Preview Roundups
November 11, 2018
St. Francis (NY) at Boston College 1:00 PM ET
Boston College head coach Jim Christian was happy his team had to pass some tests in its first game of the season, but he will probably want a more even performance when the Eagles host St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday. Christian's team trailed by 13 points early in the second half against Milwaukee on Tuesday before outscoring the Panthers by a whopping 46-13 margin the rest of the way.
Army at Duke 1:00 PM ET
Another crop of outstanding freshmen put on a show in its debut for third-ranked Duke, and now it brings the performance in front of the home crowd. The Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium for their home opener against Army on Sunday.
East Tennessee St. at Creighton 1:30 PM ET
Creighton coach Greg McDermott knew it would take time to replace star guards Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas. The Bluejays struggled for much of their season-opening win against Western Illinois - a team picked to finish near the bottom of the Summit League - but will look to make some progress Sunday when they host East Tennessee State in the Cayman Islands Classic.
George Washington at Virginia 2:00 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Virginia looks to build off its impressive opener as it welcomes winless George Washington on Sunday afternoon. Junior guard Ty Jerome scored 20 on a career-high six 3-pointers as the Cavaliers were finally able to think about something other than last season’s historic loss to No. 16 UMBC in the NCAA Tournament.
Southern Miss at Southern Methodist 3:00 PM ET
SMU will continue to lean on its experienced players as it prepares to host former Conference USA foe Southern Miss on Sunday. Graduate transfer guard Nat Dixon made his presence felt early in his SMU debut, recording 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Florida Atlantic at Central Florida 3:00 PM ET
Central Florida showed its maturity with a solid opening night victory and looks for continued progress Sunday afternoon when it hosts Florida Atlantic, which also opened the season with an impressive win. Senior guard B.J. Taylor, who has been hampered by injuries the last two seasons, scored a team-high 22 points and two experienced newcomers added double-doubles in UCF’s 84-70 over Rider last Tuesday.
Drexel at Rutgers 3:00 PM ET
Rutgers will look to win its second straight to start the 2018-19 season when it hosts Drexel for a non-conference contest Sunday. The Scarlet Knights routed Fairleigh Dickinson 90-55 in their season opener Friday, while the Dragons dropped a close 66-62 decision at Eastern Michigan.
Green Bay at Iowa 3:00 PM ET
Iowa hosts Green Bay in the preliminary round of the 2K Empire Classic on Sunday. Prized recruit Joe Wieskamp scored a team-high 15 points in his college debut as the Hawkeyes overcame a sluggish start to beat Missouri-Kansas City 77-63 in their season opener and hope for a more polished performance as they aim to extend their nonconference home winning streak to 12 games.
Southeastern Louisiana at Nebraska 4:00 PM ET
Optimism has been running high in Nebraska following its fourth-place finish in the Big Ten last season and its first Top-25 ranking since 2014 to begin the 2018-19 campaign, and it did nothing to diminish the rising expectations the program has for itself in a season-opening rout. Coming off their largest margin of victory in over a century, the 25th-ranked Cornhuskers host Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday in the second of two regional games as part of the Hall of Fame Classic.
Purdue Fort Wayne at Ohio St. 4:00 PM ET
After an impressive road win in a tough environment to begin the season, Ohio State returns to Columbus for its home opener Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne. Coach Chris Holtmann began his second season at Ohio State with the school's first win at Cincinnati since the schools last met in the Queen City in 1920.
Lamar at East Carolina 4:00 PM ET
Done in by a buzzer beater Friday, East Carolina will have a quick turnaround to its non-conference game Sunday against visiting Lamar. The Pirates, who will meet the Cardinals for the first time, took their only lead of the second half with nine seconds remaining Friday against James Madison, only to see a last-second shot send them to their first defeat.
Hartford at Mississippi State 5:00 PM ET
No. 19 Mississippi State celebrated its return to the preseason rankings for the first time since 2009-10 with a romp over Austin Peay on Friday. The Bulldogs will go for two in a row to start the season when they host Hartford in the MGM Resorts Main Event on Sunday.
UMKC at Connecticut 5:00 PM ET
With a showdown coming up next week in Madison Square Garden against former Big East rival Syracuse, Connecticut coach Dan Hurley understands he doesn't have a lot of time to develop the same kind of ability to finish games that his teams with Wagner and Rhode Island had. The first-year Huskies coach will attempt to build on his team's season-opening win when they host their final on-campus game of the 2K Empire Classic Sunday against Missouri-Kansas City.
Oral Roberts at Texas Christian 5:00 PM ET
No. 21 TCU probably won't use much zone defense when it hosts Oral Roberts on Sunday. The Horned Frogs went to the zone twice in their opener and gave up 3-pointers to Cal State Bakersfield.
Cal Poly SLO at Arizona 5:00 PM ET
Arizona began the season with questions about its
interior presence following the departures of big men Deandre Ayton and Dusan
Ristic, but Duke transfer Chase Jeter appears ready to fill the void. The 6-10
center looks to build on his impressive season opener when the Wildcats face
visiting Cal Poly on Sunday.
Florida Gulf Coast at Michigan St 6:00 PM ET
Michigan State looks to bounce back from a loss to top-ranked Kansas when it hosts Florida Gulf Coast in its home opener Sunday night. The No. 10 Spartans fought back but fell 92-87 to the Jayhawks, while the Eagles are coming off their first victory of the season, 81-54 over NAIA member Southeastern.
Florida State at Tulane 7:00 PM ET
No. 15 Florida State renews an old conference rivalry when it visits Tulane on Sunday. It’s the only true road game of the non-conference slate for the Seminoles, who haven’t played at Tulane since the teams were Metro Conference rivals in 1990.
Appalachian St. at Alabama 7:00 PM ET
Alabama knows it has to spread the scoring load among multiple players this season after Collin Sexton opted for the NBA, but so far so good through one game as the Crimson Tide prepare to host Appalachian State on Sunday as part of the Charleston Classic. Six Alabama players scored eight or more points in a season-opening 82-62 victory Tuesday over Southern, even more impressive considering two key returners – Riley Norris and Dazon Ingram – did not play due to injuries.
Nicholls State at Washington St. 7:00 PM ET
Fifth-year coach Ernie Kent told reporters he is encouraged by where his team is, but even more encouraged by where it can be when Washington State opens the season with a matchup against visiting Nicholls on Sunday. The Cougars return just one double-figure scorer from a 12-win team, but bring in a host of talented newcomers and have a new style that Kent said will be entertaining after scoring 138 points in an exhibition last Sunday.
Vanderbilt at Southern California 9:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt and USC both won their openers thanks to big contributions from highly-touted freshman guards. Both Darius Garland of the Commodores and Kevin Porter Jr. are considered potential NBA lottery picks and make Sunday night's matchup between the teams at the Galen Center a must-watch for NBA fans and scouts.