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ESPN's "Rivalry Week" might be a television creation to build college basketball excitement, but I'm ready to buy in at 100%. It's hard to argue with a week's worth of games matching up the best rivalries in college hoops and numerous games between top-25 teams. The action kicks off tonight with Big Monday's double-header on ESPN and will continue throughout the week. Let's take a look at some of the best match-ups.

Monday:

#4 Villanova vs. #5 West Virginia (ESPN, 7 p.m.): I'm not sure who had a worst Saturday afternoon: Villanova or myself, who after a legendary Friday night of drinking was left inevitably worthless on my couch. Nova's effort, however, gained the national spotlight as they were absolutely drilled by Georgetown and the D.C. snowstorm. West Virginia showed toughness by coming back in the second half against St. John's, but their backcourt will be tested against a talented Wildcat bunch.

#1 Kansas vs. #14 Texas (ESPN, 9 p.m.): With Texas sinking faster than the Titanic, I'll declare that their season is on the line against the Jayhawks tonight. They've lost four of six and seem to lack the leadership necessary to get out of this rut. Kansas, meanwhile, is clearly the best team in the country until we see otherwise.

Tuesday:

#12 Tennessee vs. #22 Vanderbilt: Everyone knows Kentucky is the cream of the SEC, but this game marks a battle for #2 in the conference. Both teams have shown the ability to pull off big wins and bad losses, so it's really anyone's guess who becomes king of the state for the night.

#6 Purdue vs. #10 Michigan State: Someone call Roy Scheider because these Boilermakers smell blood in the water. Other than a disappointing three-game stretch to start the conference season, Purdue has quietly been going about their business. Michigan State can't believe what happened to them in the last week as two losses and an injured ankle to star Kalin Lucas has left them rattled.

Wednesday: (Updated 11:47 p.m.)

#8 Duke vs. North Carolina: People can laugh at the "throw their records out the window" phrase when discussing this game, but the most memorable game between them in the last 20-years was a three overtime thriller when Duke was at the bottom of the conference in 1995. And as terrible as Carolina is playing right now, Duke isn't looking a whole lot better on the road.

Connecticut vs. #2 Syracuse: After much clamoring from the BroBible universe, I realized I mistakenly left out a game between two teams who went to six overtimes in last year's Big East Tournament quarterfinal. This year's contest matches a team with national title hopes against a team who will be sniffing NIT glory. Connecticut has been one of the three most disappointing teams in the country this year, so it'll be interesting to see if they can play with the Orange, who are slowly sneaking up on Kansas for that #1 spot.

#15 New Mexico vs. #23 UNLV: Don't look now, but the Mountain West Conference can actually play some good basketball.

Thursday:

St. Mary's vs. #16 Gonzaga: The Gaels have recently been a thorn in the Zags' side and will look to avenge their earlier loss at home.

Friday:

#5 West Virginia vs. #21 Pittsburgh: The Backyard Brawl got really dirty when WVU hosted Pitt last week as Mountaineer fans threw tons of shit on the court. How will the Oakland Zoo respond? Hide the women and children for this one.

Saturday:

Maryland vs. #8 Duke:- Grevis Vasquez leads Maryland into Cameron for a first-place battle. The Cameron Crazies will prepare accordingly, but hopefully, unlike a Florida State fan, leave the racist slurs at home.

#12 Tennessee vs. #3 Kentucky: Do yourself a favor and catch five minutes of John Wall if you haven't already.