Preview Roundups
December 31, 2014
Tulane at East Carolina 12:00 PM ET
Both teams look to begin their maiden voyage in the American Athletic Conference on a positive note when Tulane visits East Carolina on Wednesday afternoon. Tulane had won nine straight before dropping a 66-57 decision at No. 19 Washington and losing to No. 17 St. John’s 82-57 in New York. The Pirates, who spent last season in Conference USA along with Tulane, come in after winning consecutive games for the first time this season and three of their last four.
Tulsa at Central Florida 12:00 PM ET
After capturing the Conference USA crown last season, Tulsa will see what lies ahead in the American Athletic Conference on Wednesday when its visits UCF in the league opener for both teams. The Golden Hurricane went 13-3 in conference play last season, earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Tulsa was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches' poll for its inaugural campaign in the AAC.
St. John's at Seton Hall 12:00 PM ET
Seton Hall is off to a strong start but is about to get heavily tested at the start of Big East play. The Pirates will start off conference play by hosting No. 17 St. John’s on Wednesday before taking on No. 5 Villanova. The Red Storm enter the Big East portion of their schedule riding a seven-game winning streak and have not allowed an opponent to reach 60 points in any of those contests while winning by an average of 16.6 points.
Temple at Connecticut 1:00 PM ET
Defending champion Connecticut battled through some rough patches in the non-conference portion of its schedule but managed to put together a little momentum with back-to-back wins. The Huskies will try to make it three straight when they host Temple in the American Athletic Conference opener for both schools on Wednesday. The Owls are enjoying their own three-game winning streak that includes some impressive performances.
East Tennessee St. at Tennessee 1:00 PM ET
December has been kind to Tennessee, which has won five of its six games this month, including a 67-55 victory over Butler and a current run of three straight. Still, the Volunteers have been living a bit on the edge, clipping Kansas State 65-64 and Tennessee Tech 61-58 before overcoming a second-half Tennessee State lead with a 13-0 run last Saturday en route to a 67-46 win. That resiliency has first-year coach Donnie Tyndall excited as Tennessee hosts Eastern Tennessee State on Wednesday.
Princeton at Wake Forest 1:00 PM ET
Wake Forest closes out the year and the nonconference portion of its slate when it hosts Princeton on Wednesday afternoon. The Demon Deacons have righted the ship after a recent three-game skid with two straight wins. Danny Manning is in his first season on the sidelines at Wake Forest, which is looking to earn an NCAA bid for the first time since 2010.
Penn St. at Wisconsin 1:00 PM ET
In an era of players leaving college early for the riches of the NBA, two senior stars collide Wednesday as Penn State travels to fourth-ranked Wisconsin for the Big Ten opener for both teams. Penn State’s D.J. Newbill leads the conference in scoring with 21.4 points per game and is a savvy leader with 110 career starts. Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, the Big Ten’s Preseason Player of the Year and reigning league Player of the Week, leads the Badgers with 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.
Houston at Memphis 2:00 PM ET
Memphis attempts to record its 14th consecutive home win over Houston when it hosts the Cougars in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams Wednesday. The Tigers enter with momentum after compiling four straight victories and rolled to a 78-51 victory over Western Illinois in their most recent game. Houston has won back-to-back games and received a career-best eight 3-pointers by Jherrod Stiggers in Sunday’s 80-53 win over Mississippi Valley State.
Vanderbilt at Saint Louis 2:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt and host Saint Louis both end lengthy layoffs for the holiday break when they meet Wednesday afternoon. Its the final nonconference road game of the season for the Commodores, who last played Dec. 22 when they crushed Penn 79-50 and presented head coach Kevin Stallings with his 300th win at the school. Saint Louis has been off since Dec. 21 when it edged visiting Vermont 58-55 for its third straight win.
Butler at Villanova 2:30 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Villanova attempts to remain unbeaten and make history when it hosts Butler on Wednesday in the Big East opener for both teams. The Wildcats can match their 1937-38 squad for the best start ever at Villanova with their 13th straight victory and expect to get leading scorer Darrun Hilliard back after a one-game absence. Nothing will be easy against Butler, which boasts wins over North Carolina and Georgetown and leads the league in scoring defense with a veteran group.
Wofford at Duke 3:00 PM ET
Second-ranked Duke plays Wofford for the first time since 1936 when it looks to run its winning streak to 12 games on Wednesday. The Blue Devils have been rolling up the victories and each of the wins has come by double digits, including Monday’s 86-69 victory over Toledo. The Terriers beat North Carolina State earlier this season but were routed 77-44 by No. 15 West Virginia on Dec. 22.
Minnesota at Purdue 3:15 PM ET
Minnesota made big strides in the non-conference portion of its schedule and enters Big Ten play on a roll. The Golden Gophers will try to secure their ninth straight win when they visit Purdue for the Big Ten opener for both schools on Wednesday. The Boilermakers are not coming on so strong and dropped their final three non-conference games as the defense began to show some big cracks.
Georgia at Kansas St. 4:00 PM ET
Kansas State hosts Georgia on Wednesday and first on the to-do list in preparing for the Bulldogs is to somehow quickly forget Sunday's inexplicable 58-56 loss to Texas Southern. The Wildcats missed 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:09, allowed Texas Southern to rebound a missed free throw and score to tie it with .9 seconds remaining and after throwing the ensuing inbounds pass out of bounds, could not stop Jason Carter's jumper as time expired.
South Florida at Southern Methodist 5:00 PM ET
Following a challenging non-conference slate that ended with a string of victories, SMU streaks into its American Athletic Conference opener Wednesday at home against USF. The Mustangs shook off a slow start to defeat Division II Midwestern State 70-61 on Monday, recording their seventh straight win but drawing the ire of head coach Larry Brown for their effort. SMU was 12-6 last season in the league's inaugural campaign, tied for third with Memphis and eventual national champ Connecticut.
George Mason at Oklahoma 5:00 PM ET
No. 21 Oklahoma looks to continue its homecourt dominance and end non-conference play on an upswing Wednesday, when it hosts George Mason. The Sooners have won their first five home games by an average of 26.4 points and are 107-4 in their last 111 meetings with non-conference foes at Lloyd Noble Center. Balance has been a central theme in Oklahoma's 8-3 start as four starters – Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, TaShawn Thomas and Ryan Spangler – average double figures in scoring.
Marquette at DePaul 5:00 PM ET
Two teams that finished nonconference play going in opposite directions face off Wednesday when Marquette visits DePaul in the Big East opener for both schools. The Golden Eagles under first-year head coach Steve Wojciechowski come in on a four-game win streak that includes a 78-71 win over Arizona State, while DePaul enters with a six-game losing streak that includes three losses in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
Air Force at San Diego St. 5:00 PM ET
No. 25 San Diego State aims for a school-record 23rd consecutive home victory when it begins its Mountain West Conference title defense Wednesday against Air Force. The Aztecs have won three straight overall meetings and nine in a row at home against the Falcons dating to 2005. The Falcons are 0-3 on the road and will have a tough time breaking through at Viejas Arena, where San Diego State has held all eight opponents under 60 points this season.
Indiana at Nebraska 5:30 PM ET
Since Nebraska joined the conference prior to the 2011-12 season, Lincoln is one of three Big Ten cities that Indiana has visited over the past three years and been unable to conquer. The Hoosiers, who will attempt to right that wrong on Wednesday when they visit the Cornhuskers, have lost in each of their last two trips to Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska. The setbacks to the Cornhuskers have been particularly painful as the Hoosiers have squandered double-digit leads both times.
Cornell at Syracuse 6:00 PM ET
If history is any guide, Syracuse will enter ACC play after the New Year on a winning note. The Orange, who begin their league slate Saturday at Virginia Tech, finish a three-game homestand with Wednesday's visit from Cornell, a loser 33 straight times in the regional rivalry. Syracuse has coasted through its first two games on the homestand, picking off Colgate and then topping Long Beach State by an 85-67 margin on Sunday in its best offensive showing since the season opener.
Wichita St. at Drake 6:05 PM ET
Wichita State will try to match the longest Missouri Valley Conference road-winning streak in nearly 70 years Wednesday afternoon when the No. 16 Shockers meet Drake in the conference opener for both teams. Wichita State has won nine straight road games in MVC play, one short of the 10-game streak Creighton put together from 1941-46. The Shockers will also be looking to bounce back from a shocking loss to George Washington in the final of the Diamond Head Classic on Christmas Day.
Mississippi Valley State at Iowa St. 7:00 PM ET
Looking for its seventh consecutive win, with only a pair of games left on the schedule before the start of Big 12 play, No. 9 Iowa State hosts Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. The Cyclones are shooting an impressive 53.6 percent from the field and averaging 21.2 assists during their win streak, led by guard Monte Morris. "(Morris) does whatever it takes to win basketball games," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "It's such a luxury to have that guy running your offense."
Creighton at Providence 7:30 PM ET
Creighton and Providence had their ups and downs during nonconference play and they’ll try to start their Big East campaigns on the right foot when they meet Wednesday at Providence. The Bluejays beat No. 21 Oklahoma early in the season but losses such as their last game against North Texas has kept them out of the top 25. Providence slipped into the coaches’ poll at No. 25 the last week of November, but then lost three straight, the most brutal a 10-point setback to Brown.
Boise St. at Colorado St. 9:00 PM ET
The Mountain West Conference tips off league play Wednesday with a marquee matchup between Boise State and host Colorado State, which enters as one of six remaining unbeaten teams in Division I. The 24th-ranked Rams, picked fifth in the league's preseason poll, have used a balanced attack to record their best start in program history. Forward J.J. Avila has become a top contender for Mountain West player of the year honors while averaging 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Georgetown at Xavier 10:00 PM ET
The Big East Conference tips off league play Wednesday with a five-game marathon capped by Georgetown visiting Xavier, which split two games against the Hoyas last season. Georgetown guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the preseason Big East player of the year, has lived up to expectations while averaging a team-high 14.7 points and shooting 88.2 percent from the foul line. Smith-Rivera was named the league’s player of the week after scoring 29 points in Saturday’s 91-87 overtime win over Indiana.
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