Preview Roundups
December 03, 2014
Temple at St. Joseph's 6:30 PM ET
Temple will play its entire Big 5 schedule over a three-week stretch, including Wednesday's road matchup against Saint Joseph's. The Owls defeated one of their Philadelphia rivals when they topped Pennsylvania on Nov. 25, and they have meetings with La Salle and Villanova coming up later this month. In the meantime, Temple remains focused on a Saint Joseph's squad that is looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
East Carolina at Florida Atlantic 7:00 PM ET
Looking to establish some consistency after alternating wins and losses through its first seven games, East Carolina visits Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. The Pirates have scored just a shade under 75 points per game this season but that hasn't been enough to string together two consecutive wins, something they'll hope to end against FAU with continued unselfish play. "We are just concerned on executing the offense and coming out with a victory," forward Michel-Ofik Nzege told reporters.
Butler at Indiana St. 7:05 PM ET
Butler is riding high after a successful 2-1 run in the Battle 4 Atlantis and interim coach Chris Holtmann is eager to see how his team deals with success. He’ll get a big clue Wednesday when the Bulldogs play their first true road game of the season, visiting in-state rival Indiana State. “Win or lose, we're going to learn something about this group," Holtmann told the Indianapolis Star. “That's a good thing."
Virginia Tech at Penn St. 7:15 PM ET
Penn State senior guard D.J. Newbill has become one of the nation’s top offensive threats while averaging 25 points and shooting almost 50 percent from the field. Newbill looks to stay hot as he leads the improved Nittany Lions against visiting Virginia Tech on Wednesday as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Newbill has scored at least 22 in five straight games and will face a Hokies team that has won two straight and is allowing 39.1 percent shooting under first-year coach Buzz Williams.
Michigan St at Notre Dame 7:15 PM ET
Michigan State continues its daunting early-season schedule with a visit to Notre Dame on Wednesday as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The 18th-ranked Spartans, who have played only two home games, and Notre Dame will renew a rivalry that has been dormant since 1979, when a sophomore point guard named Magic Johnson was guiding Michigan State to the NCAA championship. The Spartans had a four-game win streak snapped by then-No. 12 Kansas in Sunday's championship game of the Orlando Classic.
Iowa at North Carolina 7:30 PM ET
Iowa is unbeaten against non-ranked competition this season and winless against teams in the top-25. The Hawkeyes get another chance Wednesday to upend a ranked team when they travel to No. 12 North Carolina for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
North Texas at Oklahoma St. 8:00 PM ET
Fresh off winning the three-day MGM Grand Main Event in Las Vegas, Oklahoma State will be looking to start 7-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in nearly 80 years when the Cowboys host North Texas on Wednesday. Despite losing a pair of players to the NBA draft, Oklahoma State has won its first six games by an average of 23 points.
Tulane at Loyola-Chicago 8:00 PM ET
If nothing else, the season-opening loss to Wake Forest served as something of a wake-up call to Tulane, which has since rattled off five straight victories heading into Wednesday's game at Loyola Chicago. The latest win, which capped off a six-game homestand to start the season, came at the expense of Tennessee Tech, which gave the Green Wave all they could handle before succumbing in the final three minutes.
Sam Houston St. at Texas A&M 8:00 PM ET
Texas A&M is off to a 4-1 start mostly because of junior standouts Danuel House and Jalen Jones and a deep bench as it prepares to host Sam Houston State on Wednesday. “We’ve got a chance to get a lot better,” coach Billy Kennedy told reporters after the Aggies defeated New Orleans 87-65 on Friday. “... We’ve got a ton of work to do to beat the people that are on our schedule." Texas A&M boasts 12 players averaging 10 or more minutes and seven scoring at least six points.
Creighton at Tulsa 8:00 PM ET
The post Doug McDermott-era at Creighton seems to be going well as the Bluejays prepare for a road game at Tulsa on Wednesday. It’s a credit to coach Greg McDermott that a team with one starter returning is off to a 6-1 start including a signature victory over Oklahoma – currently ranked No. 20 – with the lone loss coming against Mississippi.
UNLV at Arizona St. 8:00 PM ET
Arizona State will try to match its longest home winning streak in over three decades when it hosts UNLV on Wednesday night. The Sun Devils have won 12 straight at Wells Fargo Arena dating back to a 66-47 victory over Washington State on Jan. 5. The impressive streak includes wins over Utah, Colorado, Oregon, then-No. 2 Arizona and Stanford last season and, most recently, Colgate 78-71 on Saturday.
Villanova at La Salle 8:30 PM ET
Perhaps no player illustrates how dangerous No. 9 Villanova is more than JayVaughn Pinkston. One game after making the winning basket and the game-saving block against Michigan, Pinkston did not make a field goal, finishing with only three free throws in a win over Delaware on Sunday. Still, the Wildcats had five double-digit scorers against the Blue Hens and they hope that balance is on display once again when they visit La Salle on Wednesday.
Auburn at Texas Tech 9:00 PM ET
If Texas Tech needed any extra incentive for Wednesday’s home date with Auburn, the SEC-Big 12 Challenge has provided it. It’s the second year for the event after the Big 12 won seven of the 10 contests a season ago. “Auburn is a talented team, and any time you’re playing in this type of challenge, it’s motivation for our players to play hard and represent the Big 12 Conference,” Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said at his weekly press conference.
Virginia at Maryland 9:15 PM ET
Two teams that were conference rivals for six decades meet for the first time in a non-league setting when Virginia visits Maryland on Wednesday as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. No. 22 Maryland comes in unbeaten through seven games for the first time since 2006-07 as the Terrapins prepare for their first Big Ten season with a young group. Sixth-ranked Virginia attempts to begin the season 8-0 for the first time in 11 years with a team that leads the nation in scoring defense (44.6).
Georgia Tech at Northwestern 9:15 PM ET
Northwestern has spent the past week digesting its first loss of the season, and the Wildcats are anxious to start a new winning streak when they host Georgia Tech on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wildcats won their first five games of the season before falling to Northern Iowa in the finals of the Cancun Challenge last Wednesday, 61-42. The Yellow Jackets suffered their first loss of the year on Thanksgiving in the Orlando Challenge to Marquette, but rebounded to beat Rider and Rh
Duke at Wisconsin 9:30 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Wisconsin hosts No. 2 Duke in a battle of unbeatens as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday. Both teams come into the marquee matchup riding seven-game winning streaks - with the Badgers emerging victorious in the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Blue Devils taking top honors at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. "I expect it will be crazy," Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky told reporters. "I've been a part of some crazy atmospheres, but this has a chance to be the best."
San Francisco at Colorado 10:00 PM ET
Colorado is starting to make good decisions with the basketball and that usually means it will wind up in the hands of Josh Scott. The 6-10 junior takes averages of 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds into Wednesday's game against San Francisco as the Buffaloes go for their 23rd straight non-conference victory at home. “We’re talented, and when we get the ball moving and share it with each other I think we can be special,'' Scott told reporters after Colorado's 84-75 victory over Lipscomb on Sunday.
Loyola Marymount at Southern California 10:00 PM ET
USC will try to build on its biggest win of the season when the Trojans host Loyola Marymount in a nonconference game Wednesday night. USC went into New Mexico and beat the Lobos by 12 in The Pit on Sunday night, not an easy task in the 15,000-seat arena that’s considered one of the loudest college basketball venues in the nation. The final margins in USC’s previous three games — two wins and a loss — were a combined eight points.
Idaho at Washington St. 10:00 PM ET
Fresh off winning its final two games in the Great Alaska Shootout, Washington State returns home to face border rival Idaho on Wednesday night. The two schools are located just eight miles apart in the rural Palouse with Idaho's campus located right on the Idaho-Washington border. They are meeting for the 109th consecutive season and have the oldest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi River with Washington State holding a 162-107 series advantage, including the last 11 in a row.
Montana at California 10:00 PM ET
The Pac-12 player of the year race features proven stars such as Stanford’s Chasson Randle and Utah’s Delon Wright, but it might be time to add California’s Tyrone Wallace to the mix. The 6-5 junior point guard is averaging team-highs in points (17.2) and rebounds (8.0) for the Golden Bears, who host Montana on Wednesday. Wallace has 37 points, 18 boards and seven assists in his last two games for Cal, which has won two straight following a 71-55 loss to Texas.
Concordia (OR) at Oregon 10:00 PM ET
Oregon put up some good efforts but came up short against top 25 competition at the Legends Classic last week. The Ducks will look for their second straight win against slightly lesser competition when they take on NAIA Concordia (OR) on Wednesday. Oregon crushed Portland State 81-59 when it returned home on Sunday as Joseph Young flirted with a triple-double while cutting down on the turnovers that plagued him during the Legends Classic.
Wichita St. at Utah 11:00 PM ET
Tenth-ranked Wichita State attempts to win its 36th consecutive regular-season game when it visits a strong Utah squad on Wednesday. The Shockers are playing their first true road game after winning their first four contests by an average of 25 points. The Utes have won four straight games and their lone loss was against powerful San Diego State in their only road outing thus far this season.
Cal St. Fullerton at UCLA 11:59 PM ET
UCLA likely won’t be taking a victory for granted when it hosts Cal State Fullerton in a nonconference game Wednesday night. Bruins coach Steve Alford and his players weren't around five years ago, but they’re likely aware of UCLA’s stunning double-overtime loss to Fullerton in the season opener in 2009, snapping a nine-game winning streak against the Titans. That began a trend as the Bruins also lost nonconference games to Montana in 2010, Loyola Marymount in 2011 and Cal Poly in 2012.
Mississippi Valley State at Oregon St. 11:59 PM ET
Oregon State lost both of its games at last week’s MGM Grand Main Event in Las Vegas, but first-year coach Wayne Tinkle doesn’t believe the Beavers left empty-handed. Oregon State, which returns home Wednesday to face Mississippi Valley State, was encouraged after staying close to both Oklahoma State and Auburn. “If we battle the way we’re supposed to,” Tinkle told The Oregonian, “we can compete with anyone on our schedule. We’ve got to continue getting our guys to believe in that.”