Preview Roundups
November 13, 2016
Indiana - Purdue at Michigan 12:00 PM ET
John Beilein, who became a college coach 39 years ago, admitted he and his Michigan team were thrown for a bit of a loop in Friday's season opener when Howard's aggressive matchup zone defense temporarily stifled his typically efficient offense. The Wolverines eventually solved the riddle of the Bison and will look to improve to 2-0 for the 14th straight season Sunday when they host IUPUI in another on-campus game for the 2K Classic Benefitting Wounded Warrior Project.
St. Francis (NY) at N.C. State 2:00 PM ET
It appears that North Carolina State has the depth to contend in the ACC this season -- especially when 7-0 freshman center Omer Yurtseven, a five-star recruit from Turkey, makes his debut next month. The Wolfpack look to build momentum off their narrow season-opening victory when they host St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday.
Central Conn. St. at Seton Hall 2:00 PM ET
Seton Hall shook off a slow start to knock off neighboring Fairleigh Dickinson in its season opener on Friday. The Pirates, who are defending Big East tournament champions and believe they can compete for the title again, look for their second straight win when they host Central Connecticut State on Sunday.
Bucknell at Wake Forest 2:00 PM ET
Wake Forest tries to use its height advantage again Sunday when it hosts Bucknell. The Demon Deacons dominated the paint at times in their opener, scoring 17 of their 20 second-half baskets in the post against Radford.
Eastern Michigan at Southern Methodist 2:00 PM ET
SMU's Semi Ojeleye recorded his first career double-double Friday in his first game since Nov. 30, 2014. The Mustangs will look for more of the same from the junior forward when they host Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
Savannah State at Iowa 3:30 PM ET
Peter Jok showed in Iowa's season opener that he is ready to step into the spotlight for the Hawkeyes. Jok will take the court in search of a strong encore performance Sunday when Iowa hosts Savannah State, which was pounded by Iowa State in its season opener.
Drexel at Rutgers 4:00 PM ET
Steve Pikiell's debut as Rutgers coach wasn't without its nervous moments, but the end result satisfied both Pikiell and the Scarlet Knights. They'll try to build off the momentum of their season-opening victory Sunday afternoon against visiting Drexel, which came out flat in its first game of the new campaign.
Chattanooga at North Carolina 4:00 PM ET
Junior swingman Justin Jackson’s emergence as a consistent go-to player could be a key for North Carolina this season and early indications are he could be ready for the job. Jackson looks to follow up his career-high 27-point performance in the opener when the sixth-ranked Tar Heels take on dangerous Chattanooga on Saturday to begin their home schedule.
Texas-San Antonio at Oregon St. 5:00 PM ET
Oregon State notched its first NCAA tournament berth in 26 years last season, but coach Wayne Tinkle isn’t about to let his team become complacent. Tinkle is looking for increased intensity Sunday as the Beavers host UTSA, which dominated the boards but dropped its season opener 69-66 at Fresno State on Friday.
Northwestern St. at Oklahoma 5:00 PM ET
Oklahoma will see if there is life after Buddy Hield when it opens its 2016-17 season Sunday afternoon against visiting Northwestern State. The Sooners, who made it to the Final Four last season behind National Player of the Year Hield who was also the sixth pick of the NBA Draft by New Orleans, also must replace two other All-Big 12 players in guard Isaiah Cousins and forward Ryan Spangler.
Holy Cross at South Carolina 6:00 PM ET
Frank Martin’s teams don’t always win in the prettiest fashion, and with a revamped roster, the fiery South Carolina coach expects things to be even rougher than usual early on this season. Nonetheless, Martin’s Gamecocks will try to improve to 2-0 when they host Holy Cross on Sunday in a game that is part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.
Canisius at Kentucky 6:00 PM ET
For a club that perennially boasts multiple one-and-done players, it would seem harder to get them to bond together as a team while featuring such winning traits as sharing the ball and playing defense. That doesn't appear to be the case with the 2016-17 version of Kentucky, which hosts Canisius on Sunday after coach John Calipari's No. 4 Wildcats served notice in their opener - an 87-64 victory over Stephen F. Austin - that there are no individuals, but plenty of talent.
Duquesne at Penn St. 6:00 PM ET
With his new up-tempo offense, Penn State coach Patrick Chambers set a goal of 80 points per game. His Nittany Lions met that goal in their season opener against Albany, but getting three freshmen starters up to speed and improving a leaky defense will undoubtedly be Chambers' main focus before Penn State hosts an equally inexperienced Duquesne team Sunday.
Northern Kentucky at Illinois 6:00 PM ET
After an uneven season-opening victory, Illinois looks to move to 2-0 on the campaign when it hosts Northern Kentucky on Sunday night. Coach John Groce's squad fell behind by seven in the first half in its opener against Southeast Missouri State before turning it on to cruise to a 19-point victory.
Nebraska Omaha at Southern California 7:00 PM ET
USC experienced several positives during its season opener and the Trojans will try to follow the same script when they host Omaha on Sunday. Among the highlights in their 75-61 victory Friday night against visiting Montana was a career-high 30 points from Elijah Stewart and 17 points and seven rebounds from Shaqquan Aaron in his USC debut.
Yale at Washington 7:00 PM ET
Washington has designs on making its first NCAA
Tournament appearance since 2011, and the Huskies will be counting on one of
the nation’s top freshmen, guard Markelle Fultz, to lead the way. The journey
begins Sunday in Seattle as Washington hosts Yale in the season opener for both
teams.
Robert Morris at DePaul 7:00 PM ET
As he begins the second season of his second stint as DePaul coach, Dave Leitao realizes there is plenty of work to do to raise the program from the depths of the Big East Conference. The Blue Demons host Robert Morris in their season debut Sunday looking for their first winning season since 2006-07, two years after Leitao ended his first stay at the school with three consecutive postseason appearances.
Alabama A&M at Missouri 8:00 PM ET
Kim Anderson’s third season at the helm for Missouri figures to be an important one in determining his future with his alma mater. The Tigers should have a good chance to start things on a high note against visiting Alabama A&M on Sunday.
Mercer at Florida 8:00 PM ET
Florida looks to build off a strong second half in a season-opening win over Florida Gulf Coast when it takes on Mercer in Jacksonville on Sunday night. The Gators, who are playing 10 of their first 11 games at various Florida venues while their home arena is being renovated, outscored the Eagles 35-9 over the final 16 minutes behind a suffocating defense to overcome a 50-45 deficit and win 80-59.
Sacramento State at Nebraska 8:00 PM ET
Hope for sustained success has been in short supply for Nebraska since it failed to build upon its surprising 2013-14 squad that ended the school's 15-year drought from the Big Dance. Coming off their fourth 18-loss campaign in five seasons since making the move to the Big Ten, the Cornhuskers look to win their 15th consecutive season opener Sunday when they host Sacramento State.
Cal Poly SLO at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Arizona State witnessed just how potent of a scorer Torian Graham can be in the season opener and Sunday he'll try to at least duplicate that performance when the Sun Devils host Cal Poly. Graham, a 6-5 senior guard who has bounced around college basketball, scored 23 points off the bench Friday night and sank 5-of-6 from 3-point range in the 88-70 win against visiting Portland.
CSU Northridge at UCLA 9:00 PM ET
UCLA made a statement in its season opener by sinking a school record 18 shots from 3-point distance, and the No. 20 Bruins will try to carry that simmering stroke into Sunday's game against visiting Cal State Northridge. UCLA was 18-for-30 from long range in the 119-80 win Friday night against visiting Pacific, the most since converting 17 against Arizona on Jan. 19, 2002.
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