Preview Roundups
January 31, 2015
Auburn at Tennessee 12:00 PM ET
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl makes what figures to be an emotional coaching return to Thompson-Boiling Arena for the first time since being fired at the end of the 2010-11 season on Saturday when the Tigers face Tennessee in SEC action. Pearl led the Volunteers to six straight NCAA Tournaments, four Sweet 16's and an Elite Eight appearance in his six years in Knoxville where he averaged 25.2 wins per season. He was fired by former Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton.
Xavier at Seton Hall 12:00 PM ET
Xavier snapped its longest road losing streak in 28 years Tuesday with a 66-53 victory at Georgetown and now will look to ride the momentum Saturday at Seton Hall. The Pirates also are coming off a big conference road win, beating Marquette 80-70 Wednesday, but have dropped their last two home games after an 8-0 start at the Prudential Center. Xavier beat Seton Hall 69-58 in their first meeting Jan. 7 in Cincinnati.
Texas Tech at West Virginia 12:00 PM ET
West Virginia's aggressive defense doesn't always promote pretty basketball, but the No. 17 Mountaineers - who host Texas Tech on Saturday - don't care as long as they are winning. The Mountaineers lead the country with 12.6 steals and a plus-9.7 turnover margin but are also ranked fourth in fouls per game and sometimes lose control on the offensive end.
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh 12:00 PM ET
Fresh off its most impressive victory of the season, No. 8 Notre Dame will look to remain unbeaten on the road when it plays at Pittsburgh Saturday in an ACC test. Jerian Grant assisted on Steve Vasturia's 3-pointer in the final minute as the Fighting Irish knocked off No. 4 Duke Wednesday to earn their fifth straight win and 16th in their last 17 games.
Boston College at Clemson 12:00 PM ET
Clemson coach Brad Brownell went to his bench looking for an offensive spark last week and may be wondering why it took him so long to find Jordan Roper. Behind the recent offensive contributions of Roper, the Tigers eye their first three-game winning streak in ACC play in over a year Saturday when they host Boston College. Brownell watched his team score 55 or fewer points in four of its first six conference games before last Saturday, when Clemson rallied late to upend Wake Forest 59-57.
Wisconsin at Iowa 12:00 PM ET
Iowa could be facing its most adversity of the season Saturday when it tries to erase the pain of a 32-point loss to Wisconsin 11 days earlier, as the fifth-ranked Badgers pay a visit. The Hawkeyes’ leading scorer and rebounder, Aaron White, suffered a stinger to his right side last time out in a 67-63 loss at Purdue and is questionable. Wisconsin won’t feel too sorry for Iowa with senior Traevon Jackson (foot) out, but the Badgers are 3-0 since their starting point guard went down.
N.C. State at Georgia Tech 12:00 PM ET
North Carolina State’s upset of Duke on Jan. 11 has failed to serve as a breakthrough for the Wolfpack, who have dropped four of five since knocking off the Blue Devils. Saturday’s visit to Georgia Tech looks tougher now that the Yellow Jackets registered their first ACC victory Wednesday, routing No. 23 Miami on the road. N.C. State trailed by 20 points at home Wednesday, losing 68-57 to Clemson three days after blowing an 18-point lead to lose in overtime to No. 8 Notre Dame.
Providence at St. John's 12:00 PM ET
Providence has won three in a row since losing to St. John's 83-70 on Jan. 14, and the Friars will be looking to even the series when they visit the Red Storm Saturday afternoon. Providence was originally scheduled to play DePaul on Tuesday, but a severe winter storm postponed the game until Thursday, which the Friars won 83-72 behind Kris Dunn's first career triple-double (27 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists).
Tulane at Temple 12:00 PM ET
Temple looks for its third consecutive win when it hosts Tulane on Saturday afternoon. The Owls snapped a season-high three-game losing streak by beating USF 73-48 before downing UCF 86-62 on Wednesday, and they now turn their focus toward besting the Green Wave for a third straight time. Temple has held 11 opponents to 60 points or fewer - including No. 11 Kansas and defending NCAA Tournament champion Connecticut - as it hopes to improve to 11-2 at the Liacouras Center.
Arkansas at Florida 1:00 PM ET
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson talked about how his team was unable to “finish the deal” when it last faced Florida. The 25th-ranked Razorbacks have made a habit of winning tight games lately, however, and look to continue the trend as they attempt to end a 10-game slide in Gainesville against the Gators on Saturday. The Razorbacks were one of a handful of teams that seriously challenged Florida during its 30-game winning streak last season, losing by two points in overtime at Fayetteville.
Penn St. at Illinois 1:00 PM ET
Penn State guard D.J. Newbill is one of the nation’s top scorers, so the Nittany Lions winning on a night where their senior standout scores 12 points is encouraging. Penn State travels to Illinois on Saturday looking for a third consecutive Big Ten victory, while the injury-riddled Fighting Illini hope a week off will re-invigorate a roster missing three key contributors. The Nittany Lions beat Minnesota 63-58 Wednesday, getting a balanced effort as Newbill scored 10 points below his average.
South Florida at Tulsa 1:00 PM ET
A pair of American Athletic Conference teams headed in polar opposite directions will come together when Tulsa hosts USF on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane have won 10 straight games overall and have matched their best start in conference play since 1984-85 with an 8-0 mark in the AAC. Tulsa got by Tulane 62-55 last time out, improving to 13-0 this season when holding an opponent to less than 65 points.
Georgetown at Creighton 2:00 PM ET
Creighton looks to build off its first Big East victory of the season and beat a second straight storied program when No. 22 Georgetown visits on Saturday. The Bluejays snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 77-74 win over St. John’s on Wednesday after making 13-of-30 from 3-point range, and will need that type of effort to repay Georgetown for a blowout loss Jan. 3. The Hoyas had won four straight contests and six of seven before losing by 13 at home against Xavier on Tuesday.
Butler at Marquette 2:00 PM ET
Butler’s focus and resolve been tested of late, but the Bulldogs have passed with flying colors. The latest exam took place Sunday as Butler lost a double-digit lead and made only four of its first 15 free-throw attempts against visiting Seton Hall but bounced back for a 77-57 win – its largest-ever margin of victory against a nationally ranked foe. Overall, it was the Bulldogs’ fourth win in the last five games and they’ll try and keep the roll going Saturday when they visit Marquette.
Texas Christian at Iowa St. 2:00 PM ET
TCU will try to snap a streak of close calls when it visits No. 16 Iowa State on Saturday. The Horned Frogs have lost back-to-back games to ranked opponents by a combined four points and know a couple of improvements - especially at the free-throw line - could turn those losses into Big 12 victories.
Kansas St. at Kansas 2:00 PM ET
Safe to say, Bill Self does not want to see a repeat of the last game played by No. 11 Kansas, which takes on visiting Kansas State on Saturday in a Big 12 tilt. Despite playing poorly, the Jayhawks won their third straight by defeating TCU on Wednesday and will prepare for next week's rematch with No. 16 Iowa State by taking on a Kansas State team it has dominated at home.
Richmond at VCU 2:00 PM ET
The VCU Rams will try to match the longest winning streak during the Shaka Smart six-year era when the in-state rival Richmond Spiders visit Saturday. The Rams' vaunted defense held George Washington to 26.9-percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers Tuesday in a 72-48 rout – their 12th straight triumph. The high-scoring Spiders are coming off an 86-55 rout of Duquesne in which they shot 53.6 percent and drained 13 3-ponters.
Villanova at DePaul 2:00 PM ET
No. 7 Villanova looks to defeat host DePaul for the 10th straight time - and the second this month - when the Big East rivals square off Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats handled DePaul 81-64 on Jan. 10 as they jumped out to a 45-24 halftime lead and received strong performances from Darrun Hilliard II and Ryan Arcidacono, who combined for 35 points on 8-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest 2:00 PM ET
Two Atlantic Coast Conference bottom-feeders square off on Saturday afternoon when Virginia Tech visits Wake Forest. The Hokies (1-6 ACC) enter the contest tied for 12th place with Boston College a half-game ahead of the Demon Deacons (1-7), who are tied with Georgia Tech for last place. The record is a little misleading for Wake Forest, which has lost two of its last four games in overtime on the road at Syracuse (86-83) and Wednesday in double overtime at Florida State (82-76).
Louisiana State at Mississippi St. 2:00 PM ET
LSU attempts to win for the sixth time in seven games when it visits Mississippi State in SEC play on Saturday. The Tigers have recorded three straight wins as dominating shot-blocker Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin plug up the inside and four players average more than 12 points per game. LSU posted a 64-58 victory over South Carolina on Wednesday while Mississippi State lost 79-73 to Ole Miss the same night.
Rutgers at Indiana 3:15 PM ET
After suffering consecutive losses, No. 21 Indiana looks to get back on track when it hosts Rutgers in Big Ten action on Saturday. The Hoosiers began conference play with five wins in their first six games but hit the skids with road losses to Ohio State and Purdue most recently. Indiana coach Tom Crean sees the progression of Big Ten play as a chance for his team to continue to grow, telling reporters, "Everything we do in this game, (we have to) get ourselves better."
Wichita St. at Northern Iowa 4:00 PM ET
Wichita State puts its 27-game Missouri Valley Conference winning streak on the line Saturday when it plays at Northern Iowa, in a showdown for the league lead and the first matchup between two MVC ranked teams since 1982. Both teams struggled Wednesday: the 12th-ranked Shockers needed Fred VanVleet’s career-high 27 points to survive Loyola, while No. 18 Northern Iowa could not shake Southern Illinois until an 18-3 second-half run. Wichita State has won six of the past seven meetings.
Mississippi at Missouri 4:00 PM ET
Ole Miss owns a relatively mediocre record both in the SEC (4-3) and overall (13-7), but the Rebels are not far from being one of the league's best teams. Ole Miss, which visits Missouri on Saturday, has suffered its three conference losses by a total of 12 points, including a three-point overtime setback at No. 1 Kentucky earlier this month. In fact, the Rebels have been defeated by five points or fewer five times this season and lost by seven another time as they continue to play close games.
Georgia at South Carolina 4:00 PM ET
The resurgent Georgia Bulldogs seek their first six-game SEC winning streak since the 2000-01 season when they visit the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. After a surprising 20-win season last year - just their 12th in school history - the Bulldogs have kept rolling this season. Georgia has won five straight conference games for the first time since the 2012-13 season, with its only losses close affairs with Arkansas and LSU.
North Carolina at Louisville 4:00 PM ET
North Carolina edged Louisville by a point in an early ACC showdown. The ninth-ranked Cardinals hope to avenge that loss in Chapel Hill on Saturday when they host the 14th-ranked Tar Heels. Louisville held a 13-point lead over North Carolina with just more than 8 ½ minutes left Jan. 10, but the Tar Heels closed with a 22-8 run and got a runner from Marcus Paige with 8.5 seconds to go to send the Cardinals to their first ACC defeat.
Vanderbilt at Texas A&M 4:30 PM ET
Texas A&M looks to continue its surprising run up the SEC standings when the Aggies host slumping Vanderbilt on Saturday. Texas A&M has recorded five consecutive victories, its longest stretch of success in conference play since winning five straight Big 12 games from Feb. 9-23, 2011. The Commodores are headed in the other direction and have lost six straight games, their last victory coming against Auburn on Jan. 6.
Nebraska at Minnesota 6:00 PM ET
Fans of Minnesota and visiting Nebraska are hoping for - at the very least - some better basketball when the teams meet Saturday in Big Ten play. The Cornhuskers defeated Minnesota 52-49 on Jan. 20 in a game that featured 43 fouls and 31 turnovers, not to mention a combined 23-of-40 performance from the foul line. "Ugly, but it's a win," Nebraska guard Terran Petteway told reporters after the game. "A win is a win."
Purdue at Northwestern 6:00 PM ET
Following impressive back-to-back wins, Purdue is making a name for itself in the Big Ten. The surging Boilermakers look to continue to climb the conference standings when they begin a road-heavy portion of their schedule at Big Ten doormat Northwestern on Saturday. Rapheal Davis scored 19 points and Purdue put forth an impressive defensive performance in an 83-67 win over in-state rival and 21st-ranked Indiana on Wednesday.
Texas at Baylor 6:00 PM ET
Texas and Baylor may be ranked programs but both squads are below .500 in Big 12 play as the No. 20 Longhorns visit the No. 19 Bears on Saturday. The schools own identical 3-4 marks in conference competition while locked in a seventh-place tie with only lowly TCU and Texas Tech below them. Texas has lost back-to-back games after falling to Iowa State 89-86 on Monday while Baylor dropped a 64-53 contest against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
Fresno St. at Colorado St. 6:00 PM ET
Colorado State looks to bounce back from a demoralizing loss to Boise State on Saturday when the 24th-ranked Rams host Fresno State, which has won five of its last seven. The Rams were set to move into a tie atop the Mountain West standings on Tuesday before Boise State rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit for an 82-78 victory. Fresno State struggled in non-conference play under coach Rodney Terry, but the Bulldogs have used a balanced attack to stay in the thick of the league race.
Duke at Virginia 7:00 PM ET
Second-ranked Virginia has made defense fashionable and puts its undefeated record on the line when it hosts No. 4 Duke on Saturday. The Cavaliers are 19-0 — the best start in school history since the 1980-81 Final Four team opened 23-0 — and have allowed only three opponents to score more than 56 points following a 50-47 victory at Virginia Tech on Sunday.
Alabama at Kentucky 7:00 PM ET
Already the first SEC team in nearly 50 years to start 20-0, No. 1 Kentucky can inch closer to the best start in school history Saturday when it takes on visiting Alabama for the second time this season. The Wildcats defeated Missouri on Thursday to match the fantastic start of Adolph Rupp's 1965-66 squad and now face a rematch with a team they easily handled Jan. 17.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma St. 8:00 PM ET
An in-state rivalry features two teams in danger of falling out of the Big 12 title race before Valentine's Day. Oklahoma travels to take on Oklahoma State Saturday having lost four of six after starting the conference campaign with impressive victories over nationally ranked Baylor and Texas. The Cowboys have dropped three of their last five, including a 17-point loss to the Sooners, but topped Baylor in their last outing.
Central Florida at Southern Methodist 8:00 PM ET
Coach Larry Brown has helped SMU stamp itself as one of the teams to beat in the American Athletic Conference and the Mustangs put their seven-game winning streak on the line when they host UCF on Saturday. SMU is gunning for the season sweep against the Knights after winning the first matchup 70-61 on Jan. 11. The Mustangs sit one-half game behind Tulsa in the AAC, and are poised to give Brown an NCAA bid for the first time since 1988.
Stanford at Washington St. 8:30 PM ET
Stanford forward Reid Travis is expected to return Saturday when the surging Cardinal visit Washington State, which has lost four straight following a three-game winning streak. Travis, a 6-8 freshman, averaged 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds over his first 11 games before suffering a stress fracture on Dec. 29. The Cardinal went 7-2 with Travis on the shelf, and his return should provide an added spark for a team that is tied with Utah for second place in the Pac-12.
Memphis at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Third-ranked Gonzaga, winner of 14 straight, steps away from West Coast Conference play on Saturday to host Memphis in a key non-conference contest for both teams. Forward Kyle Wiltjer averages a team-high 15.6 points along with five rebounds for Gonzaga, which leads the nation in field-goal shooting at 52.7 percent. A loss to the Tigers could derail the Bulldogs’ goal for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, while a victory by Memphis would improve its slim at-large hopes.
Colorado at UCLA 10:30 PM ET
Colorado senior guard Askia Booker was determined to make the final trip to his hometown as a college basketball player a memorable one and he'll try to finish it in style when the Buffaloes visit UCLA on Saturday. Booker, who attended Price High School in Los Angeles, scored a career-high 43 points - the second-highest total in a Division I game this season and fourth-most in school history - in Colorado's 98-94 triple-overtime victory over USC on Thursday.