Preview Roundups
December 19, 2014
Jackson State at Tulane 2:00 PM ET
Tulane looks to extend its winning streak to nine games when Jackson State visits Friday for the first of two final tune-ups before the Green Wave make their maiden voyage in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane has been perfect since opening with a 22-point loss against Wake Forest, including a win over Mississippi State on Dec. 6. Jay Hook scored 31 points as the Green Wave beat Jackson State 70-65 last December.
Tennessee Tech at Tennessee 7:00 PM ET
Tennessee looks to bounce right back from a tough loss to North Carolina State when it hosts Tennessee Tech on Friday. The Volunteers are in the middle of a stretch that has them playing four times in nine days, and coach Donnie Tyndall is hoping the team's solid play at home — Tennessee is 3-0 in Knoxville — continues against the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech has won three of four, with the only loss coming on the road against an SEC opponent Alabama.
Eastern Kentucky at Miami-Florida 7:00 PM ET
Miami (Fla.) emerges from an 11-day break to begin a stretch of three challenging games before ACC play as it hosts offensively-gifted Eastern Kentucky on Friday. The 19th-ranked Hurricanes routed Savannah State 70-39 on Dec. 8 after suffering their first loss of the season against Green Bay and look to find the form that helped them beat Florida and Illinois. Miami must defend well on the perimeter against the Colonels, who average 9.9 made 3-pointers – among the nation's leaders.
St. Mary's at St. John's 7:00 PM ET
St. John's will put its rare national ranking and solid defense to the test Friday at home against a high-scoring Saint Mary's squad. Including the win at Syracuse on Dec. 6 that helped vault the Red Storm into the top 25 for the first time since 2011, Steve Lavin's squad has won four in a row while holding each foe to 57 points or fewer. Rysheed Jordan scored 24 points, D'Angelo Harrison had 22 and St. John's forced 20 turnovers in a 74-53 win over Fordham in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Stillman at Alabama 7:00 PM ET
Alabama learned a difficult lesson in closing out games on the road in Tuesday’s loss at No. 11 Wichita State, and no doubt head coach Anthony Grant will focus on how the Crimson Tide let an 11-point lead evaporate with six minutes remaining. The Crimson Tide host Division II member Stillman on Friday in the first of five consecutive home games, a stretch concluding with Alabama’s SEC opener Jan. 6 against Texas A&M. Alabama averaged 78 points a game during its 6-2 start.
Clemson at South Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Frank Martin's checklist for rebuilding the South Carolina program has plenty of boxes unmarked, including beating rival Clemson. Martin will get a third crack at it when his Gamecocks host the Tigers on Friday. It's the first true road game of the season for the Tigers, who have won two straight against the Gamecocks -- a 71-57 home win last season and a 64-55 win in their last trip to Columbia two years ago.
Seattle at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Fresh off its longest break of the season, Minnesota will look to continue an unbeaten December when it faces visiting Seattle Friday. The Golden Gophers have won five straight games, four of those in December, and have four games left to close out the year, including their Big Ten opener Dec. 31.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Texas Tech 9:00 PM ET
Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith isn't worried about his players looking past Friday's visit from Arkansas-Pine Bluff in anticipation for their trip to Las Vegas. The Red Raiders have showed maturity early in the season despite a young roster. "They are beyond their age right now and I think a lot of that has to do with them playing so much (travel) basketball in this day and time," Smith told reporters Wednesday.
Alabama A&M at Marquette 9:00 PM ET
Luke Fischer may not solve all of Marquette's problems in the post, but he'll certainly help. Fischer looks to build upon a sensational debut as he and the Golden Eagles entertain the Alabama A&M Bulldogs in a Friday night encounter. Coming off a nine-point loss to No. 2 Wisconsin, Marquette bounced back to beat Arizona State 78-71 behind the heroics of Fischer, who racked up 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots in 33 minutes off the bench.
Texas-Pan American at Creighton 9:01 PM ET
After tempting fate with a double-overtime victory in its previous game, Creighton saw the nation’s fifth-longest home win streak end in an overtime thriller last weekend. The Bluejays, who wrap up a three-game homestand on Friday versus Texas-Pan American, outlasted South Dakota 91-88 on Dec. 9 to run their winning streak at CenturyLink Center Omaha to 24 games. However, Creighton was tagged with its first non-conference home loss since 2010 four days later against Saint Mary’s.
Eastern Washington at California 10:00 PM ET
California seeks its seventh straight victory and aims to continue its best start since 2001-02 when it hosts Eastern Washington on Friday. The Golden Bears have been on a roll since losing to Texas on Nov. 21 as first-year coach Cuonzo Martin has his new squad playing top-notch defense. The Eagles have lost back-to-back games but rank as a threat by virtue of their win at Indiana on Nov. 24.
Arizona at Texas-El Paso 11:00 PM ET
Arizona will face a tough challenge when the No.3 Wildcats play their first true road game of the season Friday night, facing a UTEP team with enough size to make things difficult. The starting five for the Miners are 7-1, 6-10, 6-8, 6-8 and 6-foot, and another 6-11 center is among the team’s top reserves. This might be a good time for Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson to produce his first 20-point game as the 6-7 wing has reached 18 three times this season.
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