Preview Roundups
March 04, 2015
Ohio St. at Penn St. 6:00 PM ET
Ohio State is seeking to grab one of the four double-byes for the upcoming Big Ten tournament and that means the No. 25 Buckeyes can’t afford to stumble against host Penn State on Wednesday. Ohio State is competing with Iowa and Michigan State for the fourth bye as it enters a contest against a squad that has lost five consecutive games. “It’s one day at a time,” Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. “We have to be the best team we could be by the end of the year.”
Tennessee at Louisiana State 7:00 PM ET
LSU looks to improve its postseason outlook when the Tigers host Tennessee on Wednesday. The Tigers have won three straight and likely are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but their seed could take a hit with a loss to the struggling Volunteers. Tennessee has lost five straight and seven of eight to fall to .500 on the season.
Central Florida at South Florida 7:00 PM ET
UCF will look to end a three-game losing streak and head into the American Athletic Conference tournament on a high note when it plays at USF on Wednesday. After beating Tulane on the road Feb. 19, the Knights had a chance to get to or above .500, but lost to Memphis and Cincinnati before falling to East Carolina at home on Senior Day last Saturday.
Notre Dame at Louisville 7:00 PM ET
Louisville looks to continue its winning ways when it hosts Notre Dame on Wednesday. The 14th-ranked Cardinals have won three straight, including an 81-59 victory over Florida State, and return home to conclude the regular season against the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish and No. 2 Virginia, which will go a long way in determining their NCAA Tournament seeding. Louisville has dropped four of its last five against current Top 25 teams as it hopes to beat Notre Dame for the third consecutive time.
Providence at Seton Hall 7:00 PM ET
No. 23 Providence appears to be in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament, but a loss at Seton Hall on Wednesday would not look too good in the eyes of the selection committee. The Friars have won three of their last four games, a run that began with a 69-62 triumph over the Pirates on Valentine's Day. Six of their nine losses have come on the road, and Seton Hall's crowd should be fired up for the team's home finale.
Purdue at Michigan St 8:00 PM ET
Much has yet to be settled with only two games remaining before next week’s Big Ten Tournament, especially at the top of the conference. Two of the six teams that have a realistic shot at locking down the league’s four double-byes square off for the first time this season when Purdue visits Michigan State on Wednesday. The Boilermakers sit in sole possession of third place, one game behind Maryland and one game ahead of the Spartans.
Houston at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
Despite a wretched six-week stretch in which it has notched only one win, Tulane still has a chance to finish above .500 as it hosts Houston on Wednesday in the next-to-last game of the regular season. The Green Wave has dropped nine of 10 games since posting a three-point win at Houston on Jan. 17. Tulane has lost four consecutive games overall - three by double digits - and five in a row at home dating to an overtime win over USF on Jan. 11.
Miami-Florida at Pittsburgh 8:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh and Miami (Fla.) are right on the fence for an NCAA Tournament berth, giving Wednesday's game between the ACC rivals a bit of extra importance. The Panthers, who are playing their home finale, are tied with the Hurricanes for eighth place in the league standings, and both teams are 3-3 in their last six games. Each squad is also coming off a loss, with Pitt blowing a nine-point, second-half lead in a 69-66 setback against Wake Forest on Sunday.
Wake Forest at Duke 8:00 PM ET
In No. 3 Duke's case, its Achilles' heel can be found in the bad ankles of its top two scorers - freshman Jahlil Okafor and senior Quinn Cook. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they already secured a double-bye in the ACC tournament as they host Wake Forest on Wednesday, and despite the injuries are on a roll.
Cincinnati at Tulsa 9:00 PM ET
Tulsa can bolster its NCAA Tournament resume and maintain its slim lead in the American Athletic Conference when it hosts Cincinnati on Wednesday. Regardless of the result, however, the Golden Hurricane will visit No. 22 SMU on Sunday in a winner-take-all showdown for the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Tulsa kept its regular-season title hopes alive with an overtime victory at Memphis on Saturday to extend its winning streak to four games.
Texas Christian at Oklahoma St. 9:00 PM ET
Oklahoma State is ending its regular season in a tailspin for the second straight time and a home loss to TCU on Wednesday would severely hinder its chances at an NCAA Tournament bid. After back-to-back wins over ranked Kansas and Baylor teams, the Cowboys have lost four straight -- a slide that began with a 15-point setback at TCU on Feb. 14. Oklahoma State had a seven-game losing streak late last season before rallying to finish strong and sneak into the NCAAs as a No. 9 seed.
Mississippi St. at Vanderbilt 9:00 PM ET
It’s a new month and in some respects, Vanderbilt didn’t hesitate in turning the calendar page. The Commodores definitely want to move on from coach Kevin Stallings’ profanity-laced rant directed at freshman Wade Baldwin IV – an incident which was caught on camera during Thursday’s game against Tennessee. But they don't want to forget about their three-game win streak as part of a 6-2 February as they prepare to host Mississippi State on Wednesday.
St. John's at Marquette 9:00 PM ET
St. John’s has won six of its last seven games to put itself in a strong position for an NCAA Tournament bid and looks to stay hot when it visits struggling Marquette on Wednesday. The Red Storm have recorded at least 78 points five times during their surge and reigning Big East Player of the Week Sir’Dominic Pointer played a major role, shooting 60 percent from the field in the last seven outings. Marquette has dropped five straight and 11 of 12, including a 60-57 loss at St. John’s on Jan. 21.
Southern California at UCLA 9:00 PM ET
USC takes on the role of spoiler Wednesday when the Trojans visit rival UCLA, which can clinch a first-round bye in next week’s Pac-12 tournament with a victory. Five different players average in double figures for the Bruins, who remain squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into their regular-season finale. Guard Norman Powell is averaging a team-high 16.5 points and scored 22 in the Bruins’ 83-66 win over the Trojans on Jan. 14.
Nebraska at Illinois 10:00 PM ET
Despite coaching his team to two 20-win campaigns in three years at Illinois, John Groce has yet to guide his charges to a non-losing record in Big Ten play. The Illini can guarantee themselves such a finish on Wednesday by winning their regular-season home finale against struggling Nebraska. Illinois, which has gone 8-10 and 7-11 in the conference in Groce’s first two seasons, hasn’t posted a winning mark in Big Ten play since going 10-8 in 2009-10.
Oregon at Oregon St. 11:00 PM ET
With four straight wins and eight victories in its last nine games, Oregon appears to have shed the NCAA Tournament bubble, but that doesn’t mean the Ducks’ work is done. With Wednesday’s regular-season finale at Oregon State and next week’s Pac-12 Tournament on the horizon, Oregon can focus on late-season fine-tuning and bettering its Big Dance seed. “I told them to be pleased, but not satisfied,” Ducks coach Dana Altman told the Register-Guard following Sunday’s 73-70 victory at Stanford.