Preview Roundups
November 14, 2016
Binghamton at St. John's 6:30 PM ET
The level of competition isn't where it will be later in the season for St. John's, which hosts Binghamton on Monday as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, but the Red Storm are picking up some much needed confidence. Coming off a season that saw them lose 21 of their last 22 games, the Red Storm are using these early games, including Friday's season-opening victory over Bethune-Cookman, to build cohesion on a team that features 10 underclassmen.
N.C. Asheville at Georgia 7:00 PM ET
Georgia opened a promising season in underwhelming fashion Friday, leaving coach Mark Fox expecting far better results when the Bulldogs host UNC-Asheville on Monday in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. Georgia lost 74-64 at Clemson in its opener, trailing by 14 points in a first half where the Bulldogs simply looked out of sync.
Massachusetts at Mississippi 7:00 PM ET
All wins may look alike in the standings, but don't ask Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy what he thought of his team's season-opening triumph over Tennessee-Martin last week. The Rebels will look to bounce back from a terrible effort last time out as they prepare for a Monday night encounter at home against a Massachusetts team coming off its own season-opening victory.
Gardner-Webb at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh first-year coach Kevin Stallings knew he would need to rely on seniors Michael Young and Jamel Artis for points, assists and rebounds this season. The pair rescued the Panthers in their season opener against a talented Eastern Michigan squad and will be counted on heavily again Monday when Gardner-Webb visits in the second round of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.
Marist at Rhode Island 7:00 PM ET
E.C. Matthews had a triumphant return to the court and has Rhode Island pointing in the right direction. Matthews and the 24th-ranked Rams look to follow up an impressive season-opening performance when they host Marist on Monday in a Hall of Fame Tip-Off affair.
Villanova at Purdue 7:00 PM ET
In a way, Villanova coach Jay Wright is just glad to have one game out of the way. After winning the national title last April, the third-ranked Wildcats rolled in their opener and will eye a similar effort Monday when they visit No. 15 Purdue.
William & Mary at Louisville 7:00 PM ET
Louisville might not be immune to an upset Monday, but neither will it be caught by surprise. The 14th-ranked Cardinals expect a tough test when they host upset-minded William & Mary in the teams’ first meeting since 1952.
New Hampshire at Temple 7:00 PM ET
Following a thrilling season opener, Temple takes aim at New Hampshire when the Wildcats visit Philadelphia on Monday night. The Owls nipped city rival La Salle on Friday and hope Daniel Dingle and Obi Enechionyia can deliver another strong effort in Monday's affair.
Northeastern at Connecticut 7:00 PM ET
Despite solid debuts by freshman Alterique Gilbert and transfer Terry Larrier, No. 16 Connecticut was stunned by Wagner in its season opener Friday night. UConn, which hadn't lost an opener since 1999, looks to rebound when it hosts Northeastern on Monday night.
No.Carolina A&T at East Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Jeff Lebo's 100th victory at East Carolina went according to script as the Pirates got 20 points from Caleb White and a career-high eight assists from B.J. Tyson to cruise past Grambling State in Friday's season opener. East Carolina looks for its second win to start the season when it hosts a revamped North Carolina A&T squad Monday.
Albany at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin needed to find a replacement for a trio of big men, and Kyle Washington answered the call Friday against Brown. The 6-9 Washington will likely need another strong outing Monday for the No. 25 Bearcats when a surprising Albany team pays a visit in a game that is part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off.
Buffalo at Xavier 7:00 PM ET
Eighth-ranked Xavier struggled a bit against a strong team in its season opener and looks to smooth out the rough edges when it hosts two-time defending Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo on Monday. The Musketeers coughed up a lead that grew to as many as 12 points in the first half Friday and allowed Lehigh back in the game with some late turnovers before surviving for an 84-81 victory.
Vermont at Providence 7:00 PM ET
Providence made a return to national prominence with stars Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil, but with both of them gone to the NBA the Friars may be looking to rebuild again. The new-look Friars - who were picked to finish ninth in the Big East preseason coaches' poll - begin the season with plenty of uncertainty when they host a dangerous Vermont squad on Monday night.
Nicholls State at Central Florida 7:00 PM ET
The Johnny Dawkins era begins for UCF on Monday night when the Knights host Nicholls, which surprised Boston College 79-73 on Friday for its first win ever against an ACC opponent. Dawkins, a former Duke All-American and assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski, was fired after the 2015-16 season despite having four 20-win seasons in eight years as Stanford's head coach.
Mississippi Valley State at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
The numbers appeared to be there on defense for West Virginia in Friday's season opener with 21 turnovers creating 26 points and it held Mount St. Mary's to 35.2 percent shooting from the floor, but coach Bob Huggins was hardly satisfied. The No. 18 Mountaineers will try to do better - especially at protecting the ball and shooting free throws - when they host Mississippi Valley State on Monday.
Southern at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM ET
The start of Josh Pastner’s tenure at Georgia Tech produced an expected result Friday – a victory over Tennessee Tech – but the Yellow Jackets coach wants to see his team accelerate the pace in Monday’s home contest against Southern. “I was disappointed in our pace of play,” Pastner said after the opener. “I still think we’ve got to play faster.”
Southern Illinois at Arkansas 8:00 PM ET
Arkansas, which uses the hashtag #Fastest40 on its media releases, put up an impressive 92 points in its season-opening win over Summit League-favorite Fort Wayne on Friday night. The Razorbacks continue a season-opening three-game homestand on Monday when they host Southern Illinois.
American U. at Texas A&M 8:00 PM ET
A year after surprising the SEC by winning a share of the conference title, Texas A&M has reloaded to make another run. The new-look Aggies look to improve to 2-0 when they host American on Monday.
Louisiana-Monroe at Texas 8:00 PM ET
Texas’ youth movement is off to a promising start, but coach Shaka Smart knows to expect growing pains with the 21st-ranked Longhorns early in the season. Smart’s squad looks to take another step forward Monday as the Longhorns host Louisiana-Monroe, which shot 54.4 percent from the field in Friday’s season-opening 96-63 victory over Centenary.
Texas-Arlington at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to follow up its solid season-opening victory when it hosts non-conference foe UT Arlington on Monday night. The Golden Gophers got a balanced effort in a 12-point win over Louisiana, while the Mavericks also come in off a victory, having topped Texas Southern at home.
Texas Rio Grande Valley at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
The Tubby Smith era begins at Memphis on Monday night when the Tigers open their 2016-17 campaign by hosting UT Rio Grande Valley. Smith is trying to get the Tigers back on track after the team had missed the postseason the past two seasons under former coach Josh Pastner.
Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
New Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. has won 613 regular-season games as an NBA head coach, but he will be seeking his first win as the leader of a college program when Tulane hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Monday night. The former NBA player, assistant coach, head coach and general manager made his college coaching debut on Friday night with a daunting assignment as his team faced sixth-ranked North Carolina, and predictably came out on the short end of a 95-75 score.
Mount Saint Mary at Iowa St. 8:00 PM ET
After being limited to eight games last season due to a hip injury, Iowa State senior guard Naz Mitrou-Long appears ready to finish his Cyclones career on a high note. The sharpshooter from Canada will look to build on his impressive season debut on Monday as the Cyclones host Mount St. Mary’s, which was held to 35 percent shooting in Friday’s 87-59 loss at West Virginia.
Central Arkansas at Oklahoma St. 8:00 PM ET
The Brad Underwood era of Oklahoma State basketball started with a lopsided win over Campbell that saw the Cowboys pass the century mark in scoring for the first time since 2013. But Underwood, who posted a 89-14 record in three seasons at Stephen F. Austin before replacing Travis Ford last spring, says there is still plenty to work on heading into Monday night's home game with Central Arkansas.
Howard at Marquette 8:30 PM ET
At least once or twice a year, senior Jajuan Johnson has the type of game he had in the season opener for Marquette, which goes for win No. 2 Monday against visiting Howard in the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior project. Johnson was otherworldly against Vanderbilt, making 9-of-13 from the field and producing six steals, four rebounds and three assists for the Golden Eagles.
Georgia St at Auburn 9:00 PM ET
Shooting well and playing defense is fun in the view of Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, and he hopes the Tigers experience more enjoyment when they host Georgia State on Monday in the opener of the Cancun Challenge. The Tigers hit 10 3-pointers in the first half of Friday’s season-opening 83-66 victory over North Florida, forced 28 turnovers and left Pearl upbeat about what he saw.
Eastern Washington at Northwestern 9:00 PM ET
Vic Law must play a prominent role if Northwestern is to reach its goal of making a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and the sophomore forward is off to strong start. Law, who missed all of last season due to shoulder surgery, scored 18 in the season opener and hopes to build off that effort when the Wildcats host Eastern Washington on Monday.
Seattle at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
Colorado, which finished last season as the Pac-12 Conference’s top 3-point shooting team, picked up right where it left off in Friday’s season opener, hitting 13-of-21 attempts in a 90-53 win over Sacramento State. Now it’s Seattle’s turn to try to defend the Buffaloes as the Redhawks visit Boulder for one of the opening on-campus games of the Legends Clas
Alabama St. at Texas Christian 9:00 PM ET
Jaylen Fisher was everything TCU hoped he would be in his season debut - and Horned Frogs can't wait to see what he does for an encore as they entertain Alabama State on Monday night. Fisher, one of the most highly-touted recruits in school history, put together a terrific all-around game to lead TCU to a season-opening victory over NAIA St. Thomas.
North Carolina Central at Ohio St. 9:00 PM ET
Ohio State shot the ball well in its season opener and the Buckeyes will try to maintain that hot hand when they play North Carolina Central in their home opener Monday night. Ohio State shot 57.4 percent from the floor in the 76-68 win Friday against Navy in the finale of the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md., including 10-for-18 from 3-point distance.
San Diego St. at Gonzaga 11:59 PM ET
Gonzaga is a much different team than it was last season but one constant remains: The No. 13 Bulldogs appear to be a bona fide NCAA Tournament squad. Gonzaga's bid for a 19th consecutive appearance in the Big Dance got off to a rousing start with Friday's 92-69 victory over Utah Valley, but the road gets a bit tougher as it hosts injury-riddled San Diego State on Monday.