Preview Roundups
December 08, 2018
Wichita St. at Oklahoma 12:00 PM ET
Wichita State will face its toughest challenge of the season Saturday when it takes on Oklahoma at Chesapeake Energy Arena - the home of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. This Wichita State team will look considerably different than the one the Sooners played a season ago, as senior Samajae Haynes-Jones is the lone Shocker on the roster that participated in the 91-83 Oklahoma win last December.
Kentucky at Seton Hall 12:00 PM ET
Kentucky has been focused on getting better - especially on defense - during non-conference play while Seton Hall has been trying to find capable replacements for four players who helped last year’s senior class to a school-record 84 career wins and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. With no more mid-majors left on the schedule, each squad will see just how successful they were when the No. 8 Wildcats play the Pirates on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York Ci
Pittsburgh at West Virginia 12:00 PM ET
A revitalized Pittsburgh team may have gotten caught looking ahead against Niagara, while defensive-minded West Virginia coach Bob Huggins saved his fury for his offense after a brutal outing against Florida. Each school will look for a much better performance Saturday when the rivals meet in Morgantown, W. Va., in the 186th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
South Carolina at Michigan 12:00 PM ET
Fifth-ranked Michigan looks to continue its winning ways when it resumes non-conference play at home versus South Carolina on Saturday. The Wolverines won back-to-back Big Ten games, including a hard-fought 62-60 road victory against Northwestern on Tuesday, to stay unbeaten, and hope to extend their non-conference home winning streak to 17 games.
Michigan St at Florida 12:00 PM ET
Michigan State goes after its third straight victory and eighth in nine games when it visits Florida for a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon. The 10th-ranked Spartans are coming off a 90-68 rout of No. 19 Iowa on Monday, while the Gators have won two straight - including a 66-56 win over West Virginia in New York City on Tuesday.
DePaul at Northwestern 12:00 PM ET
Frustrated by a pair of two-point losses, Northwestern will look to take it out on Chicago-area rival DePaul Saturday at home. The Wildcats fell to Indiana and No. 5 Michigan in the last week in Big Ten matchups but will return to non-conference action to take on the Blue Demons.
UAB at Memphis 1:00 PM ET
Memphis looks to win two in a row for the first time this season when it hosts non-conference foe UAB on Saturday afternoon. Memphis topped South Dakota State 88-80 at home on Tuesday, while the Blazers come in on a three-game winning streak that included Tuesday's home victory over North Alabama.
Grambling State at Central Florida 1:00 PM ET
Central Florida opens a five-game homestand with a visit from Grambling State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon. The Tigers come in off an 81-57 rout of Centenary, while the Knights are looking to get another run going after their five-game winning streak came to a halt their last time out when they came up short to Missouri, 64-62, in overtime.
Brigham Young at Utah 2:00 PM ET
Utah got back in the win column a week ago following
a 1-2 Wooden Legacy Tournament showing. Saturday, though, presents another
tough neutral-site test as the Runnin’ Utes take on rival BYU in a Beehive
Classic matchup at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.
St. Joseph's at Villanova 2:00 PM ET
Villanova continues its run through Big 5 play Saturday when the 21st-ranked Wildcats host rival Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats have won their first two Big 5 games over La Salle and Temple, and will continue their Philadelphia area round-robin against a Hawks team that scored a season-high 92 points its last time out.
Xavier at Cincinnati 2:00 PM ET
Bitter neighborhood rivals Cincinnati and Xavier meet Saturday for the 86th time in the annual Crosstown Shootout before a sellout crowd at newly renovated Fifth Third Arena. The game between schools located two miles apart is known for its fireworks, including last year's confrontation in the handshake line after Xavier's 89-76 victory between Bearcats coach Mike Cronin and former Musketeers player J.P. Macura.
Colgate at Penn St. 2:00 PM ET
Penn State's initial foray into Big Ten action yielded a pair of narrow losses and limited success on the offensive end of the floor. The Nittany Lions will try to get some points on the board when they step back into non-conference play with a matchup against visiting Colgate on Saturday.
UNLV at Illinois 2:00 PM ET
With six losses in its last seven games and currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Illinois is in dire need of a win. The Fighting Illini, who opened Big Ten play with back-to-back losses at Nebraska (75-60) and Wednesday to No. 17 Ohio State (77-67) at the United Center in Chicago, play just their fourth game of the season on their home floor when they host UNLV on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers at Fordham 2:30 PM ET
Rutgers performed well during a daunting three-game stretch and hopes to earn a victory Saturday when it visits Fordham in non-league action. The Scarlet Knights won at Miami (Fla.) last week before battling admirably in losses to nationally-ranked foes Michigan State and Wisconsin.
Louisville at Indiana 2:30 PM ET
Chris Mack will face Indiana for the first time as Louisville's coach Saturday, but he's certainly familiar with the Hoosiers and their coach, Archie Miller, after serving as an assistant under Miller's brother, Sean, at Xavier. The teams are outside the Top 25 but looking for a signature win to catapult them into the rankings.
Georgetown at Syracuse 3:30 PM ET
Syracuse and Georgetown, a pair of long-time rivals, could be playing for the final time - at least for the foreseeable future. The former Big East foes meet Saturday when the Hoyas visit Syracuse.
Western Kentucky at Arkansas 3:30 PM ET
Arkansas forward Daniel Gafford is a potential NBA lottery pick but will be challenged Saturday when the Razorbacks host Western Kentucky. The 6-11 sophomore averages team bests of 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds as he braces for Hilltoppers freshman center Charles Bassey (13.8 points), who entered the week third nationally among freshmen in rebounding and leads Conference USA players with 9.6 boards and 2.4 blocks.
Tulane at South Alabama 4:00 PM ET
Shakwon Barrett came through with a big night to help Tulane snap a four-game losing streak, and the Green Wave look to carry that momentum into Saturday’s visit to South Alabama. Barrett, a 6-5 freshman guard who had scored fewer than 10 points in six of his first seven games, finished with 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting Wednesday as the Green Wave won for the first time since Nov. 19, downing Tennessee-Martin 87-74.
Clemson at Mississippi State 4:00 PM ET
Mississippi State looks to continue its impressive start to the season as it faces Clemson in Newark, N.J., on Saturday afternoon as part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic. The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs are shooting for their fifth consecutive win, while the Tigers snapped a two-game skid with a win over Saint Peter’s on Tuesday.
Loyola-Chicago at Maryland 4:00 PM ET
No. 23 Maryland looks to rebound from a pair of tough losses against ranked teams in the last three games when it hosts last season’s NCAA Tournament darling Loyola Chicago in a non-conference contest Saturday afternoon. The Terrapins suffered a 76-71 setback against No. 4 Virginia on Nov. 28 and coughed up a six-point lead in the second half at Purdue on Thursday in a 62-60 defeat.
Arkansas St. at Minnesota 4:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to build on one of its biggest wins of the season when it resumes non-conference action at home to Arkansas State on Saturday. The Golden Gophers beat No. 25 Nebraska 85-78 on Wednesday to salvage a split in their opening pair of Big Ten games following a 79-59 setback to 17th-ranked Ohio State and hope to stay on the right track by notching their fourth consecutive home win.
Houston at Oklahoma State 4:00 PM ET
Road-weary Oklahoma State has a tough test when it returns home for the first time in almost three weeks. The Cowboys - who have lost back-to-back road games by a combined 10 points - host undefeated Houston on Saturday afternoon.
Buffalo at St. Bonaventure 4:00 PM ET
It may not be facing the same team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, but No. 18 Buffalo should still be in for a tough time Saturday when hitting the road to take on St. Bonaventure. The Bulls defeated Division II Le Moyne on Wednesday behind a triple-double from CJ Massinburg but things will be much harder to come by against the Bonnies.
Kansas State at Tulsa 4:30 PM ET
Kansas State will try to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it travels to Tulsa on Saturday afternoon. The 15th ranked Wildcats, who have had a week to analyze their 83-71 setback at Marquette, lost to the Golden Hurricane last season on a neutral court in Wichita, Kan.
Northern Illinois at Butler 4:30 PM ET
Butler tries for its 48th consecutive non-conference home victory when Northern Illinois comes to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated Brown 70-55 on Wednesday in its first home game in nearly three weeks as they bounced back from a 64-52 loss at Saint Louis on Dec. 1 that marked their lowest scoring output of the season.
Wisconsin at Marquette 5:00 PM ET
No. 16 Wisconsin will look for its fourth straight victory Saturday when the Badgers go on the road to renew their intrastate rivalry with Marquette. These programs have rotated home games each season since 1981 with the Golden Eagles pulling out an 82-63 win in Madison last December – the fourth consecutive time the road team came away victorious.
Yale at Duke 5:30 PM ET
Third-ranked Duke turned up the heat on defense the last two games and will get much stiffer challenge Saturday when it hosts Yale, which is averaging 87.5 points per contest and owns a victory over Miami (Fla.). The Blue Devils held Stetson to 49 points and Hartford to 54 in its last two of a three-game winning streak after giving up fewer than 64 once in the first seven contests this season.
Boston College at Texas A&M 6:00 PM ET
Short-handed Texas A&M will try to add to its two-game winning streak when it hosts Boston College on Saturday evening. The Aggies have been playing without senior leader Admon Gilder and announced earlier this week sophomore forward Isiah Jasey left the program.
Creighton at Nebraska 6:00 PM ET
Nebraska failed to match its best nine-game start to a season in 15 years in its last time out, but a win in its next contest would go a long way in easing the pain because it would end a losing streak that feels like it has lasted just as long. The 25th-ranked Cornhuskers hope to rebound from a difficult road defeat when they return home Saturday and snap a seven-game skid against in-state rival Creighton.
Illinois-Chicago at Colorado 6:00 PM ET
In its seven games so far, Colorado has had six
different leading scorers. The balance has served the Buffaloes well, and they’ll
look for a fifth straight win Saturday when they welcome Illinois-Chicago to
Boulder.
Florida State at Connecticut 6:30 PM ET
Connecticut and No. 11 Florida State gear up to meet Saturday in Newark, N.J., in the third-annual Never Forget Tribute Classic, which helps the children of 9/11 victims pay for their education. Both schools come in off victories, with the Seminoles handling Troy 83-67 and the Huskies shutting down Lafayette 90-63.
Mississippi at Illinois St. 8:00 PM ET
It's rare for an SEC team to hit the road to play a mid-major team in non-conference play. But thanks to Twitter, that's what will happen on Saturday night when Ole Miss closes out a home-and-home with Illinois State on appropriately "Social Media Night" at Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill.
Nebraska Omaha at Oregon 8:00 PM ET
After falling out of the Top 25 with back-to-back losses, Oregon looks to regroup in time for Saturday’s matchup against visiting Omaha from the Summit League. The Ducks suffered a surprising 89-84 loss to Texas Southern before falling behind by 20 points early in last Saturday’s 65-61 loss at Houston.
Dayton at Auburn 8:30 PM ET
Auburn has used one of the most prolific offenses in the nation to win seven of its first eight games, but coach Bruce Pearl is also very pleased with his team’s defensive effort leading into Saturday’s non-conference home test against Dayton. The ninth-ranked Tigers shot 37 percent from the field in the first half and finished with a season low in points in Tuesday’s 67-41 victory over UNC Asheville, but they forced 25 turnovers and blocked 12 shots in pulling out the win.
New Mexico St. at Kansas 8:30 PM ET
In a season filled with slow starts and close finishes, No. 2 Kansas was able to pull off its largest margin of victory in its last game despite getting no production from its former leading scorer and losing one of its few big men to injury. The Jayhawks hope for a bounce-back effort from Lagerald Vick as they deal with the indefinite absence of Udoka Azubuike beginning Saturday when they face New Mexico State in the Jayhawk Shootout at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Notre Dame at UCLA 10:30 PM ET
Notre Dame travels coast to coast to visit a well-rested UCLA squad on Saturday evening after the Fighting Irish suffered their second loss of the season at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Bruins have won two straight in dominant fashion, with their most recent victory coming against Loyola Marymount on Sunday.
San Diego St. at California 10:30 PM ET
California coach Wyking Jones expected that his undersized team would struggle on the boards this season, and that’s certainly been the case early. After being outrebounded in each of its first seven games, the Bears look to end the streak Saturday against visiting San Diego State.