Tonight

Before he succeeded Branford Marsalis as leader of "The Tonight Show" band, Kevin Eubanks was considered one of the most versatile and technically proficient guitarists in jazz. Although he has recorded a little bit of everything over the years, from smooth jazz to fusion, Eubanks' forte is be-bop- derived mainstream jazz, the sort of music that works best in intimate surroundings. That's all the more reason not to miss his appearance at the Recher Theatre in Towson this Saturday.Tickets are $20 ($22 at the door)

Maryland Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a Democrat, and her Republican challenger, Alan L. Keyes, will square off for an hourlong debate at 8:30 tonight on Maryland Public Television's channels.The encounter is to begin immediately after the last presidential debate at Michigan State University in East Lansing.The liberal Ms. Mikulski and the conservative Mr. Keyes clashed on Washington-area radio last week and disagreed sharply on a variety of issues.Mr. Keyes has charged that Ms. Mikulski refuses to debate with him on a commercial television station in Baltimore because she wants to limit his audience as much as possible while still meeting her obligation to debate.

Blast tonight Matchup: Cleveland Force (3-2) vs. Blast (3-3) Site: 1st Mariner Arena Time: 7:35 Radio: WCBM (680 AM) Outlook: The Blast will seek its first Eastern Division win tonight, having lost twice to the division-leading Philadelphia KiXX. The Force, now in second place, was tied for the division lead until last weekend, when it lost to Philadelphia, 7-4. The Blast comes in to this game off Saturday's 8-4 victory over the Monterrey Fury. In that game, Carlos Farias, 27, demonstrated his playmaking skills with four assists, good for the Major Indoor Soccer League's Offensive Player of the Week award.

Films about a housewarming party at which a guest reveals his personal relationship with the abominable snowman, and a hyper-kinetic Hong Kong contract killer start John Hopkins Film Fest 2001 tonight at the Charles. The four-day festival, which moves to the Hopkins campus tomorrow, will include more than 125 feature-length films and shorts, from Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream" to works from little-known local filmmakers. It all starts tonight at 8 with Scott Barlow's "The Last Late Night," about a dinner party that takes unforeseen turns, and a pair of shorts: "Seraglio," a tale of adultery and cabbage, and "The Hook-Armed Man," in which Jesus works at a gas station.

Western Maryland's men's basketball team will make its first playoff appearance in 15 years tonight, when the Green Terror travels to Muhlenberg (Pa.) to play in the Centennial Conference tournament semifinals.Western Maryland (11-13, 7-6) won five of its last seven regular-season games to make the tournament.If Western Maryland wins, it will play the winner of tonight's Frank- lin & Marshall-Swarthmore semifinal Saturday for the conference championship. The winner of that game automatically qualifies for the NCAA Division III tournament.

Two Orioles farm clubs, the Double-A Bowie Baysox and Single-A Frederick Keys, will play a final preseason exhibition game tonight at 7:05 at Prince George's County Stadium in Bowie.Open seating will be in effect with tickets priced at $5 for adults and $3 for children.The seven-inning game will feature "three bullpen guys" from each team doing the pitching, said Bowie manager Bobby Miscik.

A pre-election rally will be held at 7 o'clock tonight at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 6922 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, to encourage African-Americans to vote in the general election Nov. 5. Speakers will include Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Jamal Harrison-Bryant of Baltimore. Information: 410-766-6981.

With the bowl season beginning tonight with Texas Christian and Northern Illinois playing in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, it's hard not to cry for Arizona and Washington State. Both of these football teams reached the pinnacle of success as determined by the NCAA and ESPN by reaching six wins, finishing with a fine record of 6-6. But the Wildcats and Cougars will be home for the holidays. Considering that Iowa (6-6) lost five of its final six games to earn a berth in the Alamo Bowl, perhaps they have an argument.

Button up. The forecast calls for near-record cold tonight, with lows in the mid-20s, and continued cold through Saturday.Yesterday's high of 42 degrees at Baltimore-Washington International Airport was the coldest maximum temperature ever for a Nov. 4. The reading, taken just after midnight, broke the old record of 48 degrees, set in 1966 and 1983.The overnight low today was 26 degrees at BWI, reached at 4:25 a.m. That was 1 degree colder than the old record set in 1952.

What with Doc Severinson scheduled for bronzing next year, speculation runs rampant over who will replace the "Tonight Show" bandleader when the Jay Leno era begins in May.Jazzman Branford Marsalis is hot in the running, USA Today says. But Leno's executive producer, Helen Gorman Kushnick, says she won't make a decision until January.Marsalis, she says, is "an incredibly talented musician. He's one of many people who have either expressed interest to us, or to whom we've expressed interest."