Preview Roundups
January 14, 2017
Georgia at Florida 12:00 PM ET
A six-game winning streak has vaulted No. 23 Florida into a tie for first place in the SEC standings entering Saturday’s home contest against Georgia, and depth is a big reason for it. The Gators stumbled badly at times Tuesday at Alabama but got 41 points from their bench – two more than their starting lineup produced – in an 80-67 victory during which they allowed only six points in the final 6 ½ minutes.
Connecticut at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Former Big East rivals square off when Georgetown hosts Connecticut on Saturday. The Hoyas snapped a four-game skid with a decisive win over St. John's last time out while UConn recovered from a difficult stretch of its own with two straight victories.
Minnesota at Penn St. 12:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to bounce back from its worst loss of the season when it travels to face Penn State in a Saturday afternoon Big Ten contest. The No. 24 Golden Gophers were blown out by Michigan State on Wednesday by 18 points, while the Nittany Lions had a week to savor a win over the Spartans.
Virginia at Clemson 12:00 PM ET
Virginia is hoping that a superb second-half performance its last time out can carry the squad through a road-heavy stretch, beginning Saturday at Clemson in an ACC matchup. The 18th-ranked Cavaliers had dropped two straight and were losing at home to Wake Forest with under 13 minutes remaining Sunday night before a furious rally resulted in a momentum-shifting 79-62 victory.
Duke at Louisville 12:00 PM ET
Seventh-ranked Duke is winless on opponents’ home courts and will try to prevent a third straight road loss when it hosts No. 15 Louisville on Saturday. The Blue Devils are facing a second consecutive ranked opponent on the road and hoping to avoid dropping below .500 through at least five ACC games for the first time since 2006-07.
Miami-Florida at Pittsburgh 12:00 PM ET
Miami and Pittsburgh are looking to end two-game ACC losing streaks when the Panthers host the Hurricanes on Saturday. Both teams rallied from double-digit deficits in their most recent outings - Pitt against No. 15 Louisville and Miami against No. 20 Notre Dame - but couldn't complete their comebacks, with both eventually losing by five points.
Seton Hall at Providence 12:00 PM ET
Both Seton Hall and host Providence will be trying to bounce back from narrow defeats when they meet Saturday in a Big East clash and the 100th all-time matchup between the old rivals. Seton Hall rallied late in the second half to force overtime at Marquette on Wednesday before falling 89-86.
Villanova at St. John's 12:00 PM ET
Villanova is officially back on track, which likely will be bad news for St. John's when the Big East schools clash on Saturday. The visiting Wildcats dropped to No. 3 in the polls after a loss at Butler but have rebounded with solid home victories against Marquette and Xavier.
Texas A&M at Mississippi St. 1:00 PM ET
Texas A&M started poorly in SEC play but is now taking aim at its second straight conference victory when it visits Mississippi State on Saturday. The Aggies dropped their first three league games before responding with a 92-62 rout of LSU on Wednesday.
Truman State at Creighton 1:00 PM ET
Big East officials noticed Creighton was the only team in the conference without a game this weekend just about the time league play was about to begin, so they forced the Bluejays to find an opponent in order to give every team less than 48 hours to prepare for the Big East Marathon for Martin Luther King Day. No. 8 Creighton eventually found a taker in nearby Division II foe Truman State (Mo.), and the teams brought together a bit by fate will meet in Omaha on Saturday.
Florida St. at North Carolina 2:00 PM ET
No. 10 Florida State finished the first half of a challenging stretch in which it is expected to play six straight ranked teams, and has yet to suffer a loss. The first-place Seminoles continue that gauntlet and attempt to extend their school-record winning streak to 13 games when they visit 12th-ranked North Carolina for an ACC showdown on Saturday afternoon.
Notre Dame at Virginia Tech 2:00 PM ET
Zach LeDay’s plea to his Virginia Tech teammates paid off. After snapping a two-game losing streak Tuesday, the Hokies play the second of three straight at home when No. 20 Notre Dame visits on Saturday.
Xavier at Butler 2:00 PM ET
Although both Xavier and Butler sit near the top of the Big East standings, neither program offered much resistance to the class of the conference in their most recent setbacks. Both teams will try to avoid consecutive losses Saturday when the 14th-ranked Musketeers visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to square off against the 13th-ranked Bulldogs.
DePaul at Marquette 2:00 PM ET
With its toughest three-game stretch of the season coming up, Marquette would like nothing more than to use Saturday's Big East game with DePaul as a confidence builder. The Golden Eagles, who won Wednesday's rematch with Seton Hall, have road games at No. 12 Butler and No. 8 Creighton and a home date with No. 3 Villanova on the docket in the next 10 days.
Nebraska at Michigan 2:00 PM ET
Nebraska looks to beat Michigan for the first time since 1964 when it hits the road to tangle with the Wolverines on Saturday. The Cornhuskers have dropped eight straight meetings with Michigan, including the last six since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, and they hope to end their drought by pouring more misery on the struggling Wolverines.
Oklahoma St. at Kansas 2:00 PM ET
Even though No. 2 Kansas is undefeated in Big 12 play and Oklahoma State is winless, if recent results are any indication, Saturday’s contest in Lawrence will be a close one. The Jayhawks will be eyeing a 52nd straight home victory and 16th straight win, while the Cowboys will be looking to avoid their first 0-5 conference start since 1995-96.
Alabama at Louisiana State 3:30 PM ET
After falling short of what would have been a statement-making win, Alabama looks to regroup against another tough opponent as it visits LSU on Saturday afternoon. Avery Johnson's Crimson Tide stormed back from an early hole to take a second-half lead against No. 23 Florida, but couldn't seal the deal en route to its first SEC loss of the season.
Auburn at Kentucky 4:00 PM ET
Kentucky coach John Calipari has the best seat in the house and it should only get better as his team - loaded with future pros - continues to mature. The No. 6 Wildcats host Auburn on Saturday afternoon after surviving an upset bid at Vanderbilt on Tuesday as sophomore Isaiah Briscoe and freshmen De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo combined to score all but 10 of Kentucky's 87 points and continued to make NBA scouts drool.
West Virginia at Texas 4:00 PM ET
West Virginia looks to validate its biggest victory of the season while not suffering a letdown Saturday afternoon when it visits struggling Texas, which owns a three-game winning streak over the No. 9 Mountaineers in Austin. Immediately after West Virginia crushed top-ranked Baylor 89-68 on Monday with the "Press Virginia" defense unleashing its full fury, coach Bob Huggins spoke of how such victories should come as no surprise.
Boston College at Syracuse 4:00 PM ET
It has been a season of disappointing losses for Syracuse but the Orange finally have a chance to avenge one when they host Boston College on Saturday. The Eagles won 96-81 on New Year’s Day in the ACC opener for both teams.
Washington St. at California 4:00 PM ET
After falling short of expectations in non-conference play due to injuries and inconsistency, California appears primed to make its move in the competitive Pac-12 race. The Bears aim for their third straight victory Saturday as they face visiting Washington State, which has lost two in row following a four-game winning streak.
Houston at Central Florida 4:00 PM ET
Houston faces its second test against a top-ranked defensive team in three games and the Cougars hope the outcome against host Central Florida on Saturday will be better than it was in a 67-58 loss to Cincinnati. The Bearcats are ranked No. 2 in field-goal percentage defense (36.2) in Division I while the Knights, anchored in the middle by 7-foot-6 sophomore Tacko Fall, are No. 1 (33 percent) and rank No. 3 in scoring defense (57.5 points a game).
Tulsa at Temple 4:00 PM ET
With its season starting to turn around a bit, Tulsa is beginning a stretch of winnable games as it looks to make a move in the American Athletic Conference. The Golden Hurricane visit struggling Temple on Saturday aiming for their third win in four outings.
Baylor at Kansas St. 4:30 PM ET
Top-ranked Baylor got to enjoy it's first ever No. 1 ranking for one whole day before getting thumped at ninth-ranked West Virginia on Tuesday. Now the Bears will try to avoid their first losing streak of the season when they visit Kansas State on Saturday afternoon.
Iowa St. at Texas Christian 5:30 PM ET
Jamie Dixon is reviving TCU on the fly and the Horned Frogs have already surpassed last season's win total as they enter Saturday's Big 12 home contest against Iowa State. The former Pittsburgh coach is set on changing the culture of the perennial downtrodden program but is delivering victories at the same time.
Missouri at Arkansas 6:00 PM ET
After a disappointing start to SEC play, Arkansas will be eager to welcome struggling Missouri to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. The Razorbacks are looking to snap a two-game skid, while the Tigers have dropped seven straight and are winless since Dec. 6.
South Florida at Memphis 6:00 PM ET
Memphis lost its momentum with a disappointing performance on the road last time out and will try to rebound in more ways than one when it hosts struggling South Florida on Saturday in an American Athletic Conference battle. The Tigers had won three straight with strong defensive efforts before getting outrebounded by 12 in an 81-71 loss at Tulsa on Wednesday.
Maryland at Illinois 6:00 PM ET
Melo Trimble may be one of the better players in the nation, but Maryland hopes the steady play of several freshmen continues when it visits Illinois on Saturday. One of those first-year players, Kevin Huerter, hit a key 3-pointer on Tuesday and assisted on another important basket in the final two minutes of the Terrapins’ 75-72 victory over Indiana.
UCLA at Utah 6:00 PM ET
UCLA and Utah are the only Pac-12 teams with six players averaging at least 10 points per game and they'll match up Saturday when the fourth-ranked Bruins visit the Huntsman Center. The Utes have been tough to beat in their arena again this season, posting a 9-1 record and winning their fifth straight at home Thursday night against No. 25 USC.
Mississippi at South Carolina 6:30 PM ET
South Carolina aims to start 4-0 in SEC play for just the second time – and first since 1996-97 – when it hosts Ole Miss on Saturday. The Rebels are looking to turn around their rough start to conference play as they attempt to bounce back from Wednesday's embarrassing 22-point home loss to Georgia.
Washington at Stanford 8:00 PM ET
Stanford forward Reid Travis is unlikely to be named Pac-12 player of the year, but there’s no denying his impact on the Cardinal program. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder aims for another strong outing Saturday as the Cardinal face visiting Washington, which opened its Bay Area swing on Thursday with a 69-59 loss to California.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt 8:30 PM ET
Following a hard-fought loss to Kentucky, Vanderbilt aims to get back into the win column Saturday against visiting Tennessee. The Commodores trailed the talented Wildcats by two with 17.9 seconds left but ultimately came up short in an 87-81 decision on Tuesday.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma 8:30 PM ET
Texas Tech has shown it is very tough to beat at home, but the Red Raiders still need to show they can win on the road and they'll get the opportunity Saturday in a Big 12 game at Oklahoma. Texas Tech is 11-0 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, but is 0-2 in conference road games this season, losing at Iowa State and No. 2 Kansas.
St. Mary's at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Gonzaga is the only unblemished team in the nation and aims to run its winning streak to 17 games when it hosts No. 21 Saint Mary's in Saturday's West Coast Conference showdown. The Bulldogs have notched 10 wins by 20 or more points while regularly steamrolling opponents and the Gaels have posted nine consecutive victories, including a 74-33 dismantling of Portland on Thursday.
Oregon St. at Oregon 10:30 PM ET
After last Saturday’s performance against Washington State, Oregon is certainly happy that Chris Boucher was granted an extra year of eligibility. The No. 11 Ducks hope for a repeat performance by the 6-10 forward when they host the 347th edition of the Civil War on Saturday.
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