Preview Roundups
January 07, 2015
Florida at South Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Looking to break free from an underwhelming start to the season, Florida visits South Carolina on Wednesday in the SEC opener for both teams. The Gators have lost two straight games following a four-game winning streak and coach Billy Donovan said the early season ups and downs pose a direct challenge to his team. "'Can you guys rally and really pull together?' That's been our struggle," Donovan told GatorZone.com. "It's been a hard challenge."
N.C. State at Virginia 7:00 PM ET
Third-ranked Virginia rolled through the nonconference portion of its schedule but barely survived its ACC opener to keep its perfect record intact. After squeezing by Miami on Saturday in double overtime, the Cavaliers attempt to open a season 14-0 for the first time since the 1980-81 squad won its first 23 games. Virginia has won six straight regular-season matchups versus the Wolfpack and posted the largest margin of victory in the series (76-45) last season.
Seton Hall at Xavier 7:00 PM ET
Seton Hall, coming off back-to-back wins over top-20 teams for the first time since 1992, continues Big East play on Wednesday at Xavier. The Pirates entered the USA Today Coaches Poll Monday at No. 19 -- the program's highest ranking since it was No. 22 on Jan. 30, 2001 -- after defeating then-No. 17 St. John's (78-67) on New Year's Eve and then-No. 5 Villanova in overtime (66-61) on Saturday.
Davidson at VCU 7:00 PM ET
Not only has VCU won six straight and re-entered the USA Today Coaches’ Top 25 poll at No. 21, but the Rams haven’t trailed at all in their last five games. Their latest win was an Atlantic 10 Conference-opening 75-58 victory Sunday at Fordham, in which the Rams had 21 steals and forced a season-high 28 turnovers. Now, VCU is on to its conference home opener Wednesday against A-10 newcomer Davidson, which has won eight of its last nine contests.
Temple at Tulane 7:00 PM ET
Temple and Tulane, teams that are off to a solid start in conference play, meet on the Green Wave's home court Wednesday. Tulane began American Athletic Conference action with a two-game road trip and won both contests, including Saturday's 74-66 triumph at Memphis. Temple also is 2-0 in league play, defeating Connecticut and UCF last week.
Syracuse at Georgia Tech 7:00 PM ET
Making shots will not be easy Wednesday when Syracuse travels to Georgia Tech in a matchup of two of the better perimeter defenses in the country. The Orange rank 24th in the nation in defending shots from the field, holding opponents to 37.4 percent, while the Yellow Jackets are 19th nationally in defending the 3-pointer at 27.7 percent. That places a premium on converting at the rim, which is where Syracuse’s Rakeem Christmas and Georgia Tech’s Charles Mitchell could come up big.
Purdue at Wisconsin 7:00 PM ET
Wisconsin shot almost 58 percent from the field over its first two Big Ten contests and looks to stay hot when it hosts improving Purdue on Wednesday. The fourth-ranked Badgers attempt to extend their winning streak to eight and knock off one of the other three unbeaten teams in conference play after averaging 85 points in wins over Penn State and Northwestern. Well-balanced Purdue has an opportunity to notch its second 3-0 league start in coach Matt Painter’s 10-year tenure.
Bradley at Wichita St. 8:00 PM ET
Wichita State looks to continue its dominance at home when it hosts Bradley on Wednesday in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup. The Shockers climbed to No. 15 nationally following a 70-62 victory over Illinois State on Sunday that extended their home winning streak to 24 games. "Those are good basketball players," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall told reporters. "They've won a lot of games here, and they're continuing to win a lot of games."
Southern Illinois at Northern Iowa 8:00 PM ET
Northern Iowa is 12-2 and ranked 23rd in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and coach Ben Jacobson knows why his team has been successful. “You need to be able to rely on your defense, without question, to make sure you have a chance,'' Jacobson told The Gazette of Cedar Rapids. "That's a big change for our team from a year ago. This year we can count on our defense to do what it needs to do.” The Panthers try for their 11th consecutive victory at home when they meet Southern Illinois on Wednesday.
Duke at Wake Forest 9:00 PM ET
For No. 2 Duke, its first 13 games have resulted in 13 double-digit victories. However, Wednesday's game against Wake Forest will present the first ACC road contest for the Blue Devils' impressive group of freshmen. The leader of the bunch is Jahlil Okafor, who tops the nation in field-goal percentage (68.2) and averages team highs of 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Texas Christian at Kansas St. 9:00 PM ET
Kansas State and TCU were unable to build on two-point halftime leads in their Big 12 openers last weekend and they’ll try to avoid starting conference play 0-2 when they meet Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State is going through a trying time with sophomore guard Marcus Foster, its leading scorer the last two seasons. He has combined for two points in the last two games and didn’t start Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma State as a result of poor practice habits, according to coach Bruce Weber.
Kansas at Baylor 9:00 PM ET
Kansas has won a record 10 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles and takes the first step toward extending its run when it kicks off conference play with a visit to No. 22 Baylor on Wednesday. The 13th-ranked Jayhawks will be playing for the first time on the road since they were ambushed at Temple on Dec. 22. Kansas puts a noteworthy streak on the line, having won 23 straight conference openers, including 13 away from home.
Clemson at Louisville 9:00 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Louisville hosts Wake Forest in its first ACC home game on Wednesday, but the Cardinals have more significant feats in mind in their debut campaign in the league. Point guard Chris Jones took a big leap forward in his development in Louisville’s 85-76 victory in its first conference game Saturday, scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half while dishing out a career-best 10 assists. The Tigers opened ACC play with a 24-point loss at No. 17 North Carolina on Saturday.
Maryland at Illinois 9:00 PM ET
No. 9 Maryland looks to extend its winning streak to eight games when it hits the road to face Illinois on Wednesday. The Terrapins are off to their best start in 18 years after opening up their inaugural season in the Big Ten with victories over Michigan State and Minnesota to crack the Top 10 for the first time since 2003. "We don't ever talk about the rankings," coach Mark Turgeon told reporters. "We know because there's a number in front of our name, we're getting everybody's best shot."
Tennessee at Mississippi St. 9:00 PM ET
Tennessee carries some significant momentum into conference play as it visits Mississippi State on Wednesday in the SEC opener for both teams. The Volunteers have been victorious in four straight outings and boast six wins in their last seven games following a 2-3 start. Conference play is a different animal, though, and coach Donnie Tyndall told reporters, "We've got to understand that our margin of error is so small. We've got to improve every day."
Colorado at Utah 9:00 PM ET
Utah tries for its sixth straight victory when it hosts Colorado on Wednesday and as the No. 11 Utes continue to rise in the USA Today Coaches Poll, coach Larry Krystkowiak is keeping his team grounded. "Certainly winning is fun, and it gives you a little bit of a buzz internally and you're not grinding as much," Krystkowiak told the Salt Lake Tribune. "But it's still the same old, with trying to fix what's broken today and keep doing what you're doing well."
DePaul at Creighton 9:01 PM ET
Creighton is finding out quickly how difficult life in the post Doug McDermott era can be. The Bluejays look to end a three-game skid when they host DePaul in a Big East game Wednesday. Sans McDermott, who led the nation in scoring last season, Creighton is 0-2 in conference play but has beaten the Blue Demons five straight times.
California at Southern California 11:00 PM ET
USC could be missing its leading scorer for a second straight game when the Trojans host California in a Pac-12 contest Wednesday. Jordan McLaughlin, a 6-1 freshman point guard, is averaging 12.7 points and 4.9 assists for the Trojans, who have lost each of their first two conference games by 20-plus points. California, meanwhile, couldn’t build on its upset victory against then-No. 19 Washington on Friday and lost to visiting Washington State two days later.