Preview Roundups
December 12, 2015
Ohio St. at Connecticut 12:00 PM ET
Confined to the American Athletic Conference, Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie feels it's imperative his team get a signature win out of its conference to enhance its NCAA resume. Time is running out for the Huskies, who get another chance on Saturday as they host Ohio State.
Bryant at Providence 12:00 PM ET
Providence has soared through its non-conference slate, with the exception of a loss to then-No. 4 Michigan State last month, but now must face the reality of the grind of the season. The 18th-ranked Friars could be without three starters - including stars Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil - when they host local foe Bryant on Saturday.
Delaware State at Michigan 12:00 PM ET
Michigan hopes to bounce back from its worst loss of the season when it hosts Delaware State on Saturday. The Wolverines had no answer for SMU's athletic forwards as they slumped to an 82-58 setback, and are still looking for their first signature win after suffering double-digit defeats to 13th-ranked Xavier and Connecticut in the last week of November.
Auburn at Middle Tennessee St. 1:00 PM ET
Auburn's depth has been a big factor in its 4-1 start and is expected to add at least one player to its high-scoring arsenal when they visit Middle Tennessee in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday. The Tigers average 90.2 points - fifth in the nation through Wednesday's games - and welcome back freshman guard New Williams, who missed all but eight minutes this season because of a knee injury, but junior guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen (shoulder) probably won't play, according to coach Bruce Pearl.
Marquette at Wisconsin 1:30 PM ET
The battle for bragging rights in the state of Wisconsin play out Saturday when the Golden Eagles of Marquette travel to face the Badgers of Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off a rare loss to another in-state rival Milwaukee and will look to get right against the Golden Eagles, who have won six straight games - the last four against inferior competition.
Youngstown St. at Purdue 2:00 PM ET
Boasted by the return of senior guard Rapheal Davis, 11th-ranked Purdue will try for a 11-0 start for just the third time in the last 75 years and the seventh time in school history when it hosts Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon. The school-record for best start during the NCAA Tournament era (since 1938) for the Boilermakers is 14-0 - accomplished in both 1993-94 and 2009-10 when they finished with a school-record 29 wins in each season.
Oral Roberts at Oklahoma 2:00 PM ET
Buddy Hield is regarded as one of the nation’s top scorers, but he is far from the only weapon the eighth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners rely on entering Saturday’s home contest with Oral Roberts. Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler each posted double-doubles in Monday’s 78-55 triumph over sixth-ranked Villanova in Honolulu, and the Sooners boast an offense ranked 16th in the nation in scoring.
Illinois-Chicago at Illinois 2:00 PM ET
Illinois looks to keep up the momentum of a two-game winning streak when it takes on UIC at the United Center in Chicago. The Fighting Illini are back to .500 with the two straight victories, while the Flames are just hoping to get their second win of the season.
Eastern Michigan at Louisville 2:00 PM ET
The KFC Yum! Center may not sound like an imposing place for visiting teams, but Louisville has done nothing but devour its competition inside the venue this season. Coming off their largest blowout victory of the season, the 19th-ranked Cardinals seek yet another convincing win on Saturday when they host Eastern Michigan in the second of a six-game homestand.
Louisiana-Monroe at Penn St. 2:00 PM ET
Penn State seeks its fifth victory in six games when it hosts
Louisiana-Monroe in a nonconference tilt on Saturday. The Nittany Lions
are coming off their largest winning margin of the season -- an 81-67
victory over Canisius on Thursday.
Tennessee at Butler 2:30 PM ET
Butler is on quite a roll and will take four-game
win streak and a No. 21 national ranking into Saturday’s home game against
Tennessee. The Bulldogs also bring the country's third highest-scoring offense (91.4 points per game) into the contest.
NC-Wilmington at Georgetown 2:30 PM ET
Georgetown endured a stunning opening-night upset and a difficult schedule in the early weeks of the season, but four victories in a row and an emphasis on defense and rebounding has the Hoyas feeling good entering Saturday’s home contest against UNC Wilmington in the BB&T Classic. “I think we’re doing the things that are necessary to win – defend, rebound,” guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera said after Monday’s 74-57 win over Brown, a necessary breather after an emotion-charged opening three weeks.
Mississippi at SE Missouri St. 3:00 PM ET
Ole Miss senior Stefan Moody likes having the ball in his hands - and it's been good for the Rebels, too. Ole Miss will try to win its fourth straight - and improve to 5-1 with Moody at point guard - when it travels to Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.
Arizona State at Kentucky 3:15 PM ET
No. 4 Kentucky has a prestigious ranking, a strong record, and is stocked with talent from top to bottom, but the team has been far from consistent this season. The play of Alex Poythress, however, has not been an issue - a trend that John Calipari hopes will continue in Saturday's home game against Arizona State.
Utah at Wichita St. 3:30 PM ET
After defeating Wichita State in a thriller a season ago, No. 24 Utah now pays a visit to Wichita, Kan., as the teams square off Saturday afternoon. The Utes topped the Shockers 69-68 in overtime last season on Delon Wright's jumper with 14 seconds left, but Utah is clearly the better team this time around.
St. Mary's at California 3:30 PM ET
California and Saint Mary’s are located just 15 miles apart, but Saturday’s game at Haas Pavilion marks their first meeting since 2004. The matchup should be worth the wait as Cal looks to bolster its non-conference resume with a win over Saint Mary’s, which began the weekend as one of 10 remaining undefeated teams in Division I.
Maryland - E. Shore at Maryland 4:15 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Maryland looks to stay perfect against in-state foe Maryland Eastern Shore when the Terrapins host the Hawks on Saturday. The Terrapins have won all 16 meetings with their in-state foes, including a 100-68 victory in the most recent clash in December 2012.
Rutgers at George Washington 4:30 PM ET
Things had gotten so bad for Rutgers that even a victory over winless Central Connecticut State was cause for celebration. The Scarlet Knights won't have it as easy on Saturday, when they visit George Washington.
Rutgers at George Washington 4:30 PM ET
Things had gotten so bad for Rutgers that even a victory over winless Central Connecticut State was cause for celebration. The Scarlet Knights won't have it as easy on Saturday, when they visit George Washington.
Indiana - Purdue at Creighton 5:00 PM ET
Creighton
is sky-high after snapping a two-game skid with an 83-67 dismantling of in-state
rival Nebraska on Wednesday. The Bluejays on Saturday host an IUPUI squad that collapsed
on the road in the second half Thursday and lost to Missouri State.
Mississippi St. at UMKC 5:05 PM ET
Mississippi State will attempt to resume its winning ways when it visits UMKC on Saturday for its first game in 10 days. The Bulldogs are riding a three-game winning streak, while UMKC is a perfect 4-0 at home.
North Carolina at Texas 5:15 PM ET
North Carolina takes its four-game winning streak into a vexing venue when the third-ranked Tar Heels travel to Texas on Saturday. Texas is 4-0 at home after a 116-50 drubbing of UTSA on Tuesday and has knocked off six visiting top-five teams since the start of the 2002-03 season.
Kansas St. at Texas A&M 5:30 PM ET
Many believe Kansas State deserves a spot in the top 25 and the Wildcats will get another chance to prove it on Saturday, when they travel to No. 25 Texas A&M for a nonconference game. Kansas State has won seven of eight this season with its only loss coming Nov. 24 against No. 3 North Carolina, which trailed the Wildcats by eight points with just over four minutes remaining before winning the CBE Classic championship game 80-70.
Cincinnati at Xavier 5:30 PM ET
Xavier beat Cincinnati 59-57 in the Crosstown Shootout last year when Bearcats guard Farad Cobb missed an open 3-pointer in the final seconds after Trevon Bluiett made two free throws with 11.5 seconds left. Cobb and the rest of his 22nd-ranked Cincinnati teammates will try and repay the favor Saturday when the Bearcats travel across town to play No. 13 Xavier in the series' 83rd edition of the rivalry.
Florida at Michigan St 6:00 PM ET
“The Flintstones” proved to be a critical part of Michigan State’s national championship-winning team in 1999-2000, which ended with a double-digit victory over Florida in the title game. The top-ranked Spartans will honor the 15th anniversary of that team and look to continue their best start since 2000-01 on Saturday when they host the Gators in the seventh all-time meeting between the schools.
Montana at Washington 6:00 PM ET
Two of the top scoring seniors in their respective conferences go head-to-head when Washington hosts Montana on Saturday. Huskies guard Andrew Andrews sits atop the Pac-12 at 22.1 points per game, while Grizzlies forward and former Husky Martin Breunig ranks second in the Big Sky with 20.6 points per game.
McNeese St. at Indiana 6:30 PM ET
Indiana point guard Yogi Ferrell will have a difficult act to follow when his Hoosiers host McNeese State on Saturday night. Ferrell poured in a career-high 38 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the 90-65 rout of IPFW on Wednesday; Indiana looks to extend its winning streak to three before meeting state rival Notre Dame on Dec. 19.
Oregon at Boise St. 7:00 PM ET
Leading scorer Tyler Dorsey is in jeopardy of missing his second
straight game when No. 23 Oregon visits Boise State in Saturday's
nonconference tilt. Dorsey injured his left knee in a loss to UNLV on
Dec. 4 and sat out Monday's 67-47 drubbing of Navy.
Florida Atlantic at Central Florida 7:00 PM ET
UCF will be looking for its fourth win in a row Saturday, when it hosts Florida Atlantic. The Knights are coming off their most impressive win this season, a tense victory over Massachusetts.
Oregon St. at Kansas 8:00 PM ET
Kansas junior guard Brannen Greene might be the most enigmatic player in the Big 12, but there’s no denying his impact on the seventh-ranked Jayhawks, who face Oregon State on Saturday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Greene returned from a five-game suspension Thursday and scored 14 points in 17 minutes as Kansas rolled to a 92-59 win over Holy Cross.
Brigham Young at Colorado 8:00 PM ET
Another game, another defensive challenge
awaits Colorado. This time, it’ll be high-scoring BYU and its dangerous
inside-outside game visiting Boulder on Saturday.
Tennessee Tech at Arkansas 8:00 PM ET
Three-point shooting has been a strength for Arkansas this season, and the Razorbacks will likely use that weapon again Saturday night when they host Tennessee Tech in their bid to win two straight for the first time. Dusty Hannahs is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range and Anthlon Bell is at 43.9, ranking first and second in the SEC in 3-pointers made.
Manhattan at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
Memphis looks to take further advantage of an early season schedule that rolls out 11 home games among its first 12 when it hosts Manhattan on Saturday night. The Tigers are 4-2 at FedEx Forum, while Manhattan is winless in three road games.
Minnesota at Oklahoma St. 8:30 PM ET
Oklahoma State and Minnesota, two teams in the midst of notable home losing streaks, will try and get back on track Saturday night in a neutral-court game at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Oklahoma State comes in off back-to-back home losses to Tulsa and Missouri State, the first time since the 1985-86 season the Cowboys lost back-to-back nonconference home games, while the Golden Gophers enter after consecutive home losses to South Dakota State and South Dakota, the first time since
UCLA at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Unranked UCLA attempts to record its second big victory this month when
it visits No. 17 Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bruins have won three
consecutive games entering the showdown with the Bulldogs, including a
stunning 87-77 victory over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 3.
Arkansas-Little Rock at DePaul 10:00 PM ET
Two red-hot teams clash on Saturday when undefeated Little Rock travels to the Windy City to take on DePaul, which has won four straight. The Blue Demons started the season 1-3 in coach Dave Leitao's first season back on the DePaul bench since leaving the school in 2005.
Dartmouth at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
Stanford ends its hiatus for final exams on Saturday when it hosts
Dartmouth in its first game since Nov. 27. The Cardinal defeated
Arkansas 69-66 in their most recent game and are beginning a stretch in
which they play seven consecutive home games.