Preview Roundups
March 01, 2015
Southern Methodist at Connecticut 2:00 PM ET
No. 21 SMU looks to tie a school record with their eighth straight road victory when they visit defending national champion Connecticut on Sunday for an American Athletic Conference game. The Mustangs, who are 8-3 overall on the road, have won five consecutive games and 21 of their last 23. SMU, which is coming off a 66-57 victory at Memphis on Thursday, are 4-0 in the series against UConn -- including a 73-55 victory Feb. 14 in Dallas.
Oregon St. at California 3:00 PM ET
California looks to return to winning ways when it hosts Oregon State on Sunday. The Golden Bears had won five straight games before dropping three in a row, including an 80-69 loss to Oregon on Wednesday, to fall firmly off the bubble and are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Cal has lost seven of its last 10 at home - with five defeats coming by 10 points or more - and hopes to stop the bleeding by beating the Beavers for the fifth straight time in Berkeley.
South Florida at Houston 3:00 PM ET
There haven't been many wins for USF in American Athletic Conference play — two to be exact — but one came just a week and a half ago, when the Bulls topped Houston by two. Now the Cougars get a chance to avenge that loss — and earn their second league victory — when they host USF for the rematch on Sunday. Houston has won just twice since Dec. 28 and is seeking its first win in exactly a month.
Marquette at Providence 3:30 PM ET
Marquette looks to end a four-game losing streak when the Golden Eagles visit Providence on Sunday for a Big East game. Marquette, which has lost 10 of its last 11 games, is coming off a 73-52 loss at No. 23 Butler on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles expect to have leading scorer Matt Carlino and leading rebounder Juan Anderson back for a second straight contest after Carlino missed four games with a concussion and Anderson was held out last Saturday against Villanova with a right ankle injury.
Michigan St at Wisconsin 4:00 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Wisconsin is coming off a lethargic effort but looks to continue its chase of the Big Ten title when the Badgers host No. 25 Michigan State on Sunday. Wisconsin suffered a 59-53 loss at Maryland on Tuesday and dug itself a double-digit deficit by scoring just 20 first-half points as it saw a 10-game winning streak reach an end. The Spartans had a four-game winning streak halted on Thursday when they fell to Minnesota 96-90 in overtime.
Pittsburgh at Wake Forest 6:30 PM ET
Pittsburgh has made a living by winning close games throughout ACC action, which may end up being enough to get it into the NCAA Tournament in such a competitive conference. Looking to continue their late-season push, the Panthers eye their seventh victory in nine outings on Sunday when they visit Wake Forest. Pittsburgh has recorded only one double-digit victory in league play and won six of its eight conference contests by six points or fewer, including six of its last seven.
Oregon at Stanford 7:00 PM ET
While Oregon has improved its NCAA Tournament chances considerably over the last two weeks, Stanford remains squarely on the bubble with little margin for error. The Cardinal, who have won two straight but suffer from a lack of quality victories, host Oregon on Sunday before closing the regular season against the two Arizona schools. “Everybody’s playing desperate right now, everyone’s playing for something right now,” Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters. “And so are we.”
Purdue at Ohio St. 7:30 PM ET
All eyes will be on Ohio State's freshman star D'Angelo Russell on Sunday night when his Buckeyes host Purdue in Big Ten Conference play, and not just because New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson made a special trip to Columbus to watch the potential NBA lottery pick during the Buckeyes' 81-57 win over Nebraska on Thursday. Russell missed the final 13 minutes of that contest with what was first thought to be leg cramps.
Arizona St. at Colorado 8:30 PM ET
Arizona State and Colorado served as mere speed bumps for their NCAA Tournament-bound opponents on Thursday. Three days later, both teams will attempt to overcome blowout losses to the top two teams in the Pac-12 when the Sun Devils eye a sweep of the Buffaloes in their final regular-season road game. Arizona State began conference play with a 0-4 record before shooting 55.3 percent – including 10-of-20 beyond the arc – in a 78-72 win over Colorado on Jan. 17.
Washington St. at UCLA 9:30 PM ET
UCLA craves a top-four seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament, and a victory over visiting Washington State on Sunday is a necessity in terms of keeping those hopes alive. The Bruins are basically battling Stanford for the final spot, which comes with a first-round bye, and guard Norman Powell sees an opportunity with UCLA closing at home against the Cougars and USC. “We’re not going to be too worried about what could happen,” Powell told reporters. “We’re going to take care of our business.”