Preview Roundups
December 28, 2016
Houston at Connecticut 3:00 PM ET
Connecticut, which has six losses before the turn of the new year for the first time since the 1971-72 season, looks for a fresh start with the beginning of conference play. The Huskies host Houston in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams Wednesday afternoon in Hartford, Conn.
Wake Forest at Florida St. 5:00 PM ET
Wake Forest narrowly missed knocking off a ranked opponent on the road earlier this month and will get another shot when it visits No. 20 Florida State on Wednesday to open ACC play. The Seminoles have won eight straight contests and are off to their best start since 2003-04.
DePaul at Villanova 6:30 PM ET
Top-ranked Villanova passed every test that came its way during the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Wildcats begin league play against visiting DePaul on Wednesday looking to extend a run of domination that dates back to last season's NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska at Indiana 6:30 PM ET
Indiana suffered two setbacks in the middle of many confidence-building triumphs during the non-conference schedule and looks to use all that was learned when it hosts Nebraska on Wednesday to open the Big Ten campaign. The 16th-ranked Hoosiers boast victories over No. 3 Kansas and No. 10 North Carolina while standing second in the nation entering Tuesday in scoring margin (plus-22.8).
NC-Wilmington at Clemson 7:00 PM ET
Two teams looking to cap impressive non-conference seasons with another victory meet Wednesday night when Clemson hosts UNC Wilmington. The host Tigers have won seven straight games, including the program’s first-ever non-conference victory over a ranked opponent (No. 20 South Carolina) on its home floor, while the visiting Seahawks have won a Colonial Athl
Columbia at Miami-Florida 7:00 PM ET
Miami (Fla.) heads into Wednesday night's game against Columbia riding a 19-game home winning streak and and it's unlikely the Lions have what it takes to buck that trend. The Hurricanes' offense has looked more cohesive than earlier this season during the team's current five-game winning streak while the defense ranks No. 5 in Division I in both fewest points allowed (57.0) and field-goal percentage defense (36.3).
Rider at N.C. State 7:00 PM ET
North Carolina State remains a mystery team with one game remaining before the start of ACC play, but there’s no question about star freshman Dennis Smith Jr.’s impact. Smith looks to continue his stellar play Wednesday against visiting Rider, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end with last Thursday’s 78-67 loss to Massachusetts.
Marshall at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh coach Kevin Stallings has made it known his team needs a consistent third option to step up in order to make opponents pay for giving too much attention to 20-point scorers Michael Young and Jamel Artis and, lately, that player has been sixth man Ryan Luther. The Panthers eye a fifth straight victory and attempt to remain unbeaten in five meetings with Marshall on Wednesday when they close out their non-conference schedule at home.
MD Baltimore Cty at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech has put together a six-game winning streak despite enduring stretches of inconsistency and poor play. But with a gauntlet of ACC powerhouses on the horizon, the Hokies know they need to get better as they close out non-conference play Wednesday against visiting Maryland-Baltimore County.
Virginia at Louisville 7:00 PM ET
Louisville's offense has been inconsistent at best throughout its first two seasons in the ACC, but it has been virtually nonexistent whenever it has faced Virginia. Arguably the two best defensive teams in college basketball will square off Wednesday when the seventh-ranked Cardinals host No. 11 Virginia in the conference opener for both schools.
St. Peter's at Notre Dame 7:00 PM ET
No. 24 Notre Dame looks to end the non-conference portion of its schedule on a winning note when it hosts Saint Peter's on Wednesday. The Fighting Irish won their first nine games of the season - their best start since 1973-74 and the fourth-best in program history - before dropping two of their next three contests, including a 74-66 setback to top-ranked Villanova on Dec. 10.
Monmouth-NJ at North Carolina 7:00 PM ET
No. 10 North Carolina faces one more difficult challenge before ACC play begins when it entertains dangerous Monmouth on Wednesday night. Monmouth beat UCLA, Notre Dame, USC and Georgetown en route to 28 victories last season under former Tar Heel point guard King Rice and takes a program-record, nine-game winning streak into the Dean Smith Center.
South Florida at East Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Two teams looking to improve on disappointing league showings in 2015-16 meet Wednesday as East Carolina entertains South Florida in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The Pirates and USF each went 4-14 in AAC action a season ago, but things might be looking up as both teams wrapped up non-conference play with records above .500.
Providence at Xavier 7:00 PM ET
No. 17 Xavier will be well-rested and carrying a three-game winning streak when it begins Big East play by hosting Providence on Wednesday. The Musketeers have not played since routing Eastern Washington 85-56 at home on Dec. 20, riding 14 points, a career-high nine assists and zero turnovers from guard Edmond Sumner.
No.Carolina A&T at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM ET
Georgia Tech returns from the Christmas break with a Wednesday home game against struggling North Carolina A&T, giving coach Josh Pastner one more opportunity to assess his team before ACC play begins. Pastner has described his first year as Yellow Jackets’ coach as a major rebuilding process, and with No. 10 North Carolina looming on Saturday, he realizes there is importance in a good performance against an Aggies team riding an 11-game losing streak.
Central Florida at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
UCF looks to transition its solid start to the season into American Athletic Conference play when it opens on the road against Tulane on Wednesday. First-year coach Johnny Dawkins has the Knights off to their best start since a 14-0 run to open the 2010-11 campaign, while the Green Wave come in off a pair of narrow home losses.
Seton Hall at Creighton 8:00 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Creighton brings a perfect record into the start of Big East play on Wednesday night when the Bluejays host Seton Hall. The 12-0 start matches the program's best to open a season, joining the 2003-04 squad also began 12-0 under Dana Altman, now the head coach at Oregon.
Georgetown at Marquette 8:30 PM ET
Marquette is out to end a three-game losing streak in Big East openers Wednesday when it takes on visiting Georgetown. The Golden Eagles, who had the nation's No. 19 scoring offense prior to Tuesday's games at 85.9 points, posted a 5-6 record in Big East openers, including 5-1 at home.
Iowa at Purdue 8:30 PM ET
No. 15 Purdue looks to extend its winning streak to seven games when it hosts Iowa in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Wednesday. The Boilermakers closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 91-45 victory against Norfolk State on Dec. 21 and turn their attention to beating the Hawkeyes for the first time in nearly two years.
UCLA at Oregon 9:00 PM ET
UCLA enters conference play unbeaten for the first time in 22 years and the No. 2 Bruins will try to keep that train moving when they visit No. 21 Oregon in a Pac-12 opener Wednesday night. The last time UCLA began conference play without a loss, the Bruins dropped their Pac-10 opener at Oregon, which remained the only loss of the season on their way to winning the NCAA title.
Cincinnati at Temple 9:00 PM ET
Long known for its defense, Cincinnati is proving to be capable of some impressive offensive performances. The 23rd-ranked Bearcats hope to showcase their resurgent offense Wednesday, when they visit Temple in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Southern California at Oregon St. 11:00 PM ET
USC will carry an impeccable record into conference play when the No. 22 Trojans travel to Oregon State for the Pac-12 opener Wednesday night. USC has won its first 13 games for the first time since the 1971 team started 16-0, and the Trojans continue to win without one of their best players, 6-10 forward Bennie Boatwright, who's not expected back from a knee injury until the second half of conference play.
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