East Tennessee State at Belmont
-Due to possibly the nation's biggest example of Ewing Theory this season (ETSU graduating shot-loving Tim Smith), the two-team A-Sun Battle of Nashville has officially turned into a three-way Tennessee Tussle.

Oakland at Oral Roberts
-First of three meetings, anybody?