Preview Roundups
November 24, 2016
Michigan St at Baylor 12:00 PM ET
Miles Bridges' freshman season at Michigan State has been a bit of a roller coaster to this point, but at least there have been more ups than downs. The talented swingman will aim to develop some consistency Thursday when the 20th-ranked Spartans face Baylor in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
Temple at Florida St. 12:30 PM ET
Florida State brings an up-tempo offense that produced back-to-back 100-point games for the first time in 20 years into a meeting with Temple on Thursday at the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Seminoles scored 99, 100 and 100 in defeating Iona, Winthrop and Detroit Mercy by a combined 64 points after a season-opening 88-67 win over Charleston Southern.
Indiana St. at Iowa St. 12:30 PM ET
No. 22 Iowa State, coming off a spectacular offensive performance, will take on an Indiana State team that prides itself on defense on Thanksgiving in the opening round of the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Sycamores' first three foes managed to hit only 38.6 percent of their shots, but the Cyclones are on another level and just scored a school-record 130 points to demolish The Citadel by 67 points on Sunday.
Texas A&M at CSU Northridge 2:00 PM ET
Texas A&M will be looking for more success at an early-season tournament beginning Thursday when the Aggies meet Cal State Northridge in an opening-round game at the Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton. Texas A&M posted the biggest upset at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last November in the Bahamas, upsetting then-No. 11 Gonzaga by one point before losing to Syracuse in the championship game.
Stanford at Miami-Florida 2:30 PM ET
Off to unbeaten starts, Stanford and Miami (Fla.) meet in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla, on Thanksgiving in what should be the toughest test to date for either team. The Cardinal, under first-year coach Jerod Haase, overcame a brief second-half scare against Colorado State after winning their first three games by double digits while the Hurricanes have outscored their foes by an average of 33 points.
Illinois at West Virginia 2:30 PM ET
West Virginia's success is predicated on its intimidating "Press Virginia" defense, but the No. 17 Mountaineers suddenly possess another weapon as they meet Illinois on Thursday at the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y. West Virginia shoots 50.5 percent from the field - which would be by the far the best percentage in coach Bob Huggins' 10 seasons at the school - and helps explain why it scored 98 points per game in winning its first three contests by an average of 42.7 points.
Louisville at Wichita St. 2:30 PM ET
Louisville was very fortunate to survive in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. The 10th-ranked Cardinals likely will need to be significantly better Thursday as they take on Wichita State in the semifinals of the eight-team event.
Montana at Mississippi 4:00 PM ET

The first matchup between Ole Miss and Montana on Thursday features a pair of teams coming off Monday games at the Paradise Jam tournament in different frames of mind. Ole Miss lost for the first time in five games when it fell to No. 18 Creighton in the final, while Montana defeated Oral Roberts to pick up its first win.

New Mexico at Virginia Tech 4:30 PM ET
Virginia Tech has shown one of the most productive benches in the nation so far this season, and the Hokies will likely try to use that to their advantage again Thursday when they meet New Mexico in the first round of the Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton. Zach LeDay averages a team-high 18.3 points and fellow reserve Seth Allen is averaging 13.3, with both shooting better than 62 percent from the floor this season.
Gonzaga at Quinnipiac 6:30 PM ET
No. 11 Gonzaga hopes to enjoy another trip to Disney World when they face Quinnipiac on Thursday in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Bulldogs won the tournament, formerly known as the Old Spice Classic, in both 2008 and 2012 while going unbeaten in six games at the HP Field House, which is part of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
St. John's at VCU 7:00 PM ET
Win or lose this week, St. John's coach Chris Mullin knows that it's good for his team to face some quality competition leading up to Big East play. The Red Storm faded in the second half against Michigan State on Wednesday but can bounce back Thursday when they face VCU in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
Butler at Vanderbilt 8:00 PM ET
Butler will look to extend its win streak against Vanderbilt on Thursday when they meet in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. The Bulldogs have won all five meetings, but this is the first on a neutral floor.
Seton Hall at Florida 8:30 PM ET
Florida’s tour of the Sunshine State continues as they take on Seton Hall in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational on Thursday at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Gators have won games in Tampa, Jacksonville and Lakeland while renovations at their home arena – the O’Connell Center – are completed, and get their toughest challenge yet against hot-shooting Seton Hall.
Dayton at Nebraska 8:30 PM ET
Nebraska has been one of the stingiest teams on defense, and the Cornhuskers will try to take advantage of injury-riddled Dayton when the teams meet Thursday in the first round of the Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton. Nebraska is surrendering an average of 51 points through three games - third-fewest in the nation - and will try to maintain that trend against the Flyers, who are without two-year starter Kendall Pollard (thigh) and recently lost transfer Josh Cunningham for the year (ankle).
Louisiana State at Old Dominion 9:30 PM ET
LSU's strong start to the season came to a resounding thud Wednesday. The Tigers have little time to dwell on that performance, however, as the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas continues Thursday with a matchup against Old Dominion in the consolation round.
Santa Clara at Arizona 10:30 PM ET
A young Arizona squad will continue to lean on Parker Jackson-Cartwright as the No. 9 Wildcats face Santa Clara on Thursday at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. The junior point guard has recorded 15 assists and one turnover in his last two games after recording his first career double-double his last time out.
Portland at UCLA 11:00 PM ET
No teams have found a way to slow UCLA's offense through the first four games this season; it's now Portland's turn when the Pilots meet the No. 13 Bruins in Thursday's opening round at the Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton. UCLA is averaging a nation-leading 105.8 points after one-sided victories against Pacific, Cal State Northridge, San Diego and Long Beach State, and the resistance doesn't figure to get much stiffer against Portland.