Preview Roundups
December 23, 2014
Southeastern Louisiana at South Florida 1:00 PM ET
USF looks to snap a five-game losing streak and find its best form before American Athletic Conference play begins next week as it hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday. The Bulls won five of their first six games and have struggled against tougher competition since, losing by double figures in four of five. USF will try to take advantage of a Lions’ squad which should be fatigued after suffering a 70-65 loss at UCF on Monday and is without their leading scorer Zay Jackson due to injury.
Ohio at DePaul 2:30 PM ET
DePaul and Ohio used similar scripts on their way to disappointing losses in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic. Both schools look to snap their respective losing streaks on Tuesday when they meet in a consolation game in Honolulu. The Blue Demons – coming off a 31-point loss at Oregon State on Thursday – fell behind by as many as 13 points to Colorado in the first half on Monday before rallying, only to come out cold again in the second half en route to their fourth straight loss.
Detroit at Arizona St. 3:00 PM ET
Arizona State is stumbling its way toward conference play and will try to avoid a three-game losing streak when it hosts Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. The Sun Devils dropped their first four on the road against power conference teams but suffered their first true home loss in triple-overtime against Lehigh on Saturday. Arizona State is still tinkering with its rotation and is breaking in forward Savon Goodman off the bench.
George Washington at Colorado 4:30 PM ET
Thanks to some soul-searching with Colorado coach Tad Boyle, Askia Booker appears to be over his slow start. The senior guard will try to help his coach secure his 100th victory at the school Tuesday when the Buffaloes face George Washington in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. After serving as a major contributor to Colorado’s third straight NCAA Tournament team last year, Booker averaged 7.3 points on 25-percent shooting and 1.8 assists over the first four games.
Sacred Heart at Rutgers 7:00 PM ET
Coach Eddie Jordan is hoping his team can find some consistency before they begin their first season of play in the Big Ten Conference next week, but Rutgers hasn't been very consistent this year, going 6-5 with its longest win streak being two. The Scarlet Knights will look to get back on the winning track when they host Sacred Heart Tuesday in their final game before the Christmas holiday. The Pioneers have been playing well of late, winning five of their last six heading into this contest.
Louisiana Tech at N.C. State 7:00 PM ET
Opposing shooters should beware when Louisiana Tech plays at North Carolina State on Tuesday in a matchup of two of the top shot-blocking squads in the nation. The Bulldogs, who have won seven of their past nine – rank sixth in the country with 6.9 blocks per contest, while the Wolfpack sit ninth nationally at 6.5 per game. Louisiana Tech’s Michale Kyser (3.6 blocks per game) and N.C. State’s Beejay Anya (3.5) are fourth and fifth nationally, respectively, in swatting opponents’ shots.
Stanford at Texas 7:00 PM ET
No. 9 Texas seeks its 16th straight home victory when Stanford visits Tuesday. The Longhorns won their final eight Big 12 contests at Frank Erwin Center last season and have clipped off seven in a row to start the 2014-15 campaign. The Cardinal have not gotten off to the start hoped after reaching the Sweet 16 last season, losing to DePaul and Brigham Young along with a strong Duke club.
Wagner at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Cincinnati will be without coach Mick Cronin for a second straight game when it hosts Wagner on Tuesday night. Cronin, who is 169-110 in nine seasons with the Bearcats, did not coach the team's 68-47 loss to VCU on Saturday after doctors determined he had a brain aneurysm. He was scheduled to undergo an angioplasty Monday, associate head coach Larry Davis, who is running the team in Cronin's absence, told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Holy Cross at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh has won four straight, five of its last six and stands at 8-3, but coach Jamie Dixon is still seeing some troubling numbers on the stat sheet. The normally stout Panthers haven’t won the rebounding battle in three games and watched the opposition average 66.5 points and convert nearly 50 of its shots in the last two outings. So those items top Pitt’s pre-Christmas to-do list as it prepares to host Holy Cross on Tuesday.
New Jersey Tech at Villanova 7:00 PM ET
The Big East season is right around the corner, but No. 7 Villanova must first take care of business Tuesday against visiting NJIT. The Wildcats, fresh off an overtime victory over former conference rival Syracuse, cannot look past the Highlanders, who have already beaten one ranked team this season.
CSU Northridge at Louisville 7:00 PM ET
While No. 4 Louisville would have preferred not losing him for any length of time, Montrezl Harrell picked an opportune time to lose his poise. After learning their dominant forward will serve a one-game suspension Tuesday, the Cardinals make their final preparations for this weekend’s showdown with No. 1 Kentucky when they host CSUN. Harrell was ejected for throwing an elbow following a shoving match in the first half of Saturday’s 76-67 win at Western Kentucky.
Georgia Tech at Dayton 8:00 PM ET
Brian Gregory coached at Dayton for eight seasons before leaving for Georgia Tech in 2011, so naturally there was emotion on both sides when the Flyers came to Atlanta and defeated the Yellow Jackets 82-72 last season. Those emotions figure to tug harder at Gregory on Tuesday when Dayton hosts Georgia Tech, marking Gregory’s first game at UD Arena since his eight years leading the Flyers. Both teams are hot: The Flyers have won six of seven while the Yellow Jackets are 5-1 in their past six.
Texas Southern at Auburn 8:00 PM ET
After exciting overtime wins by both teams in their previous games, Auburn hosts Texas Southern on Tuesday in a battle of Tigers. Auburn overcame a 14-point deficit against Xavier on Saturday, providing first-year coach Bruce Pearl his biggest victory, 89-88 in double-overtime. Also on Saturday, Texas Southern stunned Michigan State in Lansing, winning 71-64.
Jacksonville at Mississippi St. 8:00 PM ET
Mississippi State is in a slump, having lost five straight heading into Tuesday's home contest with Jacksonville. The Bulldogs started the season 5-0 but lost to TCU in the championship game of the Corpus Christi Coastal Challenge in late November and haven't won since. The Dolphins are on a two-game winning streak after breaking their own five-game losing streak a week ago.
Western Illinois at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
College basketball experts may want to wait before writing off Memphis, which carries a three-game win streak into Tuesday’s contest against visiting Western Illinois. The Tigers opened the season with ugly losses to Wichita State, Baylor, Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State, but there have been encouraging signs over their last three games. Forward Austin Nichols averages a team-high 11.3 points with 5.7 rebounds for the Tigers, who are 4-2 on their current nine-game homestand.
South Dakota State at Utah 9:00 PM ET
Utah bounced back strong following its second loss of the season, beating UNLV 59-46 Saturday at the MGM Grand Showcase in Las Vegas. The 14th-ranked Utes will try and keep that momentum going Tuesday when they wrap up their pre-Christmas schedule by hosting South Dakota State. It will be Utah’s second-to-last nonconference game before Pac-12 play tips off Jan. 2.
Texas Tech at Houston 9:00 PM ET
Texas Tech didn't expect to be playing Houston in Tuesday's consolation game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, but that's what happens when you miss all 21 of your 3-point attempts. The Red Raiders had their eight-game winning streak snapped with a 62-44 loss to Loyola Chicago on Monday - their lowest point total of the season. "They made us take the outside shot," Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith told reporters. .". ... We passed up some open looks and took some tougher shots."
Wichita St. at Hawaii 9:00 PM ET
Hawaii will try for its second upset in two days when it meets No. 11 Wichita State in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic on Tuesday night in Honolulu. The Rainbow Warriors knocked off Nebraska in the opening round Monday as Aaron Valdes put on a show with 15 points and several high-flying dunks. Of course, Wichita State brings a much deeper and more talented team than the Cornhuskers.
Arizona at UNLV 10:05 PM ET
Third-ranked Arizona looks to remain unbeaten when it visits UNLV on Tuesday. The Wildcats have rolled off 12 straight wins to begin the season but most have been at home or on a neutral court and the trip to Las Vegas marks only the second true road game for Arizona. The Wildcats recorded a home win over the Rebels last season and UNLV has already lost to three Pac-12 teams this season in Stanford, Arizona State and Utah.
Loyola Marymount at Nebraska 11:30 PM ET
Nebraska has suffered two bad losses in five days and must face another hungry underdog in Loyola Marymount in Tuesday's consolation round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. The Cornhuskers fell to tournament host Hawaii on Monday, less than a week after they lost to Incarnate Word on their home floor. Nebraska wing Terran Petteway, who averages a team-best 19.2 points, should be motivated to play well after foul trouble plagued Monday's performance.