Preview Roundups
January 24, 2015
Rutgers at Penn St. 12:00 PM ET
Rutgers looks to snap a three-game skid and sweep the regular-season series with Penn State when it visits University Park on Saturday. After shocking No. 5 Wisconsin, the Scarlet Knights dropped single-digit contests to Maryland, Minnesota and Michigan. Rutgers edged Penn State 50-46 earlier in the month at home.
Kentucky at South Carolina 12:00 PM ET
Kentucky remains unbeaten and atop the national rankings, but the Wildcats’ pursuit of perfection has not been without its challenges. The Wildcats needed key baskets from twin brothers Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison late in Tuesday’s 65-57 home victory over Vanderbilt, and now Kentucky travels Saturday to South Carolina after notching two overtime wins in the past two weeks and not securing Tuesday’s win until the final minute.
Wake Forest at Clemson 12:00 PM ET
A pair of teams looking to gain traction in the Atlantic Coast Conference do battle on Saturday when Wake Forest visits Clemson. The Demon Deacons have lost four of five, but three of those setbacks were to teams ranked in the top 15: Louisville, Duke and North Carolina. The Tigers haven't done much better in league play and are coming off a home loss to Florida State on Monday.
Tulsa at East Carolina 12:00 PM ET
Upgrading from Conference USA to the American Athletic hasn’t slowed Tulsa, which won its 17th straight conference game Wednesday night in beating visiting Memphis 73-55. The Golden Hurricane are off to a 6-0 start in the AAC with all but one of the victories coming by at least seven points. Up next is Saturday’s game at East Carolina, whose own AAC debut season isn’t going so swimmingly, having beaten only last-place Houston in its first five conference contests.
Iowa at Purdue 12:00 PM ET
The two top offensive rebounding teams in the Big Ten look to win the battle in the paint and shake off losses when Iowa visits Purdue on Saturday. Iowa tries to win for the sixth time in eight games after being humbled at Wisconsin 82-50 on Tuesday and before playing the fifth-ranked Badgers again on Jan. 31. The Boilermakers lost by seven at Iowa last season and have dropped three of their last four games after being outrebounded for the first time in seven outings last time out at Illinois.
DePaul at Xavier 12:00 PM ET
DePaul continues a rugged three-games-in-six-days road trip Saturday afternoon when it visits Xavier. The Blue Demons, who compiled a total of 10 conference wins over the past six seasons, enter the contest in a three-way tie for first place in the Big East with a 5-2 mark along with Georgetown and Providence. DePaul, which plays at Providence on Tuesday, started the trip with an impressive 64-60 come-from-behind victory at No. 24 Seton Hall on Thursday.
Oklahoma St. at Kansas St. 12:00 PM ET
Kansas State seeks a measure of revenge and looks to stay close to the leaders in the Big 12 when it hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Wildcats dropped their opener in league play with a 61-47 setback at the Cowboys on Jan.3, but rebounded to win their next four before a loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Tuesday. The defeat to the Cyclones left Bruce Weber's squad at 1-2 on the road in Big 12 play, compared to 3-0 at home, where it has defeated Oklahoma State three straight times.
Texas A&M at Tennessee 1:00 PM ET
A pair of three-game winning streaks will be on the line Saturday when a surprising Tennessee squad hosts Texas A&M in an important SEC matchup. The second-place Volunteers have won eight of nine overall following a 66-62 win at South Carolina on Tuesday, improving to 3-0 on the road in conference play. Kevin Punter and Josh Richardson had 13 points apiece and Tennessee held off a late rally by the Gamecocks to remain on the heels of top-ranked Kentucky in the league standings.
Kansas at Texas 2:00 PM ET
Kansas has claimed at least a share of the last 10 Big 12 regular-season titles, although the challenge of winning another will be no easy task considering six of the league’s 10 teams currently find themselves among the top 25. Two of them square off on Saturday when the 14th-ranked Jayhawks visit No. 18 Texas. Kansas followed last Saturday’s 86-81 loss at No. 12 Iowa State with a thrilling 85-78 home win versus No. 20 Oklahoma, rallying late after blowing a 20-point first-half lead.
Arkansas at Missouri 2:00 PM ET
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson hopes to change his luck against his former team when the Razorbacks travel to take on Missouri on Saturday. Anderson is just 1-3 versus Missouri since bolting to take over at Arkansas, but the Razorbacks should have the edge against the struggling Tigers. Missouri has dropped four straight since opening SEC play with an overtime victory over LSU.
Texas Christian at West Virginia 2:00 PM ET
This might not be the time that TCU wants to face West Virginia, considering the Mountaineers are coming off a 27-point loss to Texas a week ago. But the Horned Frogs will travel to Morgantown on Saturday, hoping to avenge a 78-67 loss to West Virginia earlier this year as well as bounce back from their own lopsided loss to the Longhorns. Bob Huggins will certainly have his West Virginia team ready as it has dropped two of three in the ultracompetitive Big 12.
Florida St. at North Carolina 2:00 PM ET
North Carolina attempts to stretch its winning streak to five games when it hosts Florida State on Saturday in ACC play. The No. 15 Tar Heels are beginning a stretch in which three of four games are at home, ending with a showdown against second-ranked Virginia on Feb. 2. North Carolina is coming off an 87-71 win at Wake Forest on Wednesday, while the Seminoles posted a 59-55 victory over Clemson on Monday to halt a three-game slide.
Illinois at Minnesota 2:15 PM ET
Two lower-division Big Ten Conference foes square off Saturday when Illinois visits Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have been beaten down, losing six of their seven conference contests after carrying an eight-game win streak into Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini, meanwhile, are beat up and will play without two of their top four leading scorers in guards Rayvonte Rice (broken hand) and Aaron Cosby (torn retina).
Georgetown at Marquette 2:30 PM ET
Marquette will be happy to return home for its rematch with Big East-leading Georgetown on Saturday. The Golden Eagles are winless on the road this season — including four league games by a combined 16 points — but 8-2 at home. "We're doing the right things most of the time in games," sophomore center Luke Fischer said after Tuesday's 60-57 loss at St. John's. "We haven't lost by more than six points in the Big East. We're doing the right things, just not the whole time."
Georgia at Mississippi St. 3:00 PM ET
As Georgia coach Mark Fox works to develop his team into a NCAA Tournament contender, he continues pushing his squad to be ready regardless of the circumstances. Georgia answered the call by overcoming a sluggish beginning to beat Ole Miss on Tuesday, and carries a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s road contest at Mississippi State. “You’ve got to be able to show up every day and grind it out and find ways to win,” Fox said after Georgia earned a 69-64 victory over the Rebels.
Michigan St at Nebraska 4:00 PM ET
Nebraska served notice that it was ready to compete in the Big Ten last year with a shocking victory at Michigan State – a signature win that propelled the Cornhuskers into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997-98. The Spartans hope to return the favor this season when they visit Lincoln on Saturday. Michigan State was ranked 10th in the coaches’ poll on Feb. 16 when Nebraska toppled the Spartans in East Lansing, ending a 21-game road losing streak against ranked opponents.
Miami-Florida at Syracuse 4:00 PM ET
Miami won at a very difficult place to play earlier this month and can add another impressive ACC road victory when it visits the Carrier Dome to play red-hot Syracuse on Saturday. The Hurricanes ended Duke’s 41-game home winning streak on Jan. 13 and will attempt to hand Syracuse its second loss at the Dome in 13 games this season. The Orange have won eight of their last nine overall while leaning on senior forward Rakeem Christmas, one of the most improved players in the nation.
UCLA at Oregon 4:00 PM ET
UCLA is dipping below expectations under second-year coach Steve Alford but attempts to move above .500 in Pac-12 play when it visits Oregon on Saturday. The Bruins have lost six of their last nine games – including a trouncing at the hands of Kentucky – and were beaten 66-55 on Thursday by Oregon State. The Ducks also are at .500 in conference play after knocking off USC 75-67 on Thursday.
Iowa St. at Texas Tech 4:00 PM ET
Iowa State looks to continue its best start to league play since 2000 and preserve its spot atop the Big 12 standings when the 12th-ranked Cyclones travel to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Cyclones have won two straight since their lone setback in conference play - a 74-73 loss at Baylor - and facing the last-place Red Raiders figures to be a reprieve from what has been a difficult schedule to start league play. Texas Tech has lost 12 of its last 13 Big 12 games.
Oklahoma at Baylor 6:00 PM ET
Every game in the Big 12 seems to pit two strong teams against each other, as No. 20 Oklahoma can attest. The Sooners will face their fourth straight ranked opponent when they visit Rico Gathers and No. 21 Baylor on Saturday. The Bears have won three of four and are looking for revenge after dropping a 73-63 decision at Oklahoma in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 3.
Houston at Southern Methodist 6:00 PM ET
SMU has won two games in the last week since the cloud of potential NCAA violations arrived and the Mustangs look to extend their win streak to six when struggling Houston visits Saturday. SMU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA last week that reportedly claims academic improprieties and starting guard Keith Frazier was deemed ineligible, pending an appeal. Houston shouldn’t pose a major threat, though, after losing seven straight since American Athletic Conference play began.
Florida at Mississippi 6:00 PM ET
Florida is struggling along and looking to avoid a third straight SEC loss for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign when it visits Ole Miss on Saturday. The Gators were routed by LSU 79-61 on Tuesday and coach Billy Donovan’s frustration level was percolating after the latest defeat. “I’m not surprised by any of this,” Donovan told reporters. “I’ve tried a lot of different things with them. They’re going to have to figure it out.”
Southern California at Oregon St. 6:00 PM ET
Oregon State attempts to continue its most successful season since 1989-90 when it hosts USC on Saturday in a Pac-12 showdown. Oregon State should be heavily favored against a USC team that has dropped its three conference road games this season by an average of 21 points. The Trojans will need to find an answer for Beavers guard Gary Payton II, who is averaging team highs of 12.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 steals.
Louisiana State at Vanderbilt 6:00 PM ET
LSU looks for its third straight SEC road win when it takes on Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Tigers squeaked by Ole Miss 75-71 before cruising past Florida 79-61 on Tuesday to improve to 4-1 on the road and turn their attention to beating the Commodores for the fourth consecutive time in the series. "Coming on the road and getting this victory is a big plus for our team," LSU forward Jarell Martin told reporters. "We're definitely excited, but we have to put this past us and focus on Vanderbilt."
Richmond at Dayton 7:00 PM ET
Dayton rode one of the nation’s best defenses to its first ranking in the coaches’ poll this season, but that unit’s recent failure may be the reason for its quick exit from the Top 25. The 22nd-ranked Flyers look to bounce back from their worst defensive effort of the year on Saturday when they host Richmond. Dayton yielded 58.1 points over its first 17 games, but allowed Davidson to hit 12 3-pointers in a 77-60 road loss Tuesday.
Wisconsin at Michigan 7:00 PM ET
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan still wants to see more out of his fifth-ranked Badgers as they prepare to visit Michigan on Saturday. The Badgers, coming off a 32-point win against Iowa, have a dominating frontcourt and a defense ranked fifth nationally in points allowed. "We still have a lot of work to do defensively to get where we need to be," coach Bo Ryan said after Tuesday's 82-50 win against the Hawkeyes. "We're not there yet."
Memphis at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
Tulane earned its biggest win in conference play at Memphis on Jan. 3 and will go for the season sweep when it hosts the Tigers on Saturday. The Green Wave have dropped three of their last five and are coming off a 66-52 home loss to SMU on Wednesday that marked their lowest scoring output of the season. Memphis had a three-game winning streak end with a 73-55 loss at first-place Tulsa on Wednesday.
Pacific at Gonzaga 8:00 PM ET
No. 3 Gonzaga attempts to continue the longest active home-winning streak in the nation when it hosts Pacific in a West Coast Conference matchup on Saturday. Gonzaga has won 35 straight games on its home floor, most recently blowing out a St. Mary’s team that's thought to be its biggest challenge for the WCC regular-season crown. The Bulldogs also have their best record through 20 games in program history, with their only loss coming against No. 7 Arizona on Dec. 6.
Washington St. at Colorado 8:00 PM ET
Washington State may not be quite ready to slay the Pac-12's elite on the road, but Saturday's game at Colorado is certainly within its wheelhouse. The Cougars try for their third conference victory on the road this season after going 3-24 in such contests over the previous three campaigns.
Auburn at Alabama 8:30 PM ET
Alabama returns home to face Auburn on Saturday after going the distance with Arkansas in Thursday's overtime thriller. Bobby Portis tipped in the game-winning basket at the buzzer to lift the Razorbacks to a 93-91 triumph, sending the Crimson Tide to their third straight loss in SEC play. Freshman guard Justin Coleman will be a player to watch for Alabama after his breakout performance on Thursday, which included a career-high 22 points with five 3-pointers.
Arizona at California 10:30 PM ET
California scored a dramatic upset against Arizona last season, but only the most loyal fans would expect a repeat performance Saturday at Haas Pavilion against the 7th-ranked Wildcats. Cal has lost five straight and seven of its last eight games while Arizona is tied with Utah atop the Pac-12 standings. Freshman phenom Stanley Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.8) and rebounds (6.8), and the 6-7 forward should have little trouble against Cal's struggling frontcourt.
Arizona St. at Stanford 11:59 PM ET
No. 25 Stanford looks to bounce back from its first home loss on Saturday as it hosts Arizona State, which has won two in a row after opening Pac-12 play with four straight losses. The Cardinal had their three-game winning streak snapped with Thursday’s 89-82 loss to Arizona while the Sun Devils routed California 79-44. The Sun Devils face a tougher challenge against Stanford, which has won eight of the last 10 meetings between the teams.