Preview Roundups
December 02, 2014
Pittsburgh at Indiana 7:00 PM ET
Teams that have had to deal with a lot of roster turnover meet Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Panthers visit the Indiana Hoosiers for the first time in 73 years in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has been without guard Cameron Wright (foot), the team's returning leading scorer, all season, and Durand Scott, last season's sixth man and a dangerous perimeter player who was given a season-long suspension on the eve of the season opener.
Stephen F. Austin at Memphis 7:00 PM ET
Memphis looks to get some momentum going when it hosts Stephen F. Austin in its final game of the Continential Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Tuesday. The Tigers finished in third place in the on-site portion of the tournament, and now look to climb above .500 on the season with a second straight win. The Lumberjacks are also at .500 and come in on a two-game winning streak.
Minnesota at Wake Forest 7:00 PM ET
Wake Forest is having a tough time putting a winning streak together in the pre-conference slate and things don’t get any easier when Minnesota visits as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday. The Demon Deacons failed to reach 70 points for the second time in seven games with a 72-65 loss against visiting Delaware State on Friday – their second defeat at home already. The Golden Gophers bounced back from a loss to St. John’s by taking out Georgia in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Stony Brook at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin pulled no punches in regards to his team’s ability to pass and defend the last time it took the court. The Bearcats hope to rebound from their first loss Tuesday when they host Stony Brook. Cincinnati, which has already failed to top 60 points four times in six tries this season, bottomed out in Saturday’s 66-54 setback against Ole Miss in the Emerald Coast Classic championship game as the Rebels scored more points and shot better than any of its previous opponents.
Niagara at St. John's 7:00 PM ET
Coach Steve Lavin’s move to a smaller lineup is producing positive results as St. John’s heads into Tuesday’s game against visiting Niagara with a 4-1 record. In the Red Storm’s 73-66 loss to Gonzaga, Lavin started guards D’Angelo Harrison, Rysheed Jordan, Phil Greene IV and Sir’Dominic Pointer with 6-10 center Chris Obekpa and the foursome combined to score 62 points. St. John’s used a nine-man rotation against the Bulldogs and, other than Obekpa, no one stood taller than 6-7.
Mount St. Mary's at Seton Hall 7:00 PM ET
A highly touted freshmen class is already paying huge dividends for Seton Hall, which puts its unbeaten record on the line Tuesday against visiting Mount St. Mary's. Isaiah Whitehead and Angel Delgado combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Pirates on Saturday knocked off George Washington to continue their best start since opening at 8-0 in 2009-10, the year before Kevin Willard became coach.
Georgia at Chattanooga 7:00 PM ET
Georgia aims to bounce back from consecutive losses when the Bulldogs visit Chattanooga on Tuesday. The Bulldogs had won three straight before heading to the NIT Season Tip-Off, where they lost to Gonzaga and Minnesota over the weekend. It's a rare opportunity for the Mocs to host a major-conference opponent at McKenzie Arena, where they're 3-0 this season and 15-2 under second-year coach Will Wade.
Massachusetts at Louisiana State 7:00 PM ET
With its leading scorer and rebounder set to return from an ankle injury, LSU hosts Massachusetts on Tuesday in a rematch of last year's entertaining season opener. Tigers coach Johnny Jones decided on Saturday to sit Jordan Mickey, who is averaging 17.8 points and 10 rebounds, to let the sophomore star rest his sprained ankle. "Jordan is fine," Jones told the Shreveport Times. "If he was needed tonight, he would have been available."
Syracuse at Michigan 7:30 PM ET
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is full of high-profile matchups and that is surely the case when Syracuse of the ACC visits No. 16 Michigan of the Big Ten on Tuesday. These programs last faced off in the 2013 Final Four when the Wolverines prevailed 61-56 to reach the title game of the NCAA Tournament. Both squads are off to 5-1 starts this season with the Orange falling to California and Michigan losing to Villanova.
Georgia Southern at Central Florida 7:30 PM ET
UCF bounced back from its first loss with a win Sunday and will try to put a positive streak together when it hosts Georgia Southern on Tuesday. The Knights are dealing with some inconsistency from star freshman Adonys Henriquez but others are picking up the slack, with Justin McBride the latest to step up. The sophomore center eclipsed his previous career high by 18 points with 31 off the bench in Sunday’s 75-67 triumph over Bethune-Cookman.
SE Missouri St. at Missouri 8:00 PM ET
Home sweet home, or at least that's what Missouri hopes after a 1-2 trip to the Maui Invitational that yielded only a win over host Chaminade. Now the Tigers come back to Columbia to host in-state rival Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday, hoping to get some wins back at home. Freshman G Namon Wright will look to keep up his hot shooting that saw him go 7-of-7 from the field against the Silverswords for a career-best 21 points.
Nebraska Omaha at Kansas St. 8:00 PM ET
After an exhausting 1-2 trip at the Maui Invitational, the Kansas State Wildcats return home Tuesday to play Omaha. The Wildcats outlasted Purdue 88-79 in the first game of the tournament and then lost a tough 72-68 decision against No. 4 Arizona before getting pummeled 70-47 by Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Thomas Gipson led the way with 13 points but leading scorer Marcus Foster was held to just seven on 3-of-9 shooting.
Texas-Arlington at Texas 8:00 PM ET
No. 7 Texas has not been afraid to challenge itself in the first few weeks and answered the biggest test with a win at defending champion Connecticut on Sunday. The Longhorns will try to avoid a letdown when they return home to host Texas-Arlington on Tuesday. Jonathan Holmes buried the go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 2.2 seconds left to stun the Huskies and earn Texas a 55-54 victory on Sunday.
Lamar at Iowa St. 8:00 PM ET
No. 19 Iowa State looks to bounce back from its poor showing against Maryland on Tuesday, when it hosts Lamar from the Southland Conference. The Cyclones opened with three straight wins before shooting 29.7 percent and missing 21 of their 27 shots from 3-point range in a 72-63 loss to Maryland in last Tuesday’s CBE Classic title game. It marked an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance for Iowa State, which opened the event with a 10-point win over Alabama.
N.C. State at Purdue 9:00 PM ET
North Carolina State is 6-0 for the first time in a decade, and the Wolfpack will put that unblemished record on the line Tuesday when they visit Purdue in an ACC-Big Ten Challenge game. While N.C. State has had some impressive victories over Boise State, Richmond and South Florida, all of its games have been at home. The Wolfpack, however, were 9-8 outside of Raleigh last season, with Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami and Pittsburgh among their victims.
Gardner-Webb at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
Arizona should have fresh legs when the No. 3 Wildcats host Gardner-Webb on Tuesday in a nonconference game. Arizona has been off since beating No. 14 San Diego State to win the Maui Invitational on Wednesday. Stanley Johnson has been performing like one of the top freshmen in the country and seems to elevate his game along with the competition, scoring a season-high 18 points and taking nine rebounds with three steals in the 61-59 win against the Aztecs.
Illinois at Miami-Florida 9:00 PM ET
Two teams who made strong impressions in November meet to start a new month when No. 25 Illinois visits No. 15 Miami (Fla.) on Tuesday as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Fighting Illini have averaged 90 points while winning their first six games for the fourth straight season after taking the Las Vegas Invitational over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Hurricanes have burst on the scene with a virtually brand new roster, led by transfer guards Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez.
Northern Illinois at DePaul 9:00 PM ET
DePaul comes into Tuesday’s game against visiting Northern Illinois with a 3-1 record, which may not seem like much to many Big East teams but is cause for celebration in Chicago. Not only did the Blue Demons rebound from a disappointing home loss to Lehigh, but Sunday’s victory over Stanford was one of the program’s most significant non-conference wins in quite some time.
Southeastern Louisiana at Gonzaga 9:00 PM ET
Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer may not be household names yet, but Gonzaga’s new additions to its frontcourt have been creating headaches for opponents. The eighth-ranked Bulldogs, who host Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, have four players on their roster that stand at least 6-10. In Friday’s NIT Season Tip-Off championship game versus St. John’s, it was the 6-10 freshman Sabonis that came off the bench with 14 points and nine rebounds to send Gonzaga to a 73-66 win.
South Florida at Alabama 9:00 PM ET
Of the nine Division I players who have made every free throw this season, only one has made more than Levi Randolph, who leads Alabama into action Tuesday against visiting USF. After going 10-of-10 against Arizona State, the senior has made 37 straight free throws, including 35 this season. "I try not the think about," he told reporters of his free throw shooting, which stands at 72 percent for his career. "My whole life, I've been a pretty good free throw shooter."
Ohio St. at Louisville 9:30 PM ET
No. 5 Louisville and 13th-ranked Ohio State have sailed through the season’s first three weeks against less-than-impressive competition. That changes on Tuesday, when the Buckeyes leave Columbus for the first time to visit the Cardinals in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Ohio State ranks second in the nation in field-goal percentage (56.7) but will be tested by a Louisville defense led by preseason All-American Montrezl Harrell, who is averaging 17.4 points and 8.8 rebounds.
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