Preview Roundups
February 09, 2019
Oklahoma State at Kansas 12:00 PM ET
Injuries and suspensions were already wreaking havoc on Kansas' ability to win a 15th consecutive Big 12 title before this week, but the latest blow to the program may be its biggest yet. The 14th-ranked Jayhawks will play without second-leading scorer Lagerald Vick for the first time this season and try to avoid a fourth setback in five games Saturday when they host Oklahoma State.
Miami-Florida at North Carolina 12:00 PM ET
One of the ACC's best against one of the conference's worst meet up on Saturday afternoon as eighth-ranked North Carolina hosts slumping Miami in the second meeting of the season between the schools. The Tar Heels rolled past the host Hurricanes 85-76 on Jan. 19, putting them in position to sweep Miami for the third time (2009, 2012) in the five years that the teams have met twice in the home-and-home series.
Butler at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
If Georgetown wants to be considered one of the top 68 teams in the country, then Saturday's Big East game against visiting Butler is a must win. The Hoyas have injected themselves into the NCAA Tournament conversation with three wins in their last four games but a loss to the Bulldogs would quiet that talk - likely for good.
Providence at St. John's 12:00 PM ET
St. John's returns home after consecutive Big East road victories sandwiched between a blowout loss at No. 2 Duke when it hosts struggling Providence on Saturday. The Red Storm knocked off No. 9 Marquette 70-69 on Tuesday to secure their 17th win of the season - their most since winning 21 games in 2014-15, the last time they played in the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin at Michigan 12:00 PM ET
Seventh-ranked Michigan looks to avenge its first loss of the season when it gets another crack at No. 19 Wisconsin on Saturday in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines dropped a 64-54 decision to the Badgers on Jan. 19 but have won of four of their five games since the setback, including a 77-65 victory against Rutgers on Tuesday, to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten and hope to stay on top by extending their home winning streak to 21 games.
Virginia Tech at Clemson 12:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech looks to rebound from an early-week loss when it visits surging Clemson on Saturday afternoon. The 10th-ranked Hokies were handled at home by No. 17 Louisville on Monday, while the Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak after downing Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
Temple at Tulsa 12:00 PM ET
Shizz Alston Jr. and Temple aim for a third straight victory Saturday when the team visits Tulsa in American Athletic Conference action. The Owls rolled over Connecticut their last time out and now will take on a Golden Hurricane team that has lost four of its last five.
Kentucky at Mississippi State 1:00 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Kentucky looks to match its defensive performance from the last game and extend to its winning streak to double digits when the Wildcats visit hungry Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon for an SEC contest. Kentucky held its opponent to 55 points or fewer for the sixth time during its nine-game streak Tuesday in a 76-48 rout of South Carolina at home.
Mississippi at Georgia 1:00 PM ET
Arguably there is no other team in the SEC that needed a victory more than Mississippi needed Wednesday’s come-from-behind 75-71 triumph against Texas A&M, and the Rebels head to Georgia looking to continue reversing the damage from a four-game losing streak. That skid seemed headed to five games until the Rebels erased a nine-point second-half deficit as junior guard Breein Tyree scored 22 points and senior guard Terence Davis preserved the win from the foul line.
Auburn at Louisiana State 2:00 PM ET
No. 22 LSU hopes its top players continue to keep them within striking distance of No. 1 Tennessee when it hosts Auburn on Saturday in an SEC game. LSU remained in a tie for second in the conference with No. 5 Kentucky - one game behind the Volunteers - after Wednesday's 92-88 victory at No. 21 Mississippi State featured a combined 55 points from freshman forward Naz Reid and sophomore guard Tremont Waters with Reid scoring 25 of his career high-tying 29 in the second half and OT.
NC State at Pittsburgh 2:00 PM ET
Teams in desperate need of a victory hook up Saturday when North Carolina State visits Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack have dropped three straight, including the ugly 47-24 setback against Virginia Tech on Feb. 2 that set several records for futility, while the Panthers dropped their sixth straight ACC contest in Tuesday's 78-76 overtime loss at Wake Forest.
Minnesota at Michigan St 2:00 PM ET
Michigan State looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference contest Saturday afternoon. The No. 11 Spartans had won 13 straight before dropping their last three, including a 79-74 setback to Illinois on Tuesday, while the Golden Gophers come into the contest having dropped two in a row, including 56-51 to Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Boston College at Syracuse 2:00 PM ET
With a difficult stretch run on the horizon, Syracuse can ill afford a slip-up at home against Boston College in an ACC matchup Saturday afternoon. The Orange play four of their final seven games on the road and the three home games are against No. 17 Louisville, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Virginia.
Texas Christian at Iowa State 2:00 PM ET
TCU aims for its first Big 12 road win of the season Saturday against 16th-ranked Iowa State, which has moved into second place in the conference following four straight wins. The Horned Frogs bounced back from ugly road losses to Texas Tech and Baylor with Wednesday’s dramatic 70-68 victory over visiting Oklahoma State.
Villanova at Marquette 2:30 PM ET
Villanova has won 11 straight games, but that 12th straight win certainly won't come easy. The 13th-ranked Wildcats visit ninth-ranked Marquette on Saturday in a matchup of the Big East's two best teams.
Arkansas at South Carolina 3:30 PM ET
Arkansas looks to continue its surge in the SEC when it puts its four-game winning streak in conference play on the line Saturday at South Carolina. The teams are separated by just one game in the league standings.
Central Michigan at Buffalo 3:30 PM ET
In danger of falling out of the national poll, No. 25 Buffalo had a week off to address its shortcomings ahead of Saturday's Mid-American Conference game against visiting Central Michigan. Poor defense and turnovers were a recipe for disaster last week as the Bulls, who have won six straight against the Chippewas, dropped their second league game this season.
Florida at Tennessee 4:00 PM ET
Florida finishes off a difficult two weeks with its toughest assignment yet, a trip to Knoxville on Saturday to battle top-ranked Tennessee. The Gators are looking to avoid their first three-game skid of the season, but they will have to come up with the performance of the season to take down the Volunteers, who have won a school-record 17 straight games.
Rutgers at Illinois 4:00 PM ET
Illinois looks to build on its first signature win under second-year coach Brad Underwood when it hosts Rutgers on Saturday. The Illini, who began the Big Ten season with five consecutive losses, knocked off 11th-ranked Michigan State 79-74 on Tuesday to notch their first home win against a ranked opponent in over three years, and can record their first three-game winning streak in conference play since Feb. 2017 by downing the Scarlet Knights.
Louisville at Florida State 4:00 PM ET
Louisville will be looking for its second consecutive road win over a ranked opponent when it visits No. 24 Florida State on Saturday afternoon. The 17th-ranked Cardinals are fresh off a win at No. 10 Virginia Tech, while the Seminoles have won four straight following an easy mid-week win at Syracuse.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma 4:00 PM ET
Oklahoma will face its second ranked opponent this week on Saturday, when it hosts No. 18 Texas Tech. The effort was there for the Sooners on Monday, but the outcome was not what coach Lon Kruger hoped for as his team fell 75-74 to 16th-ranked Iowa State.
Utah at UCLA 5:00 PM ET
It’s been a strange Pac-12 season for Utah, which
is 2-3 in home conference games but 4-1 in road contests. So, oddly, the good
news for the Runnin’ Utes is that they’re on the road again Saturday as they
visit UCLA.
California at Oregon St. 5:30 PM ET
After climbing the Pac-12 standings behind a tenacious defensive attack, Oregon State has become much more accommodating in recent weeks. Now in a four-way tie for second in the conference race, the Beavers aim for a return to form Saturday against visiting California, which has lost a school-record 11 straight games.
Texas A&M at Missouri 6:00 PM ET
Two teams trying to claw their way to higher seeds in next month’s SEC tournament square off Saturday, when Missouri hosts Texas A&M. Missouri has won each of the last two meetings, including a 66-43 victory at Texas A&M on Jan. 19, following the Aggies’ seven-game winning streak in the all-time series.
Duke at Virginia 6:00 PM ET
Virginia looks for a little revenge Saturday as it hosts Duke in another key ACC regular-season battle. The third-ranked Cavaliers have just one loss on the season and it came at the hands of the second-ranked Blue Devils back on Jan. 19.
Kansas State at Baylor 6:00 PM ET
A battle for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference standings is on tap Saturday when Kansas State visits Baylor. The Wildcats, winners of two straight contests including a 74-67 victory over No. 14 Kansas on Tuesday, sit atop the standings with a 7-2 mark, while the Bears - coming off an 84-72 loss at Texas on Wednesday - are one game behind.
New Mexico at Nevada 6:00 PM ET
It has been a season of highs for sixth-ranked Nevada which has a 22-1 record, the best mark in school history after 23 games, and has tied the mark for its best start in Mountain West play at 9-1. But there also was one very big low, a 85-58 loss at New Mexico on Jan. 5, and the Wolf Pack have a chance to atone for its lone slip-up on Saturday afternoon when they host the Lobos.
Washington St. at Arizona 7:30 PM ET
Injuries, poor shooting and the fallout from an ongoing FBI probe has derailed Arizona's chances of repeating as regular-season Pac-12 champions. The Wildcats, who fell five games behind conference-leading Washington after a 67-60 home loss to the Huskies on Thursday, will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they host Washington State on Saturday.
Texas at West Virginia 8:00 PM ET
In a season filled with many disappointments, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins felt his club hit a new low Monday against Texas Tech. The Mountaineers will try to summon up the energy they showed last weekend in a win over Oklahoma when they host Texas on Saturday.
DePaul at Xavier 8:00 PM ET
Slumping Xavier carries a five-game losing streak into Saturday night's Big East home game against DePaul. The Musketeers will attempt to stop their skid and sweep the season series with the Blue Demons after opening their conference schedule with a 74-65 victory Dec. 29 in suburban Chicago.
Creighton at Seton Hall 8:00 PM ET
Seton Hall returns to action for a first time in a week when it hosts Creighton on Saturday night in a Big East game between teams tied for fifth place in the standings. The Pirates have lost five of their last six and the Bluejays are in the midst of a three-game road trip that started with a 66-59 overtime loss Wednesday night at No. 13 Villanova.
Tulane at Wichita St. 8:00 PM ET
Wichita State will look to win a fourth straight game for this first time this season on Saturday, when it hosts a Tulane team that has lost 11 in a row. The Green Wave are trying to stay positive while searching for their first American Athletic Conference victory of the season (0-9), as well as their first true road win (0-6).
Alabama at Vanderbilt 8:30 PM ET
Alabama begins the weekend clustered among a four-team logjam for fifth place in the SEC, and how it fares with three of its next four games on the road – starting Saturday at last-place Vanderbilt – will go a long way to determining seeding for next month’s SEC tournament. The three road contests come against teams with a combined 5-22 record in conference play, and Alabama enters this stretch after an impressive 89-74 victory Wednesday over Georgia.
Nebraska at Purdue 8:30 PM ET
Nebraska was well on track to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament while Purdue appeared bound for life on the bubble as the non-conference portion of their schedules came to an end, but each team's fortunes have flipped dramatically since then. The Big Ten's hottest team sets their sights on an eighth straight victory Saturday when the 15th-ranked Boilermakers host the reeling Cornhuskers.
St. Mary's at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Gonzaga is rolling over opponents and looks to record its 14th consecutive victory when it hosts Saint Mary's on Saturday in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs have recorded nine 30-point victories during the winning streak, including a 92-62 pummeling of San Francisco on Thursday.
Washington at Arizona State 10:00 PM ET
No one can take down Washington - not even a flu bug or an injury to one of its top players - as the Huskies try for their 13th straight victory when they visit Arizona State on Saturday in a Pac-12 game. Washington won at Arizona for the first time in seven years 67-60 on Thursday despite senior forward Noah Dickerson (ankle), senior guard Matisse Thybulle (ill) and senior forward Dominic Green (ill) - plus the entire coaching staff (ill) - not performing at 100 percent.
Colorado at Southern California 10:00 PM ET
Colorado quietly is rebounding from a 2-6 Pac-12
start, posting impressive double-digit wins over Oregon and UCLA in its last
two outings. The Buffaloes will try to maintain the momentum Saturday night
when they visit USC.