Preview Roundups
March 08, 2017
Miami-Florida at Syracuse 12:00 PM ET
With neither team yet certain of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday, Syracuse and Miami (Fla.) should be emotionally charged when they clash in a second-round ACC tournament matchup on Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y. While most prognosticators have the Hurricanes solidly in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field and the Orange as one of the last teams in, Wednesday's winner will be in a much more comfortable position than the loser.
Clemson at Duke 2:00 PM ET
Fifth-seeded Duke begins its quest for a record 20th ACC tournament title after an eventful regular season when it takes on 12th seed Clemson in a second-round game Wednesday at Brooklyn, N.Y. The 14th-ranked Blue Devils lost three - all on the road - of their final four games while hampered by some nagging injuries and coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters he is hoping they will be at their best in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Stanford at Arizona State 3:00 PM ET
Arizona State aims for its third win of the season over Stanford on Wednesday when the teams meet in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. The eighth-seeded Sun Devils beat ninth-seeded Stanford 98-93 in Palo Alto to start the league season on Dec. 30 before posting a come-from-behind 75-69 win on Feb. 11 in Tempe.
Penn St. at Nebraska 4:30 PM ET
No. 12 Nebraska looks to bounce back from its worst home loss in program history when it opens the Big Ten Tournament against 13th-seeded Penn State in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The Cornhuskers started conference play with three straight wins for the first time in over 40 years but went 3-12 the rest of the way, including a 93-57 setback to Michigan in the regular-season finale, to finish below .500 for the third consecutive year.
Oregon St. at California 5:30 PM ET
California sits squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. The fifth-seeded Bears closed the regular season by losing five of their final six games and likely need at least two wins this week to secure a spot in the Big Dance.
Rutgers at Ohio St. 7:00 PM ET
A loss in the regular-season finale dropped Ohio State to the first round of the Big Ten tournament, and the Buckeyes know what they need to do in order to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row: Run the table in Washington, D.C. That unlikely quest begins Wednesday when 11th-seed Ohio State faces 14th-seeded Rutgers.
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ET
Four days after Wake Forest visited Virginia Tech and walked away with a crucial win, the Demon Deacons seek a repeat performance when they take on the Hokies in the second round of the ACC tournament Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y. Wake Forest rallied for an 89-84 victory in the regular-season finale in Blacksburg, Va. on Saturday in a triumph that many felt gave Danny Manning's team a good shot at an at-large bid in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown at St. John's 7:00 PM ET
Georgetown and St. John's closed the regular season in disappointing fashion, but one of the teams will extend its season by another day when they collide Wednesday in the first round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden. Defending national champion Villanova, the top seed in this event, awaits the winner between the eighth-seeded Red Storm and ninth-seeded Hoyas.
Oklahoma at Texas Christian 7:00 PM ET
TCU spent most of the first part of the season making a case for the NCAA Tournament and the last month ruining its strong start, so perhaps it is appropriate it faces the team that put the last nail in its coffin. The eighth-seeded Horned Frogs look to halt a long losing streak in the first round of the Big 12 tournament Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo., when it faces No. 9 seed Oklahoma for the second time in less than a week with a quarterfinal date versus top-ranked Kansas awaiting the winner.
Louisiana State at Mississippi St. 7:00 PM ET
Mississippi State used a 12-point win over LSU in its regular-season finale to end a seven-game losing skid and the 12th-seeded Bulldogs will look to use another triumph Wednesday over the 13th seed Tigers to stay alive after the first round of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. LSU comes in on the heels of a dismal season that has reportedly resulted in the firing of coach Johnny Jones.
Pittsburgh at Virginia 9:00 PM ET
Sixth-seeded Virginia appeared to be fading late in the regular season, but it has rebounded to come into its ACC tournament second-round game against 14th seed Pittsburgh on Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y. with a three-game winning streak. The 21st-ranked Cavaliers have sandwiched triumphs over North Carolina State and Pittsburgh around a confidence-building 53-43 victory against ACC regular-season champ North Carolina.
Texas at Texas Tech 9:00 PM ET
Texas Tech coach Chris Beard and Texas coach Shaka Smart both voiced similar sentiments about bouncing back from tough stretches after their final regular-season games. With a date against No. 2 seed West Virginia awaiting the winner, the seventh-seeded Red Raiders and the 10th-seeded Longhorns will find out which club is up for the challenge when they meet in the first round of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo. on Wednesday.
Washington St. at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
Colorado and Washington State are meeting in the
opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament for the second straight season as the
seventh-seeded Buffaloes and 10th-seeded Cougars clash Wednesday
night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. And most, if not all, of the current
trends favor higher-seeded Colorado.
Missouri at Auburn 9:00 PM ET
Just four days after they met in the regular-season finale, 14th-seeded Missouri and 11th-seeded Auburn square off again Wednesday in the opening round of the SEC tournament in Nashville. Auburn claimed an 89-78 home victory over Missouri on Saturday to set up the rematch, with the winner advancing to face sixth-seeded Ole Miss on Thursday.
DePaul at Xavier 9:30 PM ET
By playing for the second in time less than a week, No. 7 seed Xavier and 10th-seeded DePaul help open the Big East Tournament Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The Musketeers halted a six-game losing streak with a 79-65 road victory Saturday against the Blue Demons, but could use a couple more victories to improve their chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
Washington at Southern California 11:30 PM ET
USC and Washington will play for the second time in four days when they meet in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas. The sixth-seeded Trojans beat visiting Washington 74-58 on Saturday in the regular-season finale, but the 11th-seeded Huskies were without Pac-12 scoring leader Markelle Fultz, who missed the last three games overall and remains questionable for the tournament opener because of a sore knee.