Preview Roundups
November 18, 2017
Texas Tech at Boston College 12:00 PM ET
Boston College knew it had something special with its backcourt, but the support system for Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman has also been pretty good so far. The Eagles will try to keep the rotation running smoothly and remain perfect on the young season when they meet up with Texas Tech in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Saturday.
Maryland - E. Shore at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Georgetown looks to start the Patrick Ewing era with three straight wins as it prepares to host Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas outlasted Jacksonville 73-57 in Ewing’s debut before rolling past Mount St. Mary’s 102-68 on Wednesday as 6-10 junior Jessie Govan took a leading role with a big push from his new coach and former legend at the school.
Houston at Liberty 12:00 PM ET
Despite a career-high 37 points from Rob Gray on Friday, Houston was relegated to the losers' bracket at the Paradise Jam in Lynchburg, Va., where it will play host Liberty on Saturday. Gray came out of his one-game suspension hot, scoring 15 points in the first 11 minutes, but the Cougars couldn't put the game away and now must beat the Flames for a chance at fourth place.
William & Mary at Central Florida 2:00 PM ET
Injury-ravaged Central Florida looks to remain unbeaten on the season despite the absence of its top two players when the Knights host William & Mary on Saturday. UCF has won its first two games despite the absence of 7-6 center Tacko Fall and preseason All-Conference selection point guard B.J. Taylor.
Furman at Butler 2:00 PM ET
Butler looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Furman on Saturday. The Bulldogs opened the campaign with victories against Kennesaw State (82-64) and Princeton (85-75) before suffering a 79-65 setback to Maryland in the Gavitt Games, and they hope to get back on the winning track by beating the Paladins in their first ever meeting as part of the regional portion of the Phil Knight Invitational.
La Salle at Northwestern 2:30 PM ET
A rare preseason ranking has not held up well for Northwestern, which will try to bounce back from its first loss of the campaign when it meets La Salle in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Saturday. Following two lackluster wins over seemingly overmatched teams, the 20th-ranked Wildcats were overwhelmed defensively in a 92-88 loss to Creighton at home Wednesday night.
Quinnipiac at Wake Forest 2:30 PM ET
The first 0-3 start in 50 years has Wake Forest in desperate need of a victory against Quinnipiac on Saturday in the losers' bracket of the Paradise Jam in Lynchburg, Va. The Demon Deacons blew a 10-point lead with nine minutes left to fall to Drake in Friday's first round and will need to rebound against the Bobcats, who gave Colorado all it could handle in the opening round.
Florida A&M at Mississippi State 4:00 PM ET
Mississippi State has enjoyed plenty of down time following a blowout victory in the season opener, with a full week off before Saturday’s home contest against Florida A&M giving the Bulldogs a chance to look at what went well in last week’s 96-68 blowout of Alabama State. Aric Holman matched career highs in points (18) and rebounds (11) in the opener, as the Bulldogs cruised in the first game of a season-opening eight-game homestand through Dec. 9.
New Jersey Tech at Seton Hall 4:00 PM ET
Seton Hall hits the floor Saturday for the final contest of its four-game homestand when it renews acquaintances with local rival NJIT of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The No. 23 Pirates come off an 84-68 victory over Indiana in a Gavitt Tipoff Game and are trying for their first 4-0 start since 2014-15, when they went 7-0, while the Highlanders are 1-1 after a 96-80 victory over Lafayette on Tuesday.
Idaho State at Washington St. 4:30 PM ET
If Washington State’s first two games are any indication, this season figures to be a roller-coaster ride filled with halftime deficits, streaky shooting and manic comebacks. The Cougars look for a smoother outing Saturday against visiting Idaho State, which was picked to finish 11th in the Big Sky Conference preseason media poll.
Lipscomb at Texas 5:00 PM ET
Highly-touted 6-11 Mohamed Bamba isn't the only new big man making his presence felt for Texas. The Longhorns, who host Lipscomb on Saturday, got to see more of their other bigs in action when Bamba missed Tuesday's win with a concussion.
Texas Southern at Syracuse 7:00 PM ET
With six of its top seven scorers from last season no longer with the team, Syracuse has to be thankful for Tyus Battle. The sophomore shooting guard aims for another quality effort Saturday against visiting Texas Southern in the Orange's opener of the Hoophall Miami Invitational.
Fairfield at Purdue 7:00 PM ET
Opponents will face a tall order when they play No. 21 Purdue this season and Fairfield will be the next to experience the task when it visits the Boilermakers on Saturday. Matt Haarms, a 7-3 freshman forward from the Netherlands, joins 7-2 senior center Isaac Haas to form a tandem that has blocked 13 shots and made 25 of its 38 field-goal attempts this season while contributing to a 3-0 start that has seen Purdue average 100.7 points.
Morgan St. at West Virginia 7:30 PM ET
While West Virginia coach Bob Huggins didn't necessarily blame Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles for his team's season-opening loss to Texas A&M, he made it clear they needed to perform better. The senior guards obliged in a big way in their last outing, and will try to do so again Saturday when the No. 10 Mountaineers host Morgan State.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Southern Methodist 8:00 PM ET
SMU will look to continue its dominating start when it hosts winless Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. The Mustangs, who have won 25 straight at home, are outscoring opponents by an average of 25 points thanks to a solid defense and balanced offense.
Bucknell at Maryland 8:30 PM ET
Maryland will be trying to keep its perfect 2017-18 record intact Saturday night when it hosts non-conference foe Bucknell. The Terrapins have won each of their games by at least 14 points, including a 14-point home win over Butler on Wednesday, while the Bison are looking for their first victory of the campaign after three losses.
Colorado at Drake 8:30 PM ET
By all rights, Colorado should be playing its next game in the losers' bracket at the Paradise Jam in Lynchburg, Va., but thanks to McKinley Wright IV, it will face Drake in Saturday's semifinals. Wright IV drained a 3-pointer as time expired Friday to propel the Buffaloes past a game Quinnipiac squad 70-69 and into a meeting with the Bulldogs.
Utah St. at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Few teams in the country lost as many key players as NCAA runner-up Gonzaga who had to replace West Coast Conference Player of the Year and All-American guard Nigel Williams-Goss, 7-foot NBA lottery pick Zach Collins and Przemek Karnowski, winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation's top center. But Mark Few's squad, which hosts Utah State on Saturday night, shows little sign of slowing down so far in 2017-18.
Long Beach St. at Oregon St. 11:00 PM ET

Tres Tinkle is back and playing better than ever for Oregon State. The 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore forward missed the 2016 NCAA Tournament and all but six games last season due to two separate injuries, but he brings a double-double average into Saturday night’s home date with Long Beach State.