Ellington

THURSDAY, JAN. 5
College basketball, Loyola of New Orleans at Belhaven (women, 5:30 p.m.; men, 7:30 p.m.): The Blazers face the Wolves in the house that Rugg built.

FRIDAY, JAN. 6
College basketball, Hendrix at Millsaps (women, 6 p.m.; men, 8 p.m.): Purple haze fills the Hangar. Groovy.

SATURDAY, JAN. 7
College basketball, Arkansas at Mississippi State (7 p.m., Starkville, FSN/105.9 FM): Can the Dogs handle the Hogs? … Pro football, NFL wild-card games, Washington at Tampa Bay (3:30 p.m., ABC) and Jacksonville at New England (7 p.m., ABC): The playoffs begin with a pair of tasty matchups.

SUNDAY, JAN. 8
Pro football, NFL wild-card games, Carolina at N.Y. Giants (noon, Ch. 35) and Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (3:30 p.m., Ch. 12): Can Eli handle the playoff? … College basketball, Rhodes at Millsaps
(men, 1 p.m.; women, 3 p.m.): Is a game between two schools that hate one another so much really appropriate for a Sunday afternoon?

MONDAY, JAN. 9
College basketball, Gonzaga at Santa Clara (11 p.m., ESPN2): If you haven't seen the Zags yet this season, check them out against a team that lost to Mississippi State.

TUESDAY, JAN. 10
College basketball, Dallas at Millsaps (women, 5 p.m.; men, 7 p.m.): UD's tour of Mississippi makes a stop on State Street.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11
College basketball, Tulane at Southern Miss (7 p.m., 1180 AM/103.3 FM): Do the Eagles have enough players left to hang with a Division I team?

The Slate is compiled by Doctor S, who has resolved to make the Amazing Sports-Blog even more offensive in 2006.