Purdue hopes to take advantage of a date with downtrodden Rutgers as the Boilermakers try to remain the race for second place in the Big Ten. The visitors, who are playing their first game in the Garden State since the 1999 NCAA Tournament, are among four teams within a half-game of second in the league standings. The Scarlet Knights have lost eight straight since stunning then-No. 4 Wisconsin and are 13th among 14 league teams.

Winning road games in Big Ten play has been an impossible task for Minnesota, which hopes to end a seven-game losing streak in such contests Thursday when it visits Iowa. The Golden Gophers beat Wake Forest on Dec. 2 in their only true road game in non-conference action, but are 0-5 inside the league this season after dropping their last two chances near the end of the 2013-14 campaign. Even more frustrating is that four of Minnesota’s five setbacks have come by five or fewer points.

Tulsa went a year without losing a conference game before finally falling to SMU on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane will try to keep that loss total at one in American Athletic Conference play when they visit defending champion Connecticut on Thursday. The Huskies are trying to boost their resume for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and are aiming for a fifth straight home victory.

Florida is dealing with a subpar season and now the Gators expect to be without leading scorer Michael Frazier II when they host Ole Miss in Thursday’s SEC contest. Frazier is sporting a boot after suffering a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s 68-61 loss to Kentucky and the Rebels won’t be overly sad to see him on the sidelines. Frazier scored a season-high 27 points and made six 3-pointers against Ole Miss on Jan. 24, but the Rebels prevailed 72-71.

As Colorado's season continues to slip away, leading scorer Askia Booker said he will return to the lineup when the Buffaloes host red-hot California on Thursday. Booker missed Saturday's 79-51 loss to No. 10 Utah with multiple hip pointers, but vows he will do everything he can to help Colorado turn its season around and at least finish .500 to qualify for a postseason tournament.

Utah is staring at two straight home games as it tries to hold off Arizona for first place in the Pac-12. The 10th-ranked Utes will try to pick up their third straight win when they host Stanford on Thursday. The Cardinal are 1 1/2 games behind Arizona and Utah atop the Pac-12 and snapped out of a two-game slide with home win over USC on Sunday but will play four of their final seven regular-season games on the road.

Loyola Marymount has lost in each of its last 25 visits to Gonzaga and the task of winning is even tougher this season with the Bulldogs ranked second in the nation entering Thursday’s West Coast Conference tilt. Gonzaga has displayed a power-packed squad all season and it brings a 17-game winning streak into this game. The Bulldogs posted a 72-55 road victory over the Lions on Jan. 17 and that marked Gonzaga's 11th consecutive win in the series..

SMU coach Larry Brown knows his 25th-ranked Mustangs can't overlook Thursday's trip to Houston, which is nestled in between two big Saturdays. The Mustangs - who have won nine of their last 10 - knocked off Amercian Athletic Conference-leading Tulsa on Saturday and host ESPN's College GameDay before this weekend's matchup with Connecticut. "(They) need to understand we need to validate that (Tulsa) win," Brown told the media at Tuesday's practice.

Illinois looks to win four straight games in Big Ten play for the first time since Feb. 2013 when it hosts Michigan on Thursday. The Fighting Illini have won four of their last five games, including an impressive 59-54 triumph over Michigan State in East Lansing, to keep their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Illinois is 11-1 at home this season and plays four of its next six at the State Farm Center as it tries to exorcise some past demons by ending an eight-game losing skid to the Wolverines.