Preview Roundups
March 22, 2015
George Washington at Temple 11:00 AM ET
Will Cummings doesn’t want to take off his Temple jersey. Days after his Owls were left out of the NCAA Tournament, the senior point guard poured in a season-high 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds Wednesday in a 73-67 first-round NIT victory over Bucknell, ensuring he’ll play at least one more game. That will come Sunday in a second-round matchup between the top-seeded Owls and visiting fifth-seeded George Washington.
Michigan St at Virginia 12:10 PM ET
Second-seeded Virginia hopes to avoid having a promising season cut short by Michigan State for the second year in a row when the Cavaliers face the No. 7 seed Spartans in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. The Spartans ousted the top-seeded Cavaliers in the regional semifinals a year ago. Michigan State is trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time in eight seasons.
San Diego St. at Duke 2:40 PM ET
Prior to Friday’s second-round victory over Robert Morris, Quinn Cook was the only current Duke player that had played a key role in helping his team secure a NCAA Tournament win. With its recent quick exits from the Big Dance in the rearview mirror, the top-seeded Blue Devils eye a berth in the Sweet 16 on Sunday when they meet San Diego State in the third round at Charlotte, N.C.
Wichita St. at Kansas 5:15 PM ET
Wichita State has been unsuccessful in its efforts to schedule Kansas in the regular season but the seventh-seeded Shockers will get a crack at the second-seeded Jayhawks on Sunday in Omaha, Neb., with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. The in-state programs haven’t met since Jan. 6, 1993 – Kansas won 103-54 – despite persistent attempts by Wichita State Gregg Marshall to land a game with Kansas.
Dayton at Oklahoma 6:10 PM ET
The Big 12 did not have a great showing in the NCAA Tournament round of 64, but Oklahoma is ready to carry some weight for the conference. The third-seeded Sooners will try to advance to the East regional semifinals when they take on No. 11 seed Dayton on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. Oklahoma is into the round of 32 after failing to reach the weekend in the last two years, advancing after fellow No. 3-seeded Big 12 teams Baylor and Iowa State fell on Thursday.
Iowa at Gonzaga 7:10 PM ET
Gonzaga has lost only twice all season, but now the second-seeded Bulldogs must contend with arguably the most impressive team from the NCAA Tournament's round of 64. Seventh-seeded Iowa won its tourney opener by 31 points, which certainly caught the Bulldogs' attention heading into their meeting in Seattle on Sunday with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line. Gonzaga opened with an 86-76 victory against No. 15 seed North Dakota State, while Iowa throttled No. 10 seed Davidson 83-52.
Arizona St. at Richmond 7:30 PM ET
Richmond will try to break the program record for most home wins in a season when it hosts Arizona State on Sunday in the second round of the NIT. The Spiders improved to 15-3 at the Robins Center, which opened in 1972, with a 84-74 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday in the first round - its fifth straight win on its home court since a 79-74 setback to Rhode Island on Feb. 8. That victory also propelled the Spiders to the 20-win plateau for the fourth time in seven seasons.
Oregon at Wisconsin 7:45 PM ET
Wisconsin earned the No. 1 seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament and lived up to that lofty billing in the round of 64. The Badgers will continue their march to a second straight Final Four when they face No. 8 seed Oregon in the round of 32 for the second straight year on Sunday in Omaha, Neb. Wisconsin got 19 points from Frank Kaminsky in the 84-77 victory over the Ducks last season, and the 7-footer is primed for another star turn this spring.
West Virginia at Maryland 8:40 PM ET
A likely matchup with mighty Kentucky looms in the Sweet 16 for the winner of Sunday's NCAA Tournament third-round contest between No. 4 seed Maryland and fifth-seeded West Virginia. As long as the Wildcats get past Cincinnati on Sunday, they'll be heavy favorites in the regional semifinals against either the Terps or Mountaineers - both of whom are coming off close victories in their tournament openers. The crowd at Columbus, Ohio should be entertained by two of the nation's top point guards.
Rhode Island at Stanford 9:30 PM ET
Stanford will host Rhode Island in an NIT second-round game Sunday, the first meeting between the teams since their classic Elite 8 matchup 17 years ago to the day. The Mark Madsen-led Cardinal rallied from six points down with just under a minute remaining to beat the Rams by three points as Tyson Wheeler of Rhode Island missed three free throws with five seconds left. Stanford hasn’t been back to the Final Four since, while the Rams haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1999.
Northern Iowa at Louisville 9:40 PM ET
Northern Iowa should be well-rested Sunday when the fifth-seeded Panthers face No. 4 seed Louisville in Seattle for a trip to the Sweet 16. Nine Northern Iowa players tallied at least 16 minutes in Friday’s 71-54 victory over Wyoming, while four of Louisville’s starters clocked at least 37 minutes in a 57-55 win over UC Irvine. Louisville has struggled offensively all season and faces a stiff test against the Panthers, who boast the nation’s fourth-best scoring defense at 54.3 points per game.
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