Preview Roundups
December 04, 2014
Baylor at Vanderbilt 7:00 PM ET
Baylor pulled off a memorable upset in the inaugural SEC/Big 12 Challenge last season. The Bears seek more success in the power conference event when they visit Vanderbilt on Thursday in the first meeting between the teams since 1985. Baylor, which rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 75-49 rout of Texas Southern on Monday, defeated a third-ranked Kentucky team 67-62 in the 2013 Challenge, posting one of the season's best defensive efforts against the eventual national runner-up.
Louisiana State at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
West Virginia looks to continue its best start in five years when the 17th-ranked Mountaineers host LSU on Thursday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. West Virginia has routed its past two opponents by an average of 30 points but should face a tougher test from the Tigers. LSU has won two straight and is coming off an impressive 82-60 win over Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Texas-Pan American at Houston 8:00 PM ET
Houston opens a five-game homestand when it hits the hardwood for the first time in nine days and hosts Texas-Pan American on Thursday. The Cougars have played just three games in Kelvin Sampson’s first season as coach and were routed 84-63 by Harvard on Nov. 25 in their most recent outing. The Broncs will be playing their seventh contest and are coming off a convincing 78-60 victory over North Dakota on Saturday.
DePaul at Chicago St. 8:05 PM ET
DePaul aims for a third consecutive win when it travels across the city to face Chicago State on Thursday. It's a quick turnaround for the Blue Demons, who are coming off a 78-67 home win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday. The Cougars aren't likely to provide much of a test — they're 0-6 against NCAA Division I competition and have been outscored by an average of 23.9 points in those contests.
Arkansas at Iowa St. 9:00 PM ET
Arkansas looks to maintain its perfect start Thursday when the No. 21 Razorbacks visit No. 19 Iowa State in SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup of two teams that rarely need a shot clock. Arkansas, off to its best start since 1997-98, was ranked fourth in the nation in scoring at 90 points per game entering Wednesday. The contest features two of the top big men in the country in Arkansas’ Bobby Portis and Iowa State’s Georges Niang, who is averaging 18.2 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Texas Christian at Mississippi 9:00 PM ET
TCU took down Mississippi State in the championship game of the Corpus Christi Classic on Saturday and will try to make it a clean sweep of SEC schools from that state when it visits Ole Miss on Thursday. The Horned Frogs are dominating on the defensive end and are off to a 7-0 start after dropping 19 in a row to end last season. The Rebels have won five straight since dropping their opener in overtime and took the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday.
San Diego at San Diego St. 11:00 PM ET
Not many teams move up in the rankings following a loss, but No. 14 San Diego State did just that after falling 61-59 to Arizona last week. The Aztecs on Thursday look to bounce back from their first loss when they host crosstown rival San Diego, which is beginning an eight-day, three-game stretch that includes games against UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. The Toreros have dropped eight in a row to the Aztecs, but nearly pulled the upset last season before losing 65-64.