Preview Roundups
December 11, 2016
Mississippi at Virginia Tech 12:00 PM ET
Teams trying to crack the national rankings meet Sunday when Ole Miss meets Virginia Tech. The Hokies have won seven of their first eight games for their best start since 2010-11 while the Rebels’ only losses have been to Creighton, ranked No. 2 in the latest RPI rankings and to fifth-ranked Middle Tennessee.
St. John's at LIU Brooklyn 12:00 PM ET
When your head coach is Chris Mullin, you had better know how to fill the basket - and that's exactly what St. John's has done during its current three-game winning streak. The Red Storm look to climb above the .500 mark as they face LIU Brooklyn in a Sunday matinee showdown at Barclays Center.
Hofstra at Kentucky 3:00 PM ET
Seventh-ranked Kentucky rebounded from its first loss of the season and tries to avoid looking forward to another high-profile game when it takes on Hofstra in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats, who play No. 5 North Carolina in Las Vegas next Saturday, knocked off Valparaiso 87-63 on Wednesday after their 97-92 loss to UCLA four days earlier.
Florida at Florida St. 4:00 PM ET
Having outscored its last two opponents by an average of 52 points, Florida State takes a big step up in competition when it hosts No. 21 Florida on Sunday. The Gators, whose losses were to No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 4 Duke, will give the talented and deep Seminoles a much better sense of where they stand after Florida State piled up 216 points in blowout victories over Southern Miss and Nicholls.
Tennessee at North Carolina 5:00 PM ET
After its last performance wasn’t exactly satisfying, fifth-ranked North Carolina is eager to get back on the court Saturday when it hosts Tennessee. The Tar Heels hope to bounce back after surviving a scare from visiting Davidson on Wednesday.
Northern Illinois at Minnesota 5:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to continue its dominance against its non-conference competition when the Golden Gophers host Northern Illinois for a Sunday contest. Richard Pitino's squad has already surpassed its win total for the entire 2015-16 season, while the Huskies come in rested, having taken an 11-day break from competition for finals.
Alabama at Oregon 6:00 PM ET
Oregon star forward Dillon Brooks’ return to the starting lineup could come as soon as Sunday when the 24th-ranked Ducks continue their non-conference schedule against visiting Alabama, which is looking to avenge a 72-68 loss in last season’s matchup. After missing the Ducks’ first three games due to offseason foot surgery, Brooks is averaging 13.7 points in six games off the bench.
Savannah State at Oregon St. 6:00 PM ET
Oregon State ends an eight-day break for final exams when it hosts Savannah State on Sunday. The time off came at a good time for Wayne Tinkle's injury-ravaged Beavers, who will welcome the addition of 6-foot-8, 235-pound freshman forward Ben Kone, the San Jose Mercury News' Player of the Year as a junior at Archbishop Mitty High School after averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game.
New Orleans at Northwestern 7:00 PM ET
Northwestern looks to extend its nonconference home winning streak to 18 games when it faces New Orleans on Sunday. The Wildcats are 5-0 in Evanston, including impressive victories over Wake Forest (65-58) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and DePaul (80-64) in the last two weeks, and hope to beat New Orleans for the second time in as many years after trouncing the Privateers 90-63 last season.
UC Irvine at St. Mary's 8:00 PM ET
Everything was going so well for No. 11 St. Mary's before Thursday, when the team was shocked at home by UT Arlington 65-51. "I thought we got outplayed. Pretty simple. I thought they beat us at every phase," said Gaels coach Randy Bennett, who hopes his team can rebound Sunday versus visiting UC Irvine.
Nevada at Washington 8:00 PM ET
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar is preaching patience to Huskies fans who might be overreacting to his team’s ugly 98-71 loss to Gonzaga last Wednesday. Romar’s squad aims for a bounce-back effort Sunday as the Huskies face visiting Nevada, which has won seven of its last eight games.
Pepperdine at Southern California 10:00 PM ET
USC will return to the court for the first time in eight days--its longest layoff of the entire season--when it hosts Pepperdine in a nonconference game Sunday night. The Trojans won their eighth consecutive game to start the season Dec. 3 against BYU at the Hoophall LA doubleheader at Staples Center, matching their best start since the 2000-01 season, when they went on to advance to the Elite Eight.
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