Preview Roundups
December 13, 2014
South Carolina Upstate at Maryland 11:00 AM ET
Maryland continues to build confidence as it prepares for its first Big Ten campaign and the 20th-ranked Terrapins face another opportunity to grow Saturday when they host USC Upstate. Maryland has won four of five games without leading scorer Dez Wells (wrist) as several newcomers have stepped up along with versatile junior swingman Jake Layman. The Terrapins must be sharp against the Spartans, who won at South Carolina last season and are coming off a 59-54 victory at Georgia Tech.
Wichita St. at Detroit 12:00 PM ET
Wichita State will try for its first road win of the season when it faces Detroit on Saturday afternoon. The 11th-ranked Shockers, who won their 22nd straight home game when they defeated previously unbeaten Seton Hall, 77-68, on Tuesday, are playing just their second road contest of the season. They lost their previous one in overtime at No. 14 Utah, 69-68.
Radford at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Taking the court donning "I Can't Breathe" T-shirts, Georgetown looked to make a statement both on and off court in its last outing against 10th-ranked Kansas. While the Hoyas managed to voice their civil discontent, it was the Jayhawks who took home the narrow victory. Georgetown looks to rebound on Saturday when it hosts Radford in a nonconference contest.
Stony Brook at Providence 12:00 PM ET
After a much-needed victory Wednesday against in-state rival Rhode Island, Providence hopes to build off that momentum when it hosts Stony Brook on Saturday. Since opening the season with six consecutive wins, including two at the Hall of Fame Tipoff tournament against Florida State and Notre Dame, the Friars had lost three straight before knocking off the Rams.
North Carolina at Kentucky 12:00 PM ET
Any talk about Kentucky potentially going undefeated this season has been put on hold for the time being. After the top-ranked Wildcats struggled mightily against Columbia on Wednesday, they hope to author a much better performance Saturday when they host No. 18 North Carolina in a marquee matchup between two of the greatest programs in the history of the sport.
Morehead St. at Ohio St. 1:00 PM ET
No. 12 Ohio State looks to win its 11th consecutive home game when it welcomes Morehead State to Columbus on Saturday. The youthful Buckeyes have reeled off seven straight victories at Value City Arena this season - including a 97-43 triumph over High Point on Wednesday - and have topped the 90-point mark in four of those wins. "They keep making the right strides and they keep on learning," coach Thad Matta told reporters. "I love how these guys practice."
St. Bonaventure at Pittsburgh 2:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh tested itself with a difficult early schedule and looks to gain confidence before ACC play with a five-game homestand, starting with a visit from dangerous St. Bonaventure on Saturday. The Panthers lost to No. 16 San Diego State and Indiana recently, but come in off a solid performance in a 76-62 victory over Duquesne on Dec. 5. The Bonnies are off to their best start since 2000-01 and have won five straight while boasting five players averaging double figures in scoring.
Pepperdine at Arizona St. 2:00 PM ET
Arizona State looks to stay perfect at home when the Sun Devils host Pepperdine on Saturday. The Sun Devils have lost all three of their contests away from home, including a 72-71 defeat at Texas A&M last time out, but have won their five home games by an average of 19.8 points. Pepperdine is off to its best start since winning seven of its first eight games in the 2004-05 season.
Dayton at Arkansas 2:00 PM ET
Arkansas made its return to the top 25 last week, but its stay in the rankings proved to be a short one. Coming off back-to-back losses, including a heart-breaking defeat their last time out, the Razorbacks look to get back into the win column Saturday against visiting Dayton. Arkansas sat at No. 21 last week before an 18-point loss to Iowa State and a three-point overtime setback against Clemson left coach Mike Anderson's team without a spot in the latest coaches' poll.
St. Mary's at Creighton 2:15 PM ET
Creighton attempts to push its homecourt winning streak to 25 consecutive games when it entertains Saint Mary’s on Saturday. The Bluejays were pressed and had to go into double-overtime on Tuesday to keep the streak intact as South Dakota pushed hard before Creighton escaped with a 91-88 victory. The Gaels can relate to a long win streak as they had their 33-game home win streak against non-conference foes halted when they fell to Boise State 82-71 on Saturday.
Oklahoma at Tulsa 2:30 PM ET
Oklahoma ends an eight-day break for final exams with a Saturday afternoon road game at in-state rival Tulsa. The Sooners, coming off an impressive 82-63 home win over Missouri on Dec. 5, moved up to No. 15 in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll, the school's highest ranking since 2009 when a fellow named Blake Griffin was suiting up for OU. Oklahoma has won four of its last five games with the only loss to No. 6 Wisconsin, 69-56, in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.
Nicholls State at Wisconsin 3:00 PM ET
A healthy Sam Dekker is only going to make No. 6 Wisconsin, which hosts Nicholls State University on Saturday afternoon, more dangerous. The junior forward returned to practice full time this week after resting a left ankle injury but had struggled in games, scoring seven points in two games. He looked better Wednesday, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes in a 93-54 win at Milwaukee.
Utah at Kansas 3:15 PM ET
Tenth-ranked Kansas seeks its seventh consecutive victory when it faces off with No. 14 Utah on Saturday in Kansas City. The Jayhawks appear to be hitting their stride after defeating Michigan State, Florida and Georgetown in their last three games and figure to receive a test from the Utes, who are rising after a strong start. Utah defeated bitter rival Brigham Young on Wednesday and its lone loss of the campaign came in a visit to San Diego State.
Mississippi St. at Oregon St. 4:00 PM ET
Oregon State looks to stay unbeaten at home this season when it faces Mississippi State on Saturday. The Beavers have won four games in a row at Gill Coliseum and hope to secure their first victory over an SEC opponent this season after falling 71-69 to Auburn in the consolation game of the MGM Grand Main Event. "I think the experience we're gaining from these close games is invaluable," coach Wayne Tinkle told reporters. "We just have to make sure that every day we're focusing on improving."
Xavier at Missouri 4:00 PM ET
Xavier makes its first trip into a hostile environment when it travels to Missouri on Saturday. The Musketeers have been perfect at home but are 1-2 on neutral courts and haven't yet played on an opponent's home floor. The Tigers are aiming for their second straight victory and their first this season against a team from a power conference.
Western Kentucky at Mississippi 4:30 PM ET
Ole Miss recorded three victories against major conference teams in the first month of the season and looks to add another against a traditionally strong program when it hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Rebels have triumphed against Creighton, Cincinnati and, most recently, at Oregon on Sunday while their offense has yet to click consistently. Ole Miss continues to lean on its defense in the early going, limiting opponents to 35.3 percent shooting, along with a deep, balanced roster.
Youngstown St. at Texas A&M 5:00 PM ET
If nothing else, Texas A&M will be happy to return home, where it has been a far better team, for Saturday's game against Youngstown State. The Aggies suffered an ugly defeat Tuesday at Baylor in their first true road game of the season and did so without collecting a single offensive rebound. "When you don't get an offensive rebound, you have to give Baylor a lot of credit," head coach Billy Kennedy told the media. "We physically got whipped."
Grand Canyon at Indiana 5:00 PM ET
Following a loss on a big stage against a national power, Indiana returns home to take on Dan Majerle's Grand Canyon squad Saturday. The Hoosiers had won three straight — including a solid 12-point victory over Pittsburgh at home — before dropping a 94-74 decision to No. 4 Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Indiana was within five points midway through the second half before limping to the finish line as it was outrebounded 52-34.
James Madison at East Carolina 5:00 PM ET
James Madison looks to build on some momentum gained by two straight home victories when it hits the road to face East Carolina on Saturday. The Pirates have lost two straight, including an ugly 44-point blowout by North Carolina on Sunday, so coach Jeff Lebo is hoping the five-day break helps his team improve its play. The Dukes have dropped just two games this year, both to nationally ranked opponents in Virginia and Ohio State.
Michigan at Arizona 5:15 PM ET
Michigan has experienced back-to-back stunning losses – ones that rate high on the upset scale regardless of the barometer – and now attempts to get back on course when it visits No. 3 Arizona on Saturday. The Wolverines first were victims of a shocking loss to New Jersey Institute of Technology on Dec. 6 and followed up with a 45-42 loss to cross-town opponent Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. The Wildcats are unbeaten and rolled over Utah Valley 87-56 on Tuesday.
Northern Colorado at Colorado 6:00 PM ET
Northern Colorado saw an impressive string of offensive outbursts come to an end in its previous encounter against Colorado State. The Bears look to return to their high-scoring ways Saturday night as they visit Colorado in the second of a three-game road trip. Northern Colorado tipped off its short trek with a thud, dropping a 66-58 decision to the Rams after coming into the game averaging 90 points in its previous three outings.
Oklahoma St. at Memphis 6:00 PM ET
After seeing its seven-game winning streak vanish in its first road test of the season, Oklahoma State looks to get back on track when it visits Memphis on Saturday. The Cowboys were trounced at South Carolina last weekend, falling 75-49 and leaving coach Travis Ford bewildered. "There aren't many positives out there for us," he told reporters.
Denver at Stanford 6:00 PM ET
Stanford hasn’t played in 13 days so it should have fresh legs when it hosts Denver on Saturday afternoon. The time off has given the Cardinal extra time to digest their 87-72 loss to DePaul, in which they allowed the Blue Demons to shoot 54 percent from the floor and while committing 21 turnovers. Stanford was just outside the top 25 prior to the loss but might need to wait until a game on Dec. 23 against No. 9 Texas to show it still belongs.
Northern Iowa at VCU 7:00 PM ET
Shortly after Northern Iowa enjoyed the shooting performance of the night in college basketball, Seth Tuttle authored the understatement of the night. "That's a pretty efficient first half," Tuttle said after the 24th-ranked Panthers shot 15-of-17 in the first half and 70 percent for the game in Wednesday's 10-point win at Denver. "When we're playing like that, we're pretty tough to guard." Tuttle hopes his team can put together a similar effort Saturday when it visits VCU.
Oregon at Illinois 7:00 PM ET
No. 25 Illinois and Oregon both are having some trouble against major-conference opponents early in the season. One of the two will break out of that rut when the Fighting Illini host the Ducks in Chicago on Saturday. Oregon is coming off a home loss to Ole Miss on Sunday, while Illinois has dropped two of three to a pair of top-20 opponents in Miami and Villanova.
Sam Houston St. at Louisiana State 7:00 PM ET
After getting eight full days to savor its biggest win of the season, LSU returns to court Saturday when it hosts Sam Houston State. The Tigers have followed a poor showing at the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands with three consecutive victories, including two wins over a three-day span last week against Massachusetts and previously undefeated West Virginia. The victory over the then-No.17 Mountaineers was LSU’s first road win over a ranked foe since 2005.
McNeese St. at Texas Christian 8:00 PM ET
TCU is undefeated and looking for some respect in the national rankings. The Horned Frogs, who have yet to make their way into the top 25, look to keep alive their winning streak when they host McNeese State on Saturday. TCU has knocked off three major-conference opponents already and is the only undefeated team left among Big 12 schools but still is earning back respect after going 0-18 in conference play last season.
Florida Atlantic at Central Florida 8:00 PM ET
As the road losses pile up, UCF will gladly welcome a stretch of four straight home games, which begins Saturday against visiting Florida Atlantic. The Knights dropped their second straight road game Thursday against UIC, but a return to CFE Arena, where they have won five of six this season, should provide the remedy. "We made too many just careless turnovers," head coach Donnie Jones told reporters of the loss, during which the Knights had 17 turnovers.
Florida St. at Notre Dame 8:00 PM ET
With five straight wins to its credit, Notre Dame looks to keep its torrid run going as it hosts Florida State to open Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday. The Fighting Irish triumphed over then-No. 18 Michigan State last Wednesday and followed that up with dominant wins in their last two, but coach Mike Brey knows the ACC schedule brings a lofty challenge. "We're smart enough to understand we have a lot of work to do," Brey said.
Texas State at Texas 8:00 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Texas will have had more than a week between games when it hosts Texas State on Saturday night. The Longhorns likely needed every day of the break to recover from their physical and hard-fought 63-51 loss to top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 5. It was Texas’ first setback in eight games, and it took an 18-2 run to start the second half by the host Wildcats to put away the contest which featured nine players 6-9 or taller.
Princeton at California 8:30 PM ET
Off to its best start in 13 years, California aims for its sixth straight victory Saturday when the Golden Bears host Princeton from the Ivy League. Third-leading scorer Jabari Bird is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game for Cal, which defeated Wyoming 45-42 on Wednesday despite being held to 15 first-half points and shooting 36.5 percent overall. Sam Singer scored two points in 31 minutes while starting in place of Bird, who is battling a left foot injury.
Cincinnati at Nebraska 9:00 PM ET
Nebraska’s success at home in 2013-14 fueled an unexpected run to the NCAA Tournament, but its fortunes at Pinnacle Bank Arena have taken a turn for the worse during the past week. After going 19-1 in their first 20 games at their second-year venue, the Cornhuskers hope to avoid three straight home losses Saturday when they host Cincinnati. Nebraska went 15-1 at home last season, but has already doubled that loss total following defeats Sunday to Creighton and Wednesday to Incarnate Word.
Purdue at Vanderbilt 9:00 PM ET
After enjoying a seven-game homestand that was sandwiched around a three-game stint in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, Purdue plays its first true road game of the season when it visits Vanderbilt on Saturday. Kendall Stephens tied a career high with six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points off the bench in Purdue's dominant 87-46 victory over Arkansas State on Wednesday, which featured a 52-point first half by Purdue.
Tennessee Tech at Alabama 9:00 PM ET
Alabama faces its toughest challenge Tuesday against nationally-ranked Wichita State - and it will look to use Saturday's home encounter with Tennessee Tech as a tuneup. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 97-84 loss to Xavier and have had seven days to mull over a defeat in which they allowed the Musketeers to shoot 56.6 percent. Alabama is 4-0 at home, with three of those wins coming by double digits.
Washington St. at Santa Clara 10:00 PM ET
Washington State is in the midst of a demanding stretch, playing three games in eight days before heading into finals next week. Sandwiched smack in the middle was Wednesday’s game against eighth-ranked Gonzaga and the Cougars end it with a road tilt against Santa Clara on Saturday. It’s a challenging itinerary, and Washington State coach Ernie Kent is taking a somewhat unique approach.
Gonzaga at UCLA 10:00 PM ET
UCLA has appeared disinterested in the first half of its last two games, but that figures to change Saturday when the Bruins host No. 8 Gonzaga, which has been perfect save for last weekend’s 66-63 overtime loss at Arizona. The Bruins improved to 7-0 at home this season with a 77-66 win over UC Riverside on Wednesday after trailing by eight at the half. Norman Powell is one of five players averaging in double figures for UCLA, which faces top-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 20.
Army at Southern California 10:30 PM ET
USC has won four straight games since concluding play in the Charleston Classic on Nov. 23 and can make it five in a row if it's able to outlast visiting Army on Saturday. Nikola Jovanovic lifted the Trojans to an 89-84 victory over Utah State on Sunday, tying his career high of 23 points, and Jordan McLaughlin chipped in 21 with five of USC's 12 3-pointers. McLaughlin leads a talented freshman class that has scored 34.7 percent of the Trojans' points this season.
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