Preview Roundups
January 06, 2015
Central Florida at Houston 7:00 PM ET
Houston tries for its first conference victory of the season when it returns home to host UCF on Tuesday. The Cougars dropped their first two American Athletic Conference contests on the road by near identical scores, falling by 19 and 18 points to Memphis and Tulsa, respectively, while scoring 54 points in each game. The Knights are also 0-2 in conference play, though Donnie Jones' squad was close in both losses.
Virginia Tech at Florida St. 7:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech is coming off a narrow home loss to Syracuse and now travels to Florida State on Tuesday in a contest between two teams still in search of their first ACC win. The Hokies and first-year coach Buzz Williams almost pulled a major shocker on Saturday, missing a game-winning 3-point try at the buzzer in a 68-66 loss to the Orange. "I thought we fought really, really, really hard," Williams said, "and sometimes when you fight, good things happen."
Arkansas at Georgia 7:00 PM ET
Both Arkansas and Georgia completed non-conference play with nice winning streaks, but something will have to give Tuesday when the Razorbacks play at the Bulldogs in both teams’ SEC openers. The No. 25 Razorbacks, winners of five in a row, bring the SEC’s highest-scoring offense into Athens against a Georgia team that has won six in a row while ranking 14th in the nation by limiting opponents to 36.7 percent shooting. The duo of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls will challenge Georgia's defense.
Mississippi at Kentucky 7:00 PM ET
When it comes to No. 1 Kentucky, its New Year's resolution is simple: Be confident, not arrogant. The Wildcats will put that challenge to the test Tuesday when they host Ole Miss in the SEC opener for both programs. "I have a pretty confident team," Wildcats coach John Calipari told reporters after his team topped No. 5 Louisville 58-50 in their last game on Dec. 27. "I don't want arrogance. I want a swagger. I don't want arrogance. Arrogance is not earned."
Marquette at Georgetown 7:00 PM ET
It bodes well for Georgetown that a trio of freshmen provided outstanding play Saturday in a Big East Conference win against Creighton. The Hoyas look to parlay the strong performance by the rookies - with contributions from veterans Joshua Smith and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera - into another triumph when Marquette visits on Tuesday. Center L.J. Peak scored 14 points, reserve guard Tre Campbell added 13 with three 3-pointers and forward Paul White contributed 10 points against the Bluejays.
Michigan at Penn St. 7:00 PM ET
Michigan looks to bounce back from its first loss in Big Ten play when it hits the road to face Penn State on Tuesday. The Wolverines had won six straight conference games dating back to last season before dropping a 64-51 decision to Purdue on Saturday. Shooting woes continue to plague Michigan as the defending Big Ten Champions went over 12 minutes without a field goal against the Boilermakers and have shot less than 36 percent from the floor in four of their last six games.
East Carolina at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Cincinnati aims to continue its solid play for interim coach Larry Davis when the Bearcats host East Carolina for an American Athletic Conference contest Tuesday. The Bearcats have won three straight under Davis, who will coach the team for the remainder of the season while Mick Cronin tends to health issues. The Pirates, who are looking for their first conference win in three tries, are 0-7 all-time against Cincinnati.
Connecticut at South Florida 7:00 PM ET
Even in what has been a trying season for the defending national champs, Connecticut once again proved it enjoys playing teams from the Sunshine State. The Huskies, fresh off a weekend win against Florida in their first true road game, look to complete a two-game sweep of the state on Tuesday when they visit USF. UConn, which gave No. 2 Duke a bit of a scare and has dropped three other contests by a total of six points, finally pulled out a close game on Saturday, downing the Gators 63-59.
Ohio St. at Minnesota 9:00 PM ET
No. 20 Ohio State looks to stay on the winning track when it hits the road to face Minnesota. The Buckeyes bounced back from a loss to Iowa in their Big Ten opener with a 77-61 victory over Illinois after switching to man-to-man defense for the first time this season and turn their attention to beating the Golden Gophers for the eighth time in their last nine tries. "We trust the system, we trust our head coach," senior forward Sam Thompson told reporters. "He's won a lot more games than us."
Villanova at St. John's 9:00 PM ET
When No. 8 Villanova visits No. 24 St. John's on Tuesday, the Wildcats will try to do something that the Red Storm were unable to do recently - bounce back from a loss to Seton Hall. Villanova suffered its first loss of the season Saturday, dropping a 66-61 overtime decision despite Daniel Ochefu's career highs of 19 points and 24 rebounds. St. John's, meanwhile, fell to the Pirates on New Year's Eve before absorbing a 73-69 home loss to Butler three days later.
Providence at Butler 9:00 PM ET
While Butler coach Chris Holtmann’s official responsibilities might be different than they were a week ago, his ability to rely on Kellen Dunham hasn’t changed at all. Holtmann, who had the interim tag removed from his title on Friday, looks to lead the Bulldogs to a second straight win on Tuesday when they host Providence. Former coach Brandon Miller took a medical leave in October and Holtmann has guided Butler through the transition, collecting a pair of wins over ranked foes along the way.
Auburn at Vanderbilt 9:00 PM ET
Auburn and Vanderbilt are both riding waves of momentum heading into their SEC opener Tuesday night at Vanderbilt. Auburn has won five straight for the first time since the 2008-09 season, while the Commodores have won five of six, though they needed to rally from 13 points down in regulation before beating Yale in double overtime Saturday. Auburn tuned up for conference play with an 82-61 win Saturday against visiting North Alabama, but coach Bruce Pearl wasn't satisfied with his team's effort.
Pittsburgh at Boston College 9:00 PM ET
Boston College hosts Pittsburgh on Tuesday in an ACC matchup involving teams which lost decisively in their conference openers Saturday - the Eagles against No. 2 Duke 85-62 and the Panthers versus North Carolina State 68-50. Pitt's six-game winning streak was halted after suffering its largest margin of defeat this season, and while coach Jamie Dixon told reporters "everybody has a game or two where they don't play well and I hope this is ours ...," he put his finger on the biggest problem.
Oklahoma St. at Iowa St. 9:00 PM ET
No. 16 Iowa State’s final tune-up before Big 12 play resulted in a defeat, and it looks for a bounce-back effort when it hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Iowa State had won seven consecutive games before suffering a 64-60 loss to South Carolina on a neutral court on Saturday, when it partially was done in by a 1-for-18 effort from 3-point range. The Cowboys, who have won four of their last five contests, recorded a 61-47 win over Kansas State in their Big 12 opener on Saturday.
Texas A&M at Alabama 9:00 PM ET
Alabama hosts Texas A&M on Tuesday in the SEC opener for both teams, but the Crimson Tide and Aggies are entering the contest with different outlooks. Things are certainly more positive in Tuscaloosa with Alabama bringing a four-game win streak into the conference season. “That's what we wanted to see as we close out non-conference play and head into SEC play,” Crimson Tide coach Anthony Grant told the media following Friday’s 76-61 rout of visiting North Florida.