Preview Roundups
December 20, 2016
Eastern Washington at Xavier 6:30 PM ET
No. 17 Xavier looks to extend its winning streak against non-conference opponents at home to 30 games when Eastern Washington pays a visit to the Cintas Center on Tuesday night. The Musketeers improved to 6-0 at home with a 69-65 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday as leading scorer Trevon Bluiett drained three late free throws to help seal a second straight win.
East Carolina at NC-Wilmington 6:30 PM ET
East Carolina looks to snap a two-game losing streak while fixing its struggling offense when it visits UNC Wilmington on Tuesday. The Pirates averaged only 44 points in their last two outings shooting while shooting a dismal 30 percent from the floor.
North Dakota State at Arkansas 7:00 PM ET
Dusty Hannahs may not like coming off the bench, but being part of one of the top reserve units in the country isn't a bad consolation prize. Hannahs and his Arkansas teammates seek their seventh consecutive victory Tuesday as they welcome North Dakota State.
Georgia at Georgia Tech 7:00 PM ET
When Georgia plays at Georgia Tech on Tuesday in a matchup of in-state rivals, it will provide an opportunity for each team’s post stars to continue their outstanding early season. Georgia’s Yante Maten and Georgia Tech’s Ben Lammers have excelled through the first six weeks of the campaign, and each will be key for their team’s chances to earn a year’s worth of Peach State bragging rights.
Youngstown St. at Ohio St. 7:00 PM ET
After slowing down one of the top offenses in the country in Las Vegas, Ohio State will try to keep it going defensively — and come up with a win this time — when it returns home for an in-state contest against Youngstown State on Tuesday. The Buckeyes held No. 2 UCLA to 10 points under its season average, but it still wasn’t enough in an 86-73 loss Saturday.
Northern Illinois at South Florida 7:00 PM ET
USF, after splitting two games in which it played one good half in each, will look to put together a complete performance when it hosts Northern Illinois on Tuesday night. After the Bulls rallied from a 19-point deficit with a spirited second-half comeback in a 79-73 overtime win over Bethune-Cookman, they led then-No. 15 South Carolina 37-31 at halftime on Saturday before allowing 46 points in the second half of a 77-66 loss.
Radford at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
West Virginia completes its final preparations this week for what is expected to be a challenging Big 12 Conference season when it hosts Radford on Tuesday in a matchup of extremes when it comes to ball-handling. The No. 12 Mountaineers were ranked fifth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.82 through Sunday's games and their "Press Virginia" defense should wreak havoc on the Highlanders, who are among the worst with 124 assists and 169 turnovers this season.
Mississippi Valley State at Iowa St. 7:00 PM ET
Iowa State has its final tuneup before beginning Big 12 play next week when its hosts Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday night. The Cyclones, who have won just two of their last five games after knocking off in-state rival Drake on Saturday, figure to claim their second straight win against the winless Delta Devils.
Charlotte at Maryland 7:00 PM ET

The grind of the Big Ten schedule is looming for Maryland, which faces its final non-conference test against Charlotte on Tuesday in Baltimore. Maryland is 10-2 all-time playing in Baltimore and won six straight in the Charm City, and the Terrapins won all three previous meeting with the 49ers. 

Southern at Nebraska 8:00 PM ET
Nebraska coach Tim Miles sounded like a man resigned to the fact he needed to go back to the drawing board if he has any hope of digging his team out of the malaise it has sunk into in December. Coming off a shocking home loss after yet another dismal offensive performance, the Cornhuskers will try to close out their non-conference schedule at .500 on Tuesday when they host Southern.
Indiana - Purdue at Northwestern 8:00 PM ET
Northwestern looks to continue its winning ways when it hosts IUPUI on Tuesday. The Wildcats held off Dayton 67-64 as part of the inaugural Chicago Legends doubleheader on Saturday to extend their winning streak to six games overall and they hope to continue their stellar play by notching their eighth straight home victory of the season.
Albany at Southern Methodist 8:00 PM ET
SMU aims for its sixth straight victory Tuesday when it hosts Albany one night after a thunderous victory over Stanford. The Mustangs led 48-19 at halftime against the Cardinal en route to a 72-49 rout, setting a high bar to reach for Tuesday's outing.
Maine at Providence 8:30 PM ET
Providence will try to finish up a lengthy stay at home with a perfect mark when it hosts Maine on Tuesday. The Friars are 5-0 on the six-game run at the Dunkin' Donuts Center and impressed once again in Saturday's 76-54 win over Wagner.
North Dakota at Iowa 9:00 PM ET
Iowa looks to win its fourth consecutive game when it hosts North Dakota on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes put a four-game losing skid in the rearview mirror by beating Stetson, then No. 25 Iowa State and Northern Iowa on Saturday to climb back over .500; they hope to continue their recent resurgence by improving to 6-2 in Iowa City this season.
Charleston Southern at Virginia Tech 9:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech is off to its best start in seven years, and coach Buzz Williams thinks he knows why. The Hokies seek a 12th straight home victory Tuesday when Charleston Southern visits Cassel Coliseum.
New Mexico at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
Arizona will have its final tune-up before the start of Pac-12 play when the No. 18 Wildcats host New Mexico on Tuesday night. Arizona will have 10 days between Tuesday's game and its conference opener Dec. 30 at California, which could mark the return of starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, sidelined since Nov. 30 with a high ankle sprain.
Creighton at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Creighton overwhelmed the majority of its first 10 opponents with a high-powered offense, but the Bluejays proved their last time out that they can call upon their defense when necessary. No. 9 Creighton attempts to complete its non-conference schedule with a perfect record and match its best start since 2003-04 on Tuesday when it visits Arizona State.
Texas A&M CC at St. Mary's 10:00 PM ET
Saint Mary's enters the homestretch of its non-conference schedule when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday as the No. 19 Gaels strive to do even better defensively. Saint Mary's was one of 14 teams nationally through Sunday's games to limit their opponents to fewer than 60 points per contest (59.9) after its 73-51 victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday, but coach Randy Bennett wants more from his defense while admitting that will probably always be the case.
Fresno St. at Oregon 11:00 PM ET
After a few unexpected speed bumps, No. 22 Oregon is beginning to resemble the team that was expected to improve on last season’s Elite Eight appearance. The Ducks play their final Pac-12 tune-up on Tuesday against visiting Fresno State, which has won three in a row following an 84-81 loss at Marquette.
Cal Poly SLO at Washington 11:00 PM ET
Washington, which snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday behind a near triple-double by star freshman guard Markelle Fultz, will try to make it two in a row on Tuesday night when it hosts Cal Poly. The 6-foot-4 Fultz, considered a sure-fire NBA lottery pick next spring and a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick, had 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, including 10 points in the final six minutes, in the Huskies' 92-86 win against Western Michigan.