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Following Shabazz Napier's game-tying three-pointer most coaches would choose to call a timeout to draw up a play, risking the chance of the defense aligning and taking away the primary scoring option. But with the man he wanted to take the final shot already in possession of the basketball, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin decided against calling a timeout and as a result his Bearcats are now 5-1 in the Big East.

Outside of Xavier it's difficult to think of many two-game losing streaks this season that have sparked as much concern nationally as the one Pittsburgh is currently going through. A team that looked preoccupied with their Christmas break plans on Friday in a 59-54 home loss to Wagner dropped another game on Tuesday, 72-59 at Notre Dame. The second half was a serious departure from what the Panthers do on both ends of the court, with Notre Dame being able to accomplish just about whatever they wanted to offensively.

After a day off college basketball is back with a small albeit important slate to keep an eye on. Why? The start of conference play in both the Big East and Big Ten, with more leagues due to join in on the fun later in the week. Tuesday's game of interest matches #24 Illinois (11-2), who is undefeated at home and looking to bounce back from their loss to rival Missouri, and a Minnesota (12-1) team that's managed to win six straight games.

Frank Martin's Kansas State (4-0) may be undefeated on the young season, but it can definitely be argued that this group hasn't been tested. That all changes this evening as the Wildcats play their first true road game of the season, visiting Virginia Tech (5-2) in a game that could have long-term effects on both teams when looking ahead to Selection Sunday.

Illinois

Michigan

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Other (Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn St)

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer spent some time with former Nebraska head coach Danny Nee. During his time in Lincoln, Nee led the Cornhuskers to five NCAA Tournament berths and an NIT title in 1996. Nee is now the head coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Jon Teitel: One of your teammates at Power Memorial HS was Lew Alcindor, who said that you were "a tough guy ("he thought he was the reincarnation of Jack Dempsey"). What was it like to play with Alcindor, and what made you so tough? 

While the regular season battle between Rutgers and St. John's was a tight affair that wasn't decided until the final seconds, it paled in comparison to what happened at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday afternoon. Rutgers came out on the short end of the stick in numerous situations late in the game with regards to the officiating. From Mike Coburn not getting a foul call despite having to deal with contact on a shot attempt to Jonathan Mitchell having a player go over his back on a missed free throw the breaks all seemed to go to the Red Storm.

Saturday night's matchup between Illinois and Michigan State didn't set up to be the marquee meeting expected when the season began, but it definitely didn't lack for importance with both teams needing wins to ensure an NCAA Tournament appearance. And in a battle of seniors who needed to step up it was Kalin Lucas who came through, scoring 25 points in Michigan State's 71-67 win over the Illini.

Up by as many as 18 points in the second half, Anthony Grant's Alabama Crimson Tide looked to be in good shape after an Andrew Steele gave them a 59-43 lead with 11:31 remaining at Coleman Coliseum. But from that point the Crimson Tide struggled mightily in the face of mounting Kentucky defensive pressure as John Calipari's team finally answered his halftime challenge to "man up". Kentucky held Alabama without a field goal for more than eight minutes before a JaMychal Green tip-in made the score 64-61 with 3:04 remaining.