Preview Roundups
February 29, 2020
Pittsburgh at NC State 12:00 PM ET
North Carolina State sits firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and the Wolfpack can't afford a misstep when struggling Pittsburgh comes to town Saturday. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Wolfpack as one of the "Last Four In" with Duke, Wake Forest and the ACC Tournament to follow.
Providence at Villanova 12:00 PM ET
With three straight wins, Providence is making a late push at an NCAA Tournament bid. The Friars have another great opportunity for a notable victory Saturday when they visit 12th-ranked Villanova in Big East play.
Texas A&M at Louisiana State 12:00 PM ET
LSU has fallen out of the race for the SEC regular-season title and the Tigers now aim to hold onto one of four coveted double byes for the conference tournament when they host improving Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon. LSU won its first eight games in the league this season before losing five of the last seven, including an 81-66 setback at Florida on Wednesday, but is 6-1 at home in SEC play.
Penn St. at Iowa 12:00 PM ET
No. 17 Iowa looks to extend its home winning streak to 13 games when it hosts 14th-ranked Penn State on Saturday. The Hawkeyes, who are one of six teams with 10 or more Big Ten victories, are coming off a 78-70 setback to 24th-ranked Michigan State on Tuesday, and hope to bounce back by matching their longest winning run in Iowa City since the 2015-16 season.
Texas at Texas Tech 12:00 PM ET
No. 21 Texas Tech looks to bounce back from its worst offensive showing of the season when it hosts Texas on Saturday. The Red Raiders were held to their lowest point total of the year in the 65-51 setback to Oklahoma, and they hope to avoid falling out of the Top 25 by knocking off the Longhorns for the sixth consecutive time.
Vanderbilt at Mississippi 1:00 PM ET
Ole Miss won its first three contests in February but is mired in a four-game losing streak as it hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Rebels have lost at No. 9 Kentucky and at No. 15 Auburn by a combined 12 points, and dropped a 71-68 decision at Missouri during the slide as coach Kermit Davis focuses on the positive.
Kansas at Kansas State 1:30 PM ET
The most recent edition of the Sunflower Showdown resulted in the usual (a Kansas victory) and the highly unusual (a game-ending brawl that resulted in the suspensions of four players). The top-ranked Jayhawks haven't lost any of their 10 games since that fateful day last month and attempt to run their winning streak to 13 in a row Saturday when they visit arch-rival Kansas State.
Florida State at Clemson 2:00 PM ET
Florida State sits all alone atop the ACC standings after toppling Louisville 82-67 last time out for its school-record 14th ACC victory but now the challenge is remaining the leader. The sixth-ranked Seminoles can't afford a letdown as they head to Clemson on Saturday to face a Tigers team that had its three-game win streak halted Tuesday when it fell to Georgia Tech 68-59.,
Florida at Tennessee 2:00 PM ET
Florida is coming off one of its most impressive victories of the season, but the Gators still might have some work to do to secure an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. That process continues Saturday afternoon with a visit to Tennessee for an SEC matchup.
Baylor at Texas Christian 2:00 PM ET
In what has already been a record-breaking season for the program, Baylor finds itself on the verge of adding a couple more impressive feats to its resume. The second-ranked Bears attempt to win at least 10 road games in a season for the second time in school history and look to become only the third team in Big 12 history to earn eight conference road victories Saturday when they visit TCU.
Connecticut at East Carolina 2:00 PM ET
Despite injuries and many close losses, Connecticut has clawed its way back toward .500 in the American Athletic Conference with the NCAA Tournament just under two weeks away. The Huskies will look to win their third straight game when they travel to East Carolina on Thursday, a team they have beaten all but once since the inception of the AAC.
Seton Hall at Marquette 2:30 PM ET
There will be plenty of hops on leap day as No. 13 Seton Hall and Myles Powell visit Marquette and Markus Howard on Saturday in a Big East game. Howard and Powell have combined for 4,858 points and are 1-2 in the Big East in scoring as they square off for what could be the final time while the first-place Pirates try to protect a one-game lead over No. 11 Creighton and No. 12 Villanova in the conference standings.
Mississippi State at Missouri 3:30 PM ET
Missouri looks for a little revenge on Saturday when it hosts SEC rival Mississippi State, which beat the Tigers by 27 earlier this season. Missouri comes into the game having won three of its last four, including a victory at Vanderbilt on Wednesday, while the Bulldogs have also won three of four - capped by a home win over Alabama on Tuesday.
Auburn at Kentucky 3:45 PM ET
No. 15 Auburn should have its entire lineup healthy as it takes one more shot at an SEC regular-season title Saturday afternoon when the Tigers visit ninth-ranked and first-place Kentucky. Auburn welcomed the return of standout freshman Isaac Okoro (hamstring) to the lineup in Tuesday’s 67-58 victory over Ole Miss and it remains two games behind the red-hot Wildcats with three to go before the SEC tournament.
Notre Dame at Wake Forest 4:00 PM ET
Nip and tuck is the name of the game for Notre Dame, which will play its final road contest of the regular season Saturday at Wake Forest in an ACC tilt. The Fighting Irish have been involved in a school-record six one-point games this season but will try to avoid another such contest against the Demon Deacons, who they defeated 90-80 at home Jan. 29.
North Carolina at Syracuse 4:00 PM ET
North Carolina took a break from enduring one of the worst seasons in school history its last time out, and now the team seeks another step in the right direction Saturday when it visits Syracuse. The Tar Heels snapped a seven-game losing streak by defeating North Carolina State and now look for their first road win since defeating the Wolfpack in Raleigh in late January.
Iowa State at Oklahoma State 4:00 PM ET
Two of the Big 12’s bottom dwellers meet Saturday
as Oklahoma State plays host to Iowa State. The Cyclones are eighth in the
10-team conference with a 5-10 record – a game ahead of the ninth-place Cowboys
(4-11) with three games remaining in the regular season.
Oklahoma at West Virginia 4:00 PM ET
According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Oklahoma is the "Last Team In" the field for March Madness, although the Sooners bolstered their stance with a win over No. 21 Texas Tech on Tuesday. Another win at 19th-ranked West Virginia on Saturday would really enhance the resume before the Sooners close out the regular season with a home contest against Texas and a road game with TCU.
Duke at Virginia 6:00 PM ET
A pair of ACC powers trending in opposite directions meet Saturday evening in Virginia, where the surging Cavaliers host No. 7 Duke. Virginia has won five in a row and eight of nine to solidify its once-wavering NCAA Tournament chances while pulling within a game of Duke for third place in the conference.
Arkansas at Georgia 6:00 PM ET
Mason Jones leads the SEC in scoring but has struggled lately with consistency, so Arkansas hopes its junior guard can carry Wednesday’s performance into Saturday’s visit to Georgia. Jones averages 21.1 points and scored 37 on 11-for-19 shooting from the field in Wednesday’s 86-69 victory over Tennessee - the second win in a row for the Razorbacks following a five-game losing streak - and four days after shooting just 2-for-9 in a victory over Missouri.
Utah at California 6:00 PM ET
California’s rebuilding effort is trending in the right direction under coach Mark Fox, whose team has already exceeded the victory totals of each of the past two seasons. The Bears look to maintain their momentum Saturday against visiting Utah, which has lost four of its last five games and needs a win to keep its NIT hopes alive.
Central Florida at Tulsa 6:00 PM ET
Tulsa will look to avoid a season sweep Saturday when it plays host to Central Florida in the final home game of the regular season for the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa overcame a halftime deficit for the third time during American Athletic Conference play Tuesday as it used a barrage of triples to shoot its way to a 62-57 victory over Tulane.
Brigham Young at Pepperdine 6:00 PM ET
BYU might still be cleaning up after its raucous celebration from last weekend, when the Cougars snapped Gonzaga’s 40-game winning streak against conference opponents. The 18th-ranked Cougars will need to refocus in time for Saturday’s road game against Pepperdine, which is attempting to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since beating No. 20 Wisconsin at home in 2004.
DePaul at Butler 6:30 PM ET
The good news for Butler heading into a Big East matchup against DePaul is the availability of starting guards Kamar Baldwin and Aaron Thompson after they sustained injuries in the previous game. Their presence should give the Bulldogs a better chance of ending their three-game losing streak Saturday night at home.
Michigan St at Maryland 8:00 PM ET
Eighth-ranked Maryland looks to clinch at least a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title Saturday night when it hosts No. 24 Michigan State. The Terrapins came from 17 down to defeat Minnesota on Wednesday, giving them a two-game lead on four teams heading into Saturday's action - a group that includes the Spartans, who are coming off a victory over No. 17 Iowa on Tuesday.
Memphis at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
Memphis is in the process of falling off the NCAA Tournament bubble and can't afford a road loss to the last-place team in the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers will try to avoid that fate and turn the momentum around as the regular season winds down when they visit Tulane on Saturday.
Arizona State at Southern California 8:00 PM ET
USC took another step closer toward securing an NCAA Tournament at-large berth and a coveted top-four finish in the congested Pac-12 on Thursday night when it grinded out a 57-48 victory over visiting Arizona. The Trojans now go for a sweep of the Arizona schools Saturday night when they host Arizona State.
Miami-Florida at Georgia Tech 8:00 PM ET
Miami closes out its road slate Saturday as it caps off a three-game trip at Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes come off an 87-71 loss to Notre Dame that snapped their three-game winning streak and now they face a Yellow Jackets squad that continues to exceed expectations and has won its last five home games, four against ACC foes, after taking down visiting Clemson 68-59 Tuesday.
San Diego St. at Nevada 8:00 PM ET
San Diego State has already hoisted its 2019-20 Mountain West regular-season championship banner in Viejas Arena after clinching the league title back on Feb. 11 with a win over New Mexico. The fifth-ranked Aztecs now will set their sights on posting the best record in the 21-year history of the conference when they travel to Reno on Saturday to face Nevada in their regular-season finale.
South Carolina at Alabama 8:30 PM ET
Losing John Petty Jr. is the last thing Alabama, which faces visiting South Carolina on Saturday in an SEC game, needed as it attempts to get hot in time for the SEC Tournament. Petty injured his elbow in a loss to Mississippi State and it is not known whether he will be able to face the Gamecocks.
Arizona at UCLA 10:00 PM ET
Jaime Jaquez’s last-second 3-pointer not only
gave UCLA a 75-72 win over Arizona State on Thursday night, but it lifted the
Bruins into a share of the Pac-12 Conference lead. Red-hot UCLA will try to
extend its roll Saturday night when its hosts No. 24 Arizona.
St. Mary's at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Gonzaga looks to finish the regular season on a strong note when it hosts Saint Mary's in West Coast Conference play on Saturday. The Bulldogs clinched the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC tourney when it rolled to a 94-59 home victory over San Diego on Thursday.
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