Preview Roundups
March 14, 2015
Purdue at Wisconsin 1:00 PM ET
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan told reporters following his team’s last victory that he is less concerned about his team’s NCAA Tournament seeding and more focused on “taking care of business." The fifth-ranked and top-seeded Badgers may be able to do a bit of both Saturday by defeating Purdue in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago. Wisconsin downed Michigan 71-60 in Friday’s quarterfinals for its 14th win in its last 15 games, collecting its 24th double-digit victory of the season.
Auburn at Kentucky 1:00 PM ET
Auburn doesn’t seem to be too worried about Saturday’s SEC tournament semifinal matchup against top-ranked and undefeated Kentucky. Fresh off three upset wins in three days in Nashville, Tenn., the 13th-seeded Tigers are too busy enjoying their extended Music City stay. “Lately, that's all we have been doing is just staying together and playing defense and just having fun,” Auburn senior guard Malcolm Canada said in news conference Friday.
VCU at Davidson 1:30 PM ET
No. 24 Davidson's debut to Atlantic 10 tournament action was one that will be talked about for a long time among Wildcat faithful thanks to Tyler Kalinoski's buzzer-beating layup that pulled out a 67-66 victory over No. 9 seed La Salle in Friday's quarterfinals. Davidson moves on to face a VCU team it split with during conference play in the semifinals Saturday in Brooklyn, N.Y. The fifth-seeded Rams knocked off No. 4 seed Richmond 70-67 in Friday’s quarterfinals for their third straight win.
Temple at Southern Methodist 3:00 PM ET
Temple pushed itself closer to an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by knocking off Memphis in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament but would prefer to take it out of the hands of the selection committee entirely. The fourth-seeded Owls will try to get one step closer to an automatic bid when they face No. 1 seed SMU in the semifinals on Saturday in Hartford, Conn. The Mustangs got by East Carolina in a tough quarterfinal on Friday.
Michigan St at Maryland 3:30 PM ET
Maryland’s maiden voyage in its new conference has been nothing short of a success, setting a school-record with 26 regular-season wins – two coming against Michigan State. The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Terrapins could write another chapter in their fairytale season Saturday in Chicago as they attempt to beat the defending Big Ten tournament champions in semifinal action. Maryland won 14 of its first 15 games this season, including a double-overtime win at Michigan State on Dec. 30.
Georgia at Arkansas 3:30 PM ET
Bobby Portis had just scored a game-high 26 points Friday in an 80-72 victory over Tennessee when he was asked if the Razorbacks were sneaking a peek at a possible championship matchup with top-ranked and undefeated Kentucky. The SEC Player of the Year, though, quickly dismissed that notion. “Just one game at a time,” said Portis, whose 20th-ranked and second-seeded squad takes on No. 3 seed Georgia in Saturday’s second semifinal in Nashville, Tenn.
Connecticut at Tulsa 5:00 PM ET
Tulsa will have to be a whole lot better if it hopes to escape Saturday's American Athletic Conference tournament semifinal game against Connecticut with a victory. Despite being on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth, the second-seeded Golden Hurricane put forth an uninspired effort in defeating Houston 59-51 in Friday's quarterfinals at the XL Center in Hartford.
Iowa St. at Kansas 6:00 PM ET
Second-seeded Iowa State attempts to win the Big 12 tournament title for the second straight season when it battles top-seeded Kansas in Saturday’s championship game in Kansas City. The No. 15 Cyclones overcame a slow start before posting a 67-65 victory over Oklahoma in the semifinals while 10th-ranked Kansas was in control most of the second half while recording a 62-52 victory over Baylor. The teams split two regular-season meetings with both squads winning on their home floors.
Wyoming at San Diego St. 6:00 PM ET
San Diego State is no stranger to the championship game of the Mountain West Conference tournament, having made it to the title contest in six of the last seven seasons. Wyoming, on the other hand, hasn't been there much but has more motivation for the game, which will be played on Saturday in Las Vegas. While the second-seeded Aztecs seem to have an NCAA Tournament berth locked up, the fourth-seeded Cowboys need the automatic berth that comes with a MWC title in order to join the field of 68.
Xavier at Villanova 8:00 PM ET
Villanova may have secured a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, but the third-ranked Wildcats still have some business at hand - namely winning their first Big East Conference tournament championship in 20 years. Villanova survived a furious comeback by Providence College in the semifinals and will take on Xavier in the tourney title game Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats entered the matchup riding a school-record 14-game winning streak.
North Carolina at Notre Dame 8:30 PM ET
Notre Dame looks for its first ACC tournament title and No. 19 North Carolina tries to add its 18th when they meet in the championship game Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. The fifth-seeded Tar Heels knocked off top seed Virginia 71-67 in Friday’s semifinals and are attempting to win four games in four days to take the tournament for the first time since 2008. The third-seeded Fighting Irish, in their second season in the ACC, took a big lead and held off second-seeded Duke 74-64 on Friday.
Oregon at Arizona 11:00 PM ET
Arizona aims for its first Pac-12 tournament title since 2002 on Saturday when the top-seeded Wildcats face No. 2 seed Oregon in the title game in Las Vegas. Coach Sean Miller’s squad reached the championship game for the fourth time in the last five years with a 70-64 win over UCLA in Friday’s semifinals, while Oregon advanced with a dramatic 67-64 victory over third-seeded Utah. The Wildcats routed Oregon in two meetings during the regular season by a combined total of 52 points.
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