Preview Roundups
January 26, 2019
Florida at Texas Christian 12:00 PM ET
Florida is going with youth and it's paying off as the Gators are 2-0 since revamping their starting lineup to add a third freshman (forward Keyontae Johnson) into a mix that already included guards Noah Locke and Andrew Nembhard. Florida's new look will get put to another test on Saturday when the Gators head to TCU, which is coming off a 65-61 triumph over Texas, for the sixth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Illinois at Maryland 12:00 PM ET
No. 16 Maryland looks to bounce back from its first loss in a month when it faces Illinois as part of the Big Ten's Super Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Terrapins, who had won seven consecutive games to vault back into the Top 25 before dropping a 69-55 decision to fifth-ranked Michigan State on Monday, hope to stay in the hunt for a conference championship by beating the Illini for the fifth straight time.
Ohio St. at Nebraska 12:00 PM ET
Two struggling teams will be looking to end losing streaks on Saturday when Ohio State travels to Nebraska for a Big Ten matchup. Ohio State comes to Lincoln carrying the burden of a five-game skid and Nebraska has dropped two in a row and four of its last six.
Georgia Tech at Duke 12:00 PM ET
Tre Jones is one of several freshmen who have contributed to second-ranked Duke’s success this season, and the guard is set to return from a right shoulder injury for Saturday’s home game against Georgia Tech. Jones, who ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 5.69, suffered a separated AC joint in the team's loss to Syracuse on Jan. 14 but only missed two contests as Duke remained tied at the top of the ACC standings.
Alabama at Baylor 12:00 PM ET
Baylor is turning heads in a wild Big 12 race with three straight wins, the last two by double digits. The Bears take a step outside of conference action to host Alabama on Saturday in an intriguing SEC/Big 12 Challenge affair that could have implications once March rolls around.
Iowa State at Mississippi 12:00 PM ET
Iowa State and Mississippi will look to stem the tide of their respective losing stretches while adding to the other's on Saturday afternoon when they compete in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in Oxford, Miss. The 25th-ranked Cyclones have dropped three of their last five while the 20th-ranked Rebels have lost two of three following a 10-game winning streak.
Virginia at Notre Dame 1:00 PM ET
Virginia looks to hold onto its share of first place in the ACC as it travels to Notre Dame to take on the struggling Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon. The third-ranked Cavaliers bounced back from last weekend’s loss at No. 2 Duke with a midweek rout over Wake Forest, while the Fighting Irish dropped their third in a row on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh at Louisville 2:00 PM ET
Louisville looks to continue its hot play in ACC action when it hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. The 24th-ranked Cardinals are coming off an impressive win over No. 19 North Carolina State on Thursday evening, their fourth win in a row after losing at Pitt on Jan. 9, while the Panthers were blown out by No. 2 Duke in their last game.
South Carolina at Oklahoma State 2:00 PM ET
South Carolina takes a break from its red-hot start to conference play when it visits Oklahoma State on Saturday for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. This will mark the third time the teams have squared off in the event as they split their first two matchups (2013 and 2014).
Clemson at NC State 2:00 PM ET
No. 19 North Carolina State is facing adversity for the first time this season after losing three of its last five contests and looks to steady the ship when struggling Clemson visits for an ACC matchup Saturday afternoon. The Wolfpack have dropped two of three since Markell Johnson (11.6 points, team-best 4.1 assists) went down with a back injury and the junior point guard is questionable for the game against Clemson.
Marquette at Xavier 2:00 PM ET
Even on off-nights for scoring sensation Markus Howard, No. 11 Marquette continues to excel as it defeated DePaul 79-69 on Wednesday for its sixth consecutive victory. The win was the Golden Eagles’ 14th in as many tries at home, but they are just 3-3 outside Milwaukee this season and will play five of their next eight games on the road - starting Saturday against Xavier.
Kansas State at Texas A&M 2:00 PM ET
Sitting on a five-game Big 12 winning streak for the first time in nearly six years, Kansas State takes a break from conference play to visit struggling Texas A&M on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Wildcats held No. 13 Texas Tech to its lowest point total in over four years in Tuesday's 58-45 victory - their third victory over a Top 25 team during its current winning streak.
Texas at Georgia 2:00 PM ET
Texas visits Georgia on Saturday for the Big 12/SEC Challenge as both teams look to reverse their recent struggles after showing glimpses of promise during the early portion of their conference schedules. The Longhorns, who began Big 12 action by upending Kansas State and West Virginia, have dropped four of five after falling to TCU on Wednesday, while the Bulldogs have not been able to build off an early victory over Vanderbilt - losing four in a row following Wednesday’s setback at LSU.
Northwestern at Wisconsin 2:15 PM ET
Wisconsin looks for its first three-game winning streak in the Big Ten in nearly a year when it hosts Northwestern on Saturday. The Badgers handed sixth-ranked Michigan its only loss of the season on Jan. 19 before beating Illinois 72-60 on Wednesday to move back into the top half of the conference standings, and Wisconsin hopes to continue its charge towards an NCAA Tournament berth by holding its fourth straight opponent to fewer than 65 points.
Boston College at Wake Forest 4:00 PM ET
After recording its first Atlantic Coast Conference win in nearly 11 months, Boston College bids to repeat the feat on Saturday afternoon when it visits Wake Forest at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles snapped a five-game skid with Sunday's 87-82 victory versus Florida State and will look to defeat Wake Forest for the second straight year after the Demon Deacons won the previous four encounters.
Vanderbilt at Oklahoma 4:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt is hoping a reprieve from conference play will help it snap a six-game losing streak as it visits Oklahoma for the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. The Commodores didn’t play like a team that was 0-6 during SEC action on Wednesday, when they nearly upset top-ranked Tennessee before falling in overtime 88-83.
West Virginia at Tennessee 4:00 PM ET
Tennessee barely survived its first game as the No. 1 team in the nation earlier this week with a remarkable performance from junior forward Grant Williams and looks to make things easier on itself Saturday against visiting West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Williams scored a career-high 43 points, making all 23 of his free throws, as the Volunteers rallied for an 88-83 overtime triumph over Vanderbilt on Wednesday, extending their winning streak to 13.
South Florida at East Carolina 4:00 PM ET
South Florida put an end to its three-game skid Tuesday, shutting down visiting Wichita State 54-41 to earn its third American Athletic Conference victory and match last year's league win total for the season. The Bulls look to keep the momentum going as they head to East Carolina for the first of two meetings with the struggling Pirates, who have lost four in a row.
Washington at Oregon St. 4:00 PM ET
Washington repelled a second-half charge from
Oregon on Thursday night to remain alone atop the Pac-12 standings. Oregon
State also won Thursday to remain two games off the pace and will try to gain
ground Saturday afternoon when it hosts the first-place Huskies.
Rutgers at Penn St. 4:30 PM ET
Penn State is seemingly getting closer to its first Big Ten win and will try to finally break through when it hosts Rutgers on Saturday. Five of the Nittany Lions' eight conference losses have come by seven points or fewer, including last Saturday's 65-64 setback at Minnesota in a game that saw them lead by as many as 11 points.
Arkansas at Texas Tech 6:00 PM ET
Less than two weeks ago, Texas Tech was coming off a fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference win to start the season and was 15-1 overall for just the second time in school history, but three consecutive losses have the 13th-ranked Red Raiders searching for answers. Texas Tech looks to get back on track Saturday when an Arkansas team that just snapped its longest losing streak under coach Mike Anderson visits in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Louisiana State at Missouri 6:00 PM ET
LSU looks to remain one of the two unbeaten teams in the SEC standings when it visits Missouri on Saturday. LSU and top-ranked Tennessee are the only teams without a loss in conference play.
Kansas at Kentucky 6:00 PM ET
Kentucky's 22-9 record against Kansas accounts for the bulk of the 14-game difference that exists between the two college basketball programs with the most all-time victories, but the Jayhawks' recent success in the series has helped to close the gap. The ninth-ranked Wildcats attempt to end their recent woes against Kansas on Saturday when they host the 10th-ranked Jayhawks as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Tulane at Southern Methodist 6:00 PM ET
Tulane remains winless in the American Athletic Conference as it approaches the midway point of the league's season and the prospects of ending that drought do not appear bright entering Saturday night's matchup at Southern Methodist. The host Mustangs already beat the Green Wave 74-65 in New Orleans three weeks ago and have not lost at home to Tulane since December 1991.
Wichita St. at Connecticut 6:00 PM ET
Barring a remarkable turnaround, a pair of impressive streaks will come to an end for Wichita State, which entered this season with seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and nine 25-win seasons in a row. The slumping Shockers will try to pick up their first road victory of the season when they visit Connecticut on Saturday in an American Athletic Conference matchup.
St. Mary's at Pepperdine 8:00 PM ET
Utah began a two-game trip west Thursday with a
milestone win, beating Stanford at Maples Pavilion for the first time since
joining the Pac-12 in 2011. Now, the Runnin’ Utes have their sights set on a
sweep as they visit a skidding California squad Saturday night.
Syracuse at Virginia Tech 8:00 PM ET
Eighth-ranked Virginia Tech played three of its last four games away from home and, needless to say, is happy to return to Blacksburg. However, things do not get much easier for the Hokies, who host an improving Syracuse squad in Saturday's ACC clash.
Arizona State at Southern California 8:00 PM ET
USC improved to 4-0 on its home court in Pac-12 Conference play on Thursday with an impressive 23-point victory over Arizona. Next up on Saturday night for the Trojans, who have won 11 of their last 12 conference games at the Galen Center, is an Arizona State squad that has won three straight games including its first win at UCLA's famed Pauley Pavilion since 2009 when the Sun Devils had a freshman guard named James Harden.
Colorado at Stanford 8:00 PM ET
Colorado fell behind early in the Pac-12 race by losing four of its first five conference games, but a road sweep of the Bay Area teams could put the Buffaloes right back into contention. The Buffs achieved the first step with Thursday’s 68-59 win over California and look for a repeat performance Saturday at Stanford.
Utah at California 8:00 PM ET
Utah began a two-game trip west Thursday with a milestone win, beating Stanford at Maples Pavilion for the first time since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. Now, the Runnin’ Utes have their sights set on a sweep as they visit a skidding California squad Saturday night.
Auburn at Mississippi State 8:30 PM ET
Auburn and Mississippi State cruised through the majority of their non-conference schedules playing every bit like the ranked teams they were for the first two months of the season, but the SEC has been able to humble both teams in the early going. A pair of squads scrambling to get back to .500 in conference action square off Saturday when the 15th-ranked Tigers visit the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs.
Arizona at UCLA 10:00 PM ET
Two traditional Pac-12 powers looking for a spark meet Saturday as Arizona visits UCLA, which has lost three in a row under interim coach Murry Bartow. Arizona has exceeded expectations for much of the season but took a step back on Thursday, shooting a season-worst 27.8 percent from the field in an 80-57 loss to USC.