But Rubie, you protest, it's just the Play-In Carnage, and the nightcap involves two teams that probably don't deserve to be here anyway! Why are we devoting an Open Thread to this?
Listen up: it's March. This is Basketball Christmas, and we are going to celebrate whenever we can, Twelve-Days-of-Christmas style. Tonight might be the equivalent of the partridge in a pear tree -- if I got either as a present, I'd smack the giver in the face -- but nevertheless: we're going to drink the glorious nectar from March's tap as long and as late as we possibly can. (And, frankly, you're going to thank me when it's July and we're in the third round of my "Dinosaurs Paired With Marquette Greats" single-elimination tournament.)
On tap tonight:
UNC-Asheville and Arkansas-Little Rock bump Ashleigh Banfield Star Jones to truTV's backburner as they take the floor in Dayton at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Winner gets to be mauled by PITT in the second round of the Big East Invitational, so enjoy your moment in the sun twilight, boys.
At about 8:00 p.m. CDT, or a half-hour after the UNCA - UALR tilt wraps up, it's Night One of the "Have They Noticed Yet That They Included Us In The Field?" Extravaganza. Tonight, performing on the main stage, it's Conference USA regular season champ Alabama-Birmingham tussling with the Clemson Tigers. May the least bad team win.
Enjoy the games.