Preview Roundups
November 17, 2016
Clemson at Davidson 11:00 AM ET
Clemson returns its top three scorers for the first time since 1996-97 and the Tigers hope to make an early statement at the Tire Pros Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., where they meet Davidson on Thursday in the first round. Clemson got off to a strong start last Friday in its opener as four players scored in double figures to defeat Georgia 74-64 at home.
Western Michigan at Villanova 11:30 AM ET
Villanova survived its first big test of the season and the No. 3 Wildcats will next begin pursuit of their fourth straight in-season tournament title when they face Western Michigan in the opening round of the eight-team Charleston Classic in South Carolina. Villanova, the defending national champion, held off No. 15 Purdue, 79-76, on Monday night in West Lafayette, Ind., as Josh Hart scored 24 points and converted the final four free throws of the game.
Xavier at Missouri 1:00 PM ET
Xavier begins its quest for a second tournament title at the HP Fieldhouse in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. in two years when the 10th-ranked Musketeers take on Missouri in the first round of the Tire Pros Invitational on Thursday. Xavier won the AdvoCare Invitational last season at the same site, which is being used for this event as well after the tournament was moved from Puerto Rico.
Wake Forest at Texas-El Paso 1:30 PM ET
Wake Forest landed on the challenging side of the bracket for the Charleston Classic, and the Demon Deacons will face their first test Thursday against UTEP at the TD Arena in Charleston, S.C. Wake Forest will need to avoid looking ahead to a potential second-round matchup against No. 3 Villanova, the defending national champion, and focus on beating a UTEP team that returns three players who averaged double figures in scoring last season.
Long Beach St. at Louisville 4:00 PM ET
Louisville coach Rick Pitino would like his No. 12 Cardinals to start quickly, but he's not going to worry if they come out of the gate slow. Their smothering defense serves as a security blanket for Pitino and it will be on display again when Louisville hosts road-weary Long Beach State on Thursday.
Northern Iowa at Arizona State 4:30 PM ET
New-look Arizona State hopes to continue its offensive production when the Sun Devils face Northern Iowa on Thursday in the first round of the Tire Pros Invitational at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Three players averaged more than 19.5 points in two victories to open the season for Arizona State, which shot 50 percent overall from the field and scored 92 per game.
Mississippi St. at Central Florida 5:00 PM ET
Ben Howland hasn't guided a team as young as Mississippi State in his 21 years as a head coach and Thursday he'll face another challenge - how to cover the tallest player in college basketball when the Bulldogs meet Central Florida in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. The Knights feature 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall in the middle, which should present a mighty challenge for Mississippi State 6-8 sophomore Aric Holman, the only post player in the Bulldogs' season-opening start
Arkansas St. at Georgetown 6:30 PM ET
There's never a good time to blow a seven-point lead in the final 71 seconds of regulation time - but at least Georgetown has the entire season to put Tuesday's shocking loss behind it. The Hoyas look to appease the home crowd Thursday night as it hosts an Arkansas State team that has also split its first two games.
Florida at St. Bonaventure 7:00 PM ET
St. Bonaventure scored 92 points in its opening win over St. Francis (Pa.), but on Wednesday in Lakeland, Fla., the Bonnies will face a Florida team that has dominated its first two foes with an aggressive, suffocating defense. The Gators held Mercer to a mere 14 points in the first half in their most recent win and have allowed only 56.5 points per game on 38.2 percent shooting against the Bears and Florida Gulf Coast.
Furman at Georgia 7:00 PM ET
Yante Maten is the only returning player at a Power 5 Conference school to average at least 16 points and eight rebounds a season ago, and the Georgia junior is off to a similarly strong start to 2016-17 as the Bulldogs host Furman on Thursday in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. Maten is averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds through two games, giving Georgia a powerful inside threat as the Bulldogs look to be a factor in the SEC race.
East Carolina at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
A pair of former sharp-shooting guards from the ACC will face off as coaches when high-scoring Charlotte hosts East Carolina in a non-conference matchup on Thursday night. Jeff Lebo brings his unbeaten Pirates into Charlotte to face Mark Price and the 49ers, who have cracked the century mark in their first two games, both victories.
St. Mary's (MD) at Maryland 7:00 PM ET
Maryland has shown through two games there is work to be done, but at the same time, the No. 24-ranked Terrapins are 2-0 after surviving their first rugged test of the season. The Terrapins host St. Mary’s College (Md.) on Thursday after a thrilling 76-75 victory Tuesday over Georgetown, a game in which Maryland struggled from 3-point range and piled up fouls, but used the late-game heroics of Melo Trimble to stay unbeaten.
Providence at Ohio St. 7:00 PM ET
Ohio State won in spite of itself the last time out and will need to clean up its act when Providence pays a visit Thursday night in a Gavitt Tipoff Games affair. The Buckeyes struggled from beyond the arc (28.6 percent), at the foul line (11-of-23) and were slow to put away North Carolina Central at home Monday night before surviving a 69-63 decision.
Pittsburgh at Southern Methodist 7:00 PM ET
Just two games into the season, Pittsburgh and SMU already have two common opponents for comparison purposes when they meet Thursday in the semifinals of the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Pittsburgh survived Eastern Michigan 93-90 in double overtime of the season opener last Friday and posted a 19-point victory over Gardner-Webb the last time out, while the Mustangs easily dispatched the same two teams by a combined 55 points.
Elon University at South Florida 7:00 PM ET

Opposites clash when a veteran-laden Elon team travels to face an inexperienced South Florida squad in a non-conference matchup on Thursday. The Phoenix brought back 14 players from a season ago, while the Bulls returned just five and are without the top scorer in Jahmal McMurray for the remainder of the month.

Temple at Massachusetts 7:00 PM ET
Following its first loss of the season - a disappointing home defeat to New Hampshire - Temple aims to rebound Thursday against host Massachusetts. The Owls nipped La Salle in their season opener but shot poorly from all over the court throughout their defeat to the Wildcats.
Tulane at Oklahoma 7:00 PM ET
New-look Oklahoma gets a good early-season test as it travels to the four-day, three-game Tire Pros Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which begins with a first-round tussle against Tulane on Thursday. The Sooners lost three of its top four scorers, including All-American guard Buddy Hield, and opened the campaign with a 97-61 triumph over Northwestern State on Sunday.
Eastern Washington at Texas 8:00 PM ET
Senior guard Kendal Yancy has a new role for a young Texas basketball team, which hosts Eastern Washington on Thursday. Yancy, the most experienced player on the No. 21 Longhorns' roster, emerged as a leader during the offseason.
Chicago St. at Wisconsin 8:00 PM ET
No. 11 Wisconsin looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Chicago State on Friday. The Badgers will almost certainly fall in the polls following the 79-67 setback to 20th-ranked Creighton in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, and they hope to take their frustration out on the Cougars, who were picked to finish last by the media and coaches in the eight-team Western Athletic Conference.
Rutgers at DePaul 8:30 PM ET
Steve Pikiell looks to become the first Rutgers coach to start his tenure at 3-0 in more than 70 years when the Scarlet Knights head to Chicago to take on host DePaul on Thursday as part of the Gavitt Games. The Scarlet Knights dispatched Molloy and Drexel with relative ease to give their new coach a chance to match Donald S. White, who opened 3-0 in 1945-46.
Eastern Kentucky at Auburn 9:00 PM ET
Auburn redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy looks to continue his hot start when the Tigers host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday. Purifoy missed all of last season with eligibility issues and overcame foul trouble Monday to lead the Tigers to a 2-0 start.
Seton Hall at Iowa 9:00 PM ET
Iowa takes a big jump up in class Thursday when it hosts Seton Hall as part of the Gavitt Games. The Hawkeyes beat up on Kennesaw State and Savannah State to open the season, but now faces a Seton Hall squad that is also looking at its first real challenge.
Louisiana-Monroe at Colorado 9:00 PM ET

Colorado closes out a three-game season-opening homestand Thursday night by welcoming Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference. The contest will serve as the second and final game of the Legends Classic Boulder Regional with both schools moving on to the two tournament style play portions next Monday in Brooklyn and Cheney, Wash., respectively.

Valparaiso at Oregon 9:00 PM ET
After stating for weeks that his team was undeserving of its lofty ranking, Oregon coach Dana Altman received some validation with Tuesday’s 66-49 loss at Baylor. Altman and the fourth-ranked Ducks will look for a bounce-back effort Thursday against visiting Valparaiso, which has won each of its first three games this season by double figures.
Michigan at Marquette 9:30 PM ET
Michigan faces its stiffest test of the season when it travels to New York City to tangle with Marquette in the semifinals of the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The Wolverines opened the season with a 76-58 victory against Howard before knocking off IUPUI 77-65 in the regional portion of the tournament, and hope to improve to 5-1 in games played in the Big Apple under John Beilein.
Weber St. at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
Stanford still is in the honeymoon stage with new coach Jerod Haase, but the relationship certainly is off to a promising start. The Cardinal will look to improve to 3-0 on Thursday against visiting Weber State, which was picked to finish first in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll.
Connecticut at Loyola Marymount 10:00 PM ET
Ranked 16th in the nation in the preseason poll, Connecticut is off to an embarrassing start, losing its first two games of the season for the first time since 1968. The Huskies look to right the ship when they stop off to face Loyola Marymount on Thursday on their way to the Maui Classic over the weekend.
Cal St. Fullerton at Washington 11:00 PM ET
Markelle Fultz got his college career off to a good start but his debut was part of a disappointing opener for Washington. Fultz scored 30 points to live up to his massive billing in a loss to Yale and looks to lead the Huskies to a victory in Thursday's nonconference home game against Cal State Fullerton.
San Diego at UCLA 11:00 PM ET
Led by prized freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf, No. 16 UCLA has created an early buzz in college basketball circles with a 2-0 start that has seen the Bruins average 110.5 points in the process. But the focus will be on the UCLA's defense when it hosts San Diego on Thursday night.