Preview Roundups
December 14, 2014
George Washington at Penn St. 12:00 PM ET
Penn State looks to extend its winning streak to eight games when it hosts George Washington on Sunday. The Nittany Lions have won nine of their first 10 games to match their best start since the 2000-01 season and are coming off a hard-fought 64-62 victory over in-state rival Duquesne. "I think these close games are helping us be more comfortable in uncomfortable situations," freshman guard Shep Garner told reporters. "We don't panic. We just tough it out and find ways to win."
St. Peter's at Seton Hall 12:00 PM ET
Seton Hall finally had its winning streak to start the season snapped at Wichita State on Tuesday but is looking to start another run when it hosts Saint Peter’s on Sunday. The Pirates cruised to seven straight wins beginning the season, including the last two by a combined 50 points before Tuesday’s setback. Freshman Isaiah Whitehead adds a new dimension to the offense and has scored at least 23 points in each of the last two contests.
Manhattan at Rutgers 12:00 PM ET
Some are projecting guard Myles Mack to be a second-round pick in the NBA Draft, but in the meantime the 5-10 senior continues to do it all for Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights prepare to meet Manhattan on Sunday in the MSG Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden in New York. "(Mack) does so many things for us," Scarlet Knights coach Eddie Jordan told reporters. "He keeps us organized, he scores when we need him, he makes free throws, he plays his butt off."
Binghamton at Boston College 1:00 PM ET
Boston College continues a lengthy homestand before conference play begins when it hosts a second straight America East opponent in the form of Binghamton on Sunday. The Eagles have turned around a bumpy start filled with challenging opponents by taking care of their first three opponents on the six-game homestand. Dennis Clifford scored a career-high 19 points and hauled in seven rebounds as Boston College held off a challenge from Maine to pick up an 85-74 win Thursday.
Fordham at St. John's 2:00 PM ET
St. John's looks for its fourth win in a row when it hosts Fordham as part of the MSG Holiday Festival on Sunday. The Red Storm followed up their big win over Syracuse with a 74-52 triumph against Fairleigh Dickinson and have reeled off five straight victories at home to start the new campaign. "I'm pleased that no sign of complacency is evident," coach Steve Lavin told reporters. "For four years we have moved in the right direction as a team, and we are continuing to climb the mountain."
Temple at Villanova 2:00 PM ET
The way it is looking now, nobody can stand in the way of No. 7 Villanova winning basketball games, not even Big Five rival Temple, which the Wildcats will host Saturday. The Wildcats made Illinois their latest victim Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to remain unbeaten, but still need two more victories to match last year's 11-0 start.
Prairie View A&M at Texas Tech 2:00 PM ET
Tubby Smith's second season in Lubbock already looks like it will be more successful than his first, as Texas Tech heads into Sunday's home matchup with Prairie View A&M with six wins already, nearly half the team's total of a year ago. The Red Raiders are doing it with defense, holding opponents to 60.3 points per game and 39.9 percent shooting from the field. That defense helps cover up for an offense that can struggle at times and is averaging 67.4 points.
Butler at Tennessee 2:00 PM ET
With wins in eight of its first nine games, No. 19 Butler looks to stay hot when it pays a visit to Tennessee on Sunday. The Bulldogs have won four straight overall and are carrying their highest national ranking since Feb. 11, 2013. Interim coach Chris Holtmann will hope to carry over some momentum from Butler's 93-51 rout of Kennesaw State on Monday - a performance that Holtmann felt coming, telling reporters, "I thought our guys had a really good approach and we noticed that in shootaround."
Alabama A&M at Virginia Tech 3:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech has had plenty of time to work out some of the issues that surfaced in another bad loss. The Hokies will put that work to the test Sunday against Alabama A&M in the second of five straight games at home. The beginning of the homestand last Sunday was a difficult one for Virginia Tech, which lost a six-point lead in the final two minutes to drop a 68-66 decision to regional foe Radford — the first time the Highlanders had defeated an ACC team in 25 tries.
Louisiana Tech at Syracuse 4:00 PM ET
While Syracuse continues to post pretty solid defensive statistics, the numbers on offense could be considered downright ugly as it hosts Louisiana Tech on Sunday. The Orange average 67.9 points - 13th in the 15-team ACC - and were second-to-last in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage entering Saturday at 21.1 percent. Syracuse tries to bounce back from a 69-57 loss to St. John's on Dec. 6 which snapped its 55-game non-conference home winning streak.
Auburn at Clemson 4:00 PM ET
Auburn has already lost on the road to two major-conference teams and is having a difficult time coming up with enough points to get over the top. Auburn will look for its first road win when it visits Clemson on Sunday. Clemson knocked off another SEC school, Arkansas, in overtime last week and found a star in senior guard Rod Hall, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the final minute of regulation and overtime.
Wofford at N.C. State 4:00 PM ET
North Carolina State is hoping to have leading scorer Trevor Lacey back when the Wolfpack hosts Wofford on Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum, the former longtime home arena of North Carolina State. Lacey rolled his ankle in practice earlier this week and missed Friday’s 86-50 victory over Charleston Southern. Lacey is averaging 16.8 points and also leads the team in assists (3.9) and is second in rebounds (5.5).
Jacksonville at Florida 4:00 PM ET
With an early-season wave of injuries now in the rear-view mirror and riding its first winning streak of the year, Florida hosts Jacksonville on Sunday, looking to continue its improved play. With key contributors Dorian Finney-Smith and Eli Carter now healthy and freshmen Chris Chiozza and Devin Robinson emerging as impact players, coach Billy Donovan feels like his team is finding its identity. "I think they're getting better at playing how we are trying to play offensively," he said.
Illinois St. at DePaul 4:00 PM ET
DePaul looks to bounce back from its second loss of the season Sunday when it hosts in-state neighbor Illinois State for its final home non-conference game. The Blue Demons hit the road for their next four, so coach Oliver Purnell would certainly like to leave town with a win under his belt rather than two straight losses. The Redbirds have won two of three, including a win at UAB on Dec. 7, and coach Dan Muller would like to build on that victory with another good showing.
Coppin St. at Connecticut 4:00 PM ET
Coach Kevin Ollie and Connecticut appear to be at a crossroads as they try to bounce back from a third straight loss when Coppin State visits the XL Center in Hartford on Sunday. The Huskies experienced the highest of highs after winning the national championship last April, and tasted the lowest of the lows Dec. 5 after a stunning 45-44 loss to Yale provided UConn a second consecutive loss in the final seconds. "We are at the bottom right now, " Ollie said after the defeat.
Marshall at West Virginia 4:30 PM ET
West Virginia is not the most talented offensive team in the country, but a tenacious defense has led to a crisp 8-1 start to the season. The 21st-ranked Mountaineers take the court for the first time in a week Sunday when they face off with Marshall on a neutral court in Charleston, W.V. Coach Bob Huggins' team is ranked 267th in the nation in field-goal percentage (.410) but has used a press defense to generate some additional offense, as was the case last weekend against Northern Kentucky.
Southern at Iowa St. 6:00 PM ET
With an offense that seems to be clicking on all cylinders, No. 13 Iowa State takes aim at Southern in Sunday's home contest. The Cyclones rank in the top 20 in the nation in scoring (84.4), field-goal percentage (49.9) and free-throw percentage (75.6). They have scored at least 90 points five times this season, including Friday's 15-point win at Iowa in which they won without suspended star Bryce Dejean-Jones.
NC-Wilmington at Louisville 6:00 PM ET
UNC Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts will return to the place where he served as an associate coach the previous three seasons when his Seahawks visit No. 4 Louisville on Sunday evening. Keatts took the head-coaching position at UNC Wilmington last March, inheriting a program that combined for a 29-64 record the last three seasons. He’ll face a Kentucky team that’s second in the nation in rebounding (47.0) and fourth in steals (11.25).
Samford at Wake Forest 6:00 PM ET
In dire need of a victory, Wake Forest should be in position to get one Sunday when it faces visiting Samford. The Demon Deacons dropped three straight games and five out of their last seven, and things may get worse before they get better. With the recent departure of sophomore Miles Overton, who will likely transfer, coach Danny Manning is left with four scholarship guards and only three of those have made significant contributions this season.
Savannah State at Kansas St. 6:00 PM ET
Kansas State will try to improve on one of the worst offensive showings in school history when its hosts Savannah State on Sunday night. The Wildcats come in off a 50-47 victory over Bradley on Tuesday night that was one for the record books but not in a good way for Bruce Weber's squad. Kansas State managed three field goals while falling behind, 19-18, at halftime to the Braves, tying a school record for fewest points in a first half for the Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum.
Mississippi Valley State at Northwestern 6:00 PM ET
Northwestern looks to end a three-game losing streak and gain momentum for Big Ten Conference play when it starts a five-game homestand against struggling Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. The Wildcats have dropped consecutive games against Northern Iowa, Georgia Tech and Butler while averaging 52 points. Northwestern must improve its 40-percent shooting, but it has held 14 straight opponents under 70 points – the second longest streak in the nation behind Virginia (15).
Eastern Washington at Washington 8:00 PM ET
Having played mostly West Coast teams, No. 17 Washington has yet to receive the respect an unbeaten record would normally generate, but that could soon change provided the Wildcats get past surprising Eastern Washington Saturday. Lorenzo Romar's team has been off for a week since defeating No. 13 San Diego State, which they held to 10 made field goals and 36 points.
Oakland at Michigan St 8:00 PM ET
Michigan State ends an eight-day break for final exams with a home game against Oakland on Sunday night. It's the first of a four-game stretch over nine days for the No. 23 Spartans who then take an eight-day break over Christmas before opening Big Ten play at home against Maryland. Michigan State also hosts Eastern Michigan (Wednesday), Texas Southern (Saturday) and The Citadel (Dec. 22) before turning its focus onto conference play.