Preview Roundups
January 04, 2015
Central Florida at Temple 12:00 PM ET
Riding high after taking out defending national champion Connecticut in its American Athletic Conference opener on Wednesday, Temple looks for its fifth straight win when it hosts UCF Sunday. The Owls earned a 57-53 overtime win over the Huskies in a defensive showdown that coach Fran Dunphy said was indicative of the first meeting between conference foes. "Looking at a number of first big games of other leagues, it's sort of like getting blood from a stone," he told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Houston at Tulsa 2:00 PM ET
Tulsa aims for a season-high fourth consecutive win when it hosts American Athletic Conference rival Houston on Sunday. The Golden Hurricane squeaked out a win on the road in its conference opener, edging UCF 56-54 on New Year's Eve, despite shooting 38 percent from the field. "I thought our guys showed great toughness in a win on the road, particularly on a night when we didn't shoot the ball well," coach Frank Haith told reporters.
Southern California at Colorado 2:00 PM ET
Colorado had lost four of its previous six games before an inspired performance in Friday’s Pac-12 Conference opening victory over UCLA, but the challenge is to improve heading into Sunday’s home contest with USC. “We gained a lot of confidence from this and didn’t play our best, but won,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle told reporters after the Buffalos beat UCLA 62-56, doing so without second-leading scorer Josh Scott (back spasms). The Trojans dropped their conference opener to No. 12 Utah 79-55.
Loyola-Chicago at Northern Iowa 3:30 PM ET
Northern Iowa looks to get back on the winning track when it hosts Loyola Chicago on Sunday in a Missouri Valley Conference showdown. The No. 23 Panthers have dropped two of their last four games - including a disappointing 62-59 setback to Evansville on Thursday - after opening the season with nine straight wins to move into the Top 25. Despite its recent slip-ups, Northern Iowa remains 6-0 at the McLeod Center and hopes to extend its home winning streak to nine.
UCLA at Utah 4:00 PM ET
Utah’s balanced offensive philosophy has sparked the 12th-ranked Utes to 11 wins in 13 games, and the return of Jordan Loveridge has provided yet another capable option for coach Larry Krystkowiak. The Utes, who host UCLA on Sunday, saw Loveridge score 14 points for the second time in two games since returning from knee surgery in Friday’s conference-opening 79-55 victory over USC, as Utah placed four players in double figures. The Bruins have lost four in a row.
UNLV at Kansas 4:30 PM ET
Kansas finds itself in a hauntingly familiar position when it hosts UNLV on Sunday. It is the final non-conference tuneup for the No. 14 Jayhawks, who have won 10 consecutive Big 12 Conference titles before opening conference play on Wednesday at Baylor. And it's one day shy of the one-year anniversary of when Kansas was upset at Allen Fieldhouse 61-57 by another Mountain West school - San Diego State - in their final non-conference contest before going on to win the 2014 Big 12 crown.
Illinois St. at Wichita St. 5:30 PM ET
No. 16 Wichita State looks to extend its Missouri Valley Conference winning streak to 20 games when it hosts Illinois State on Sunday. The Shockers won seven of their last eight - including a 66-58 victory over Drake in their conference opener - and hope to beat the Redbirds for the sixth straight time. "You play every team twice and it's very physical so you've just got to be ready," Wichita State guard Tekele Cotton told reporters. "It's difficult in this league because people know you."
Washington St. at California 6:00 PM ET
California seemingly solved its recent offensive woes and now sets it sights on a second straight conference win when it hosts Washington State on Sunday. The Golden Bears scored a total of 108 points in back-to-back losses and just 27 in the first half against No. 19 Washington on Friday before erupting for 54 after the break en route to an 81-75 victory in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. Jordan Mathews was the catalyst with 31 points, making three of five 3-pointers in the second half.
Arizona St. at Arizona 7:00 PM ET
Seventh-ranked Arizona has had a lot of time to stew over its last game and strives to open Pac-12 play in style when it hosts Arizona State on Sunday. The Wildcats won their first 12 games before being outplayed down the stretch in a 71-67 loss to UNLV on Dec. 23. The Sun Devils have won back-to-back games but are 0-2 in true road games, falling to Texas A&M and Marquette.
Louisville at Wake Forest 8:00 PM ET
Louisville makes its much-anticipated ACC debut Sunday when it visits Wake Forest in the first meeting between the teams since a Sweet 16 matchup in 1996. The sixth-ranked Cardinals shook off the sting of their loss to top-ranked Kentucky by topping Long Beach State on Tuesday 63-48, a final tuneup before what they hope will be a solid ACC run.
Wisconsin at Northwestern 8:30 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Wisconsin looks for its seventh consecutive victory when it travels to Northwestern for the 175th meeting between the Big Ten schools on Sunday. The Badgers’ lone blemish this season came against Duke, and they opened conference play with a solid 89-72 victory over Penn State. The Wildcats have won four consecutive games and overcame a sluggish offense to open conference play with a 51-47 win against Rutgers.
Washington at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
Washington won its first 11 games and climbed to No. 13 in the coaches’ poll, but the No. 19 Huskies have lost two straight heading into Sunday’s game at Stanford. Washington was stunned by Stony Brook last Sunday and lost its Pac-12 opener Friday night at California. The Huskies will try to avoid starting 0-2 in conference play for the first time since the 2007-08 season.