Preview Roundups
November 26, 2016
Northern Iowa at Xavier 12:00 PM ET
Eighth-ranked Xavier won’t be overconfident when they attempt to knock off visiting Northern Iowa for the second time in six days Saturday afternoon. The Musketeers scored 23 of the first 31 points in the second half after an intermission tie and went on to beat Northern Iowa 67-59 in the championship game of the Tire Pros Invitational on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Appalachian St. at Duke 12:00 PM ET

Duke is far from 100 percent, but even with a banged-up roster, the five-time national champions shouldn’t have too much trouble when they host Appalachian State on Saturday. The third-ranked Blue Devils have won 128 consecutive non-conference home games dating to 2000.

South Carolina at Syracuse 2:00 PM ET
No. 16 Syracuse has sailed through some inferior competition but can expect a much tougher test Saturday against South Carolina. This matchup, which is part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational, pits a pair of undefeated squads who have been impressive to this point.
Lipscomb at Cincinnati 2:30 PM ET
Troy Caupain looks to crack the 1,000-point mark when Cincinnati hosts Lipscomb on Saturday. Caupain, who was voted American Athletic Conference preseason co-player of the year, needs 11 points to become the 50th in school history to reach the plateau as the Bearcats aim for their third straight victory.
Northwestern St. at Missouri 3:00 PM ET

A young Missouri team has struggled to find consistency since coach Kim Anderson took over a program in turmoil, but the Tigers have a chance to lay a building block Saturday. Missouri aims for its first consecutive wins since mid-February when it hosts Northwestern State in a non-conference matchup.

New Jersey Tech at Purdue 3:30 PM ET

No. 19 Purdue is back home in a classic possible letdown situation Saturday, hosting New Jersey Tech. The Boilermakers won the Cancun Challenge in dominating fashion south of the border Wednesday night and now face the relatively unknown Highlanders before diving into preparations for next week’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest at No. 10 Louisville.

Penn St. at George Washington 4:00 PM ET
A Penn State team that starts three freshmen has had a hard time getting started in the first half. The Nittany Lions recovered from another slow start Wednesday to knock off Colgate and will seek a second straight win Saturday afternoon when they visit a George Washington club that loves non-conference home contests.
Loyola-Chicago at N.C. State 4:00 PM ET
It didn't take long for North Carolina State freshman Dennis Smith Jr. to start validating his ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year honor and the Wolfpack hope the fast start continues when they host Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon in a matchup of teams who participated in the Paradise Jam tournament. Smith was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 22 points and s ix assists, and leading N.C. State to victory in two of three games last weekend.
Iowa at Memphis 4:00 PM ET
Both Memphis and Iowa will be looking for an offensive spark when they meet Saturday in the third-place game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla. While the Tigers were knocked off 60-51 by Providence in one of Friday's semifinals, the Hawkeyes were trounced 74-41 by No. 6 Virginia.
Loyola-Maryland at Creighton 4:30 PM ET
Creighton is no stranger to efficient offense under Greg McDermott, but even the seventh-year coach has to be impressed with just how proficient his team is so far this season. Fresh off a record-setting performance during their title run at the Paradise Jam tournament last weekend, the 18th-ranked Bluejays return home Saturday to host Loyola (Md.).
Cornell at Houston 5:00 PM ET
Houston returns home to host Cornell on Saturday after winning its first in-season tournament in 25 years. The Cougars beat Vermont on a buzzer-beating layup to win the Gulf Coast Showcase on Wednesday.
East Carolina at Air Force 5:00 PM ET
East Carolina is coming dangerously close to going an entire year without picking up a non-conference win away from home, failing to secure a victory in any of its four tries since Nov. 27, 2015. The Pirates will attempt to end that dubious run Saturday when face Air Force in the third-place game of the Savannah (Ga.) Invitational.
Chicago St. at Notre Dame 7:00 PM ET
Notre Dame's Matt Farrell seemed right at home at the Barclays Center, where he made his first career starts in last year's NCAA Tournament and then had an MVP run at the Legends Classic this week. The junior point guard will look to bring that confidence home when the undefeated Fighting Irish host Chicago State on Saturday.
Mount St. Mary's at Michigan 7:00 PM ET
No. 24 Michigan looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. The Wolverines had recently entered the Top 25 for the first time in over a year, but turned in one of their worst offensive performances in recent memory, as they were held to 19.1 percent shooting from the field - including 2-of-26 from 3-point range - in the 61-46 setback to South Carolina on Wednesday.
Virginia at Providence 7:00 PM ET
Virginia's dominant defense continues to impress and the sixth-ranked Cavaliers are making quick work of their early-season opponents. They will try to stay perfect and take home some hardware when they square off with Providence in the title game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla. on Saturday.
Boston College at Richmond 7:00 PM ET
Richmond will have to quickly forget giving up a 12-point halftime lead in its first-round 88-82 overtime loss to Maryland in the Barclays Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., as it faces Boston College less than 24 hours later in the consolation game on Saturday. The Eagles were outclassed in their 72-54 loss to Kansas State, falling behind by nine points in a cold-shooting first half and never mounting a second-half comeback against the Wildcats.
Tulane at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM ET
Georgia Tech closes out a season-opening five-game homestand Saturday against Tulane, and the Yellow Jackets hope the offensive fluidity they showed in Tuesday’s victory against Sam Houston State carries over against the Green Wave. The Yellow Jackets scored a season-high 81 points, placing five players in double figures while displaying the ball movement new coach Josh Pastner likes to see.
Seattle at Central Florida 7:30 PM ET
UCF looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season Saturday when it hosts Seattle in a non-conference battle. The Golden Knights fell to defending national champion and then-No. 3 VIllanova in the final of the Charleston Classic last weekend but showed a lot of fight before losing by 10.
Houston Baptist at Marquette 7:30 PM ET
After Marquette struggled during a pair of games last week at Madison Square Garden, coach Steve Wojciechowski sent a signal that playing time must be earned, something that will likely continue during Saturday's game against visiting Houston Baptist. Sam Hauser and Matt Heldt made their first career starts and all 10 scholarship players scored as the Golden Eagles topped the 100-point plateau Tuesday against IUPUI.
Kansas St. at Maryland 9:30 PM ET
Maryland looked like it was headed to the consolation game in the Barclays Challenge in Brooklyn, N.Y., for much of its game against Richmond on Friday, but junior star guard Melo Trimble wouldn't let it happen, scoring 31 points to rally the Terrapins to an 88-82 overtime victory over Richmond. The Terrapins will face unbeaten Kansas State - a 72-54 winner over Boston College - in Saturday's championship game.
Washington at Texas Christian 10:30 PM ET
Washington arrived in Las Vegas for the final two rounds of the Global Sports Classic leading the Pac-12 in scoring with an average of 95 points per game behind the play of standout freshman guard Markelle Fultz and his 25.5 points-per-game average. But the Huskies, who face unbeaten TCU in Saturday night's championship game, showed they can also play a little defense in Friday night's semifinal win over Western Kentucky.