Preview Roundups
November 23, 2014
Florida St. at Massachusetts 12:00 PM ET
A pair of teams looking to rebound from ugly losses will meet Sunday when Florida State plays Massachusetts at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Seminoles got the worst of it Saturday, losing by 26 points to Providence for their second straight defeat. Leonard Hamilton's team, which lost to Northeastern earlier in the week, was beaten in every conceivable way, shooting just 39.1 percent and committing 15 turnovers.
Texas A&M at New Mexico 2:00 PM ET
For a team playing in the fifth-place game of a tournament, Texas A&M is likely feeling pretty good, considering its win over College of Charleston in the consolation semifinals and the news that even more offense is coming. The Aggies will face New Mexico on Sunday in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off with high-flying Houston transfer Danuel House and freshman center Tonny Trocha-Morelos making their Aggies debuts.
Notre Dame at Providence 2:30 PM ET
Most of the questions head coach Mike Brey had for his Notre Dame squad have been answered heading into Sunday's game with Providence in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Brey wondered how his team would respond playing away from home for the first time, and aside from a slow start, the Fighting Irish were impressive in knocking off Massachusetts on Saturday in Uncasville.
Northwestern St. at Oklahoma 3:00 PM ET
Oklahoma looks to bounce back from a tough loss when the 18th-ranked Sooners host Northwestern State on Sunday. The Sooners squandered an 18-point second-half lead in a 65-63 loss at Creighton on Wednesday. This is the final tuneup for the Sooners before they head to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where they'll face UCLA on Wednesday and either Butler or North Carolina a day later.
Newman at Wichita St. 3:00 PM ET
No. 13 Wichita State will look to extend its national-leading regular-season 33-game win streak when it hosts neighbor Newman on Sunday. The game will count as an exhibition for the Division II Jets - whose home gym is 8.3 miles from the Shockers' Koch Arena - and won't be factored into Wichita State's RPI. Wichita State's defense has been the key to its early victories while the Shocker's half-court offense has been streaky.
Southern California at Penn St. 3:30 PM ET
If Penn State has proven anything at the Charleston Classic, it might be that no lead is safe. The Nittany Lions enter Sunday’s fifth-place game with USC after showing their resiliency by overcoming a 17-point deficit in the second half of Thursday’s opening-round 106-97 double-overtime loss to Charlotte. They proved it again Friday, erasing an 11-point second-half deficit before defeating Cornell on a last-second layup in a game they led for a total of seven seconds.
South Florida at N.C. State 4:00 PM ET
Trevor Lacey is making an immediate impact on a rebuilt North Carolina State squad and is serving as a team leader after transferring from Alabama. Lacey and the Wolfpack will try to improve to 4-0 when they host USF on Sunday. The Bulls are off to an equally hot start behind Chris Perry, who is putting up 19 points on 57.9 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds through the first three games.
North Carolina Central at Creighton 4:00 PM ET
Creighton will try to extend its home win streak when it hosts North Carolina Central on Sunday in the on-campus portion of the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic. The Bluejays, fresh off a come-from-behind victory against Oklahoma, will also host Eastern Illinois this week before traveling to Niceville, Fla., for two more games. Creighton has won 21 straight at home, the sixth-longest active streak in the country.
Dayton at Boston College 4:30 PM ET
Coming away from a tournament with a losing record is never what a team wants, but that's what Dayton and Boston College will be fighting against when they meet in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off third-place game Sunday. The Flyers come off a loss to Connecticut that saw them blow a second-half lead and go from 53.8 percent shooting in the first half to 28.6 in the second. Things weren't much better for the Eagles, who led West Virginia for nearly 30 minutes before falling.
Eastern Illinois at Cincinnati 5:00 PM ET
Cincinnati aims for its 13th consecutive non-conference home victory when it hosts Eastern Illinois on Sunday in the first round of the Emerald Coast Classic. The Bearcats hope for a little easier time after holding on for a 69-61 win over Morehead State on Wednesday. The Panthers' lone victory was over NCAA Division III Eureka College, but they've been competitive in both their losses, falling 64-53 at Missouri State and 63-61 at UC Davis on Thursday.
Florida Atlantic at Georgia 5:00 PM ET
Georgia rebounded with a pair of victories after dropping its opener and looks to gain more momentum before a trip to New York City when it hosts Florida Atlantic on Sunday. The Bulldogs will take on No. 11 Gonzaga in the Preseason NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, but can’t look ahead against the experienced Owls. Georgia coach Mark Fox told reporters his team “played much harder than we’ve been playing” against Troy on Friday night in an 82-60 victory.
St. Francis (NY) at Rutgers 5:00 PM ET
Rutgers hosts Northeast Conference preseason favorite St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday in the preliminary round of the Barclays Classic. It kicks off a stretch of four games over seven days for the Scarlet Knights, who come right back to host Saint Peter's on Tuesday night before taking on Vanderbilt on Friday and either Virginia or La Salle on Saturday at the Barclays Center. Rutgers is 3-0 all-time against the Terriers.
Montana St. at Kentucky 6:00 PM ET
Kentucky left no doubt that it deserves to be the No. 1 team in the country when it crushed Kansas earlier in the week, but keeping the intensity up for lesser competition has been a challenge. The Wildcats will try to put 40 minutes together when they host Montana State on Sunday. Kentucky trailed Buffalo at the half last weekend before pulling away and got more fight than expected from Boston University on Friday.
South Carolina Upstate at Central Florida 6:00 PM ET
Freshman guard Adonys Henriquez is off to a fast start for UCF and has led the team to a pair of wins in the early going. The Knights will try to make it three straight to start the season by cooling off visiting South Carolina-Upstate on Sunday. Henriquez and fellow freshman guard B.J. Taylor are pacing UCF in scoring as the team tries to bring the new pieces together before the American Athletic Conference campaign.
Gardner-Webb at Seton Hall 6:00 PM ET
It wasn’t quite Isaiah Whitehead totally redeeming himself for a lackluster season opener but the freshman point guard should take a bit more confidence into Seton Hall’s matchup against Gardner-Webb in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam on Sunday in the Virgin Islands. In the Pirates’ first-round win over Nevada, Whitehead scored eight points on 3-for-8 shooting, 1-for-3 from 3-point range with two assists and three turnovers, numbers more pedestrian than superstar.
Akron at South Carolina 6:30 PM ET
Akron knew it would not have its top offensive threat prior to its last contest, but the ineffectiveness of South Carolina’s leading scorer in the second half of its previous game may have been just as important. The Gamecocks, who face the Zips in the third-place game of the Charleston Classic on Sunday, got 18 first-half points from Sindarius Thornwell on Friday. However, Thornwell went 1-of-9 from the field and scored two points thereafter in a 65-63 semifinal loss to Charlotte.
Connecticut at West Virginia 6:30 PM ET
The Puerto Rico Tip-Off has become a Big East reunion for the championship game, with Connecticut set to face on former conference rival West Virginia. The Huskies and Mountaineers came back from second-half deficits in their semifinal victories, so neither team feels like it has played its best basketball yet. Both teams rely on their defense, and that was evident in their respective wins Friday.
Tennessee St. at Vanderbilt 7:00 PM ET
Sophomore center Damian Jones is off to a strong start while leading a young Vanderbilt team to a pair of wins, scoring 45 points combined inside and outside. The 6-10 Jones, who has drained 18-of-28 shots, looks to remain hot when the Commodores welcome Tennessee State on Sunday night. “We have a lot of plays designed to get the ball to the post,” Jones told reporters after beating Lipscomb 72-62 on Thursday. “It just keeps me going, keeps my energy high, and gets me involved.”
Sacred Heart at Ohio St. 7:00 PM ET
Coming off an impressive 74-63 home win over Marquette, No. 20 Ohio State begins a string of home games against teams it should handle without working up much of a sweat when it hosts Sacred Heart on Sunday night. The Buckeyes will also host Campbell on Wednesday and James Madison on Friday as part of the three-game Buckeye Classic before playing their biggest nonconference game of the year on Dec. 2 at Louisville as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Pacific at Washington 8:00 PM ET
Shawn Kemp Jr. will try to continue his hot start Sunday when Washington hosts Pacific in the first game of the Marv Harshman Classic. Kemp has reached double figures in scoring the first two games this season, half of his total from all of last season. The Tigers will also need to keep close tabs on shooting guard Andrew Andrews, who has taken 13 of his 19 shots from beyond the arc this season, making four.
Northern Arizona at Mississippi 8:00 PM ET
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy preaches defense and the Rebels are hearing his message. Ole Miss tries to maintain its early season intensity when it hosts Northern Arizona on Sunday. "For three games, we have guarded," Kennedy told the school website. "Our field-goal percentage defense, which is the biggest barometer of whether you're defending, is around 30 percent (31.2). We're doing a better job guarding off [the] first shot.''
Miami-Florida at Charlotte 9:00 PM ET
Miami (Fla.) has experienced no shortage of success in its two trips to the Charleston Classic and Charlotte has enjoyed similar success in regular-season tournaments of late regardless of venue. The Hurricanes and 49ers put a pair of impressive winning streaks on the line Sunday when they face each other in the championship game of the Charleston Classic. Miami, which won this tournament in 2009, improved to 5-0 all-time at this event following Friday’s 79-51 rout of Akron in the semifinals.
Long Beach St. at UCLA 10:00 PM ET
Point guard Bryce Alford leads UCLA as the Bruins take on neighbor Long Beach State on Sunday. Alford is averaging a team-high 21 points as UCLA goes for its fourth-straight win to start the season. The Bruins are coming off a 107-74 victory over visiting Nicholls State, the second time this season UCLA reached the 100-point mark after routing Montana State 113-78 in their season opener.