Preview Roundups
December 30, 2017
Wake Forest at North Carolina 12:00 PM ET
No. 14 North Carolina went into the Christmas break after a strong performance and hopes to duplicate that effort when it opens ACC play with a home contest against Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels were shocked at home by Wofford on Dec. 20, but came back three days later to drain 13-of-25 from 3-point range to roll past Ohio State 86-72 in New Orleans.
Brown at Northwestern 12:00 PM ET
Northwestern looks to bounce back from a humbling loss when it concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule at home against Brown on Saturday. The Wildcats saw their four-game winning streak come to an abrupt end with a 104-78 setback to 12th-ranked Oklahoma on Dec. 22 and hope to get back on track after surrendering more than 100 points for the first time since 1995.
Miami (OH) at Ohio St. 12:00 PM ET
Despite coming off its first sub-20-win season since 2003-04 and losing four scholarship players, Ohio State first-year coach Chris Holtmann hasn't backed off during the non-conference schedule. The Buckeyes, coming off an 86-72 loss to then-No. 4 North Carolina last Saturday, are poised to return to Big Ten play after the new year but first must focus during a home tilt against in-state foe Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
Wichita St. at Connecticut 12:00 PM ET
A new era dawns for No. 10 Wichita State as the Shockers visit Connecticut on Saturday afternoon in their first American Athletic Conference game following a 72-year run in the Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State bounced back from a 91-83 loss to No. 12 Oklahoma and freshman sensation Trae Young with a pair of lackluster come-from-behind home victories over Arkansas State 89-80 on Dec. 19 and Florida Gulf Coast 75-65 on Dec. 22.
Tennessee at Arkansas 1:00 PM ET
The SEC tips off conference play this weekend, and the marquee matchup will take place in Fayetteville, Ark., with No. 20 Tennessee visiting the unranked but on-a-roll Razorbacks. The teams are a combined 19-4 so far and both are ranked among the nation’s elite in the current NCAA RPI with the Volunteers sitting eighth and Arkansas holding down the 13t
Coppin St. at Penn St. 1:00 PM ET
Penn State will try to bounce back from a damaging non-conference loss when it hosts Coppin State - one of the nation's six winless teams - on Saturday in a final tune-up before returning to Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions will have had more than a week to digest a 71-70 home loss to Rider on a buzzer beater, and they need a complete effort before the schedule begins to intensify.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame 2:00 PM ET
Notre Dame begins ACC play with a home game Saturday against Georgia Tech, and coach Mike Brey hopes the Fighting Irish can continue their stellar guard play of late. The Irish won 10 of their 13 non-conference games thanks in part to the play of T.J. Gibbs, Rex Pfluger and Matt Farrell, who combined for 52 points in a Dec. 21 victory over Southeastern Louisiana and who have smoothly conducted an offense ranked second in the nation for fewest turnovers per game.
Oklahoma at Texas Christian 2:00 PM ET
No. 8 TCU will try to extend the nation's longest win streak against much tougher competition as Big 12 Conference play begins this weekend. It starts Saturday with a visit from 12th-ranked Oklahoma and one of the nation's top players in Trae Young.
Florida State at Duke 2:00 PM ET
In a sign of just how tough the ACC is this season, No. 3 Duke looks to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play when it hosts 25th-ranked Florida State on Saturday. It’s the conference opener for the Seminoles, who are set to face ranked opponents in their first three ACC contests.
Boston College at Virginia 2:00 PM ET
No. 9 Virginia has rebounded from its lone loss of the season with three straight runaway wins. The Cavaliers will try to carry that success into ACC play when they begin their conference slate at home against surging Boston College on Saturday.
Harvard at Minnesota 2:00 PM ET
Despite holding a 22-point lead at the break en route to a 35-point victory its last time out, Minnesota held its collective breath for most of the second half and in the hours that followed awaiting an injury update on Nate Mason. With the status of their high-scoring senior guard still unclear one week later, the Golden Gophers hit the court for their final non-conference game on Saturday when they host Harvard.
DePaul at Xavier 2:00 PM ET
As its 2016-17 campaign appeared to be headed for disaster, a pair of double-digit victories in March against DePaul helped Xavier get back on track just in time to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. This season's team seems unlikely to need a late lift, however, as the fifth-ranked Musketeers seek a ninth straight win Saturday when they host the Blue Demons.
Cornell at Auburn 3:30 PM ET
Auburn has enjoyed a smooth run through non-conference play and aims to end this part of its schedule with a win Saturday against visiting Cornell. The Tigers lost to Temple in November but have won their other 11 non-league games, capped by a 25-point rout of Connecticut last weekend.
NC State at Clemson 4:00 PM ET
Clemson rolls into its ACC opener at home Saturday against North Carolina State on a seven-game winning streak, and the Tigers’ defense has led the way to 11 victories in 12 games to start the season. Clemson, which allowed 71.4 points per game a season ago, ranks 21st in the country in scoring defense at 62.7 points per game, and has surrendered 60 points or fewer four times during its current winning streak.
Vanderbilt at Florida 4:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt hopes to continue its recent hot shooting stretch and extend success in the series when it plays at Florida on Saturday afternoon in the SEC season opener for both. The Commodores averaged 86.5 points and made 29 shots from beyond the arc while routing two mid-majors before the Christmas break and go for a sixth straight win against Florida.
Miami-Florida at Pittsburgh 4:00 PM ET
Fresh off victories in their last non-conference affairs, No. 16 Miami and Pittsburgh get their ACC slates under way with a Saturday afternoon matchup at the Panthers home arena. The Hurricanes rebounded from their only loss of the season last time out, defeating Middle Tennessee 84-81 on Christmas Day in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, while the Panthers come off a 63-59 victory over Towson that ran their winning streak to three.
Grand Canyon at Illinois 4:00 PM ET
Illinois plays its final non-conference game prior to the resumption of the Big Ten season when it hosts Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Illini have been off for a week since topping Missouri in St. Louis on Dec. 23, while the Antelopes are coming off their highest-scoring effort of the season, a 100-74 rout of Morgan State in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Massachusetts Lowell at Wisconsin 4:00 PM ET
Wisconsin will try to maintain some rare momentum
Saturday when it closes out nonconference play with a home date with UMass
Lowell. The Badgers have won a season-best three straight since a Dec. 9 loss
to Marquette, and will delve back into Big Ten play next Tuesday against
Indiana.
Villanova at Butler 4:00 PM ET
Villanova's offense is trending in the right direction and is clearly a Final Four contender once again. The Wildcats hold the No. 1 spot in the rankings and will need to play well to maintain that position, beginning with Saturday's clash at Butler.
Georgetown at Marquette 4:30 PM ET
Georgetown is still in search for its first win over a good team, something it hopes it can get in Saturday's Big East contest at Marquette. The Hoyas blew a 20-point lead in falling in double overtime to Butler, and will need to regroup against the Golden Eagles, who lost a nail-biter of their own to No. 5 Xavier to open conference play.
North Florida at Mississippi State 5:00 PM ET
Mississippi State has rolled through the non-conference schedule and looks to continue that trend with one more game against visiting North Florida on Saturday. The Bulldogs have opened the season with 11 wins in 12 games.
Texas A&M at Alabama 6:00 PM ET
After an impressive run through the non-conference schedule, No. 6 Texas A&M opens SEC play Saturday at Alabama. The Crimson Tide will be the first Power Five opponent for the Aggies since a 67-64 loss to Arizona on Dec. 5 marked their only setback thus far.
Temple at Houston 6:00 PM ET
Visiting Temple will have plenty to worry about against a well-rounded Houston squad in Saturday's American Athletic Conference meeting. Houston senior guard Rob Gray, who once again leads the league in scoring, isn't the only playmaker for the Cougars.
Jacksonville at Michigan 6:00 PM ET
Michigan looks to continue its winning ways when it concludes non-conference play at home versus Jacksonville on Saturday. The Wolverines have won four consecutive games, including a 97-47 victory against Alabama A&M on Dec. 21, and hope to stay unbeaten at Crisler Center in their first-ever meeting with the Dolphins.
Santa Clara at Gonzaga 7:00 PM ET
Junior guard Josh Perkins was one of the key reasons Gonzaga made a run to the NCAA Championship game last season, forming one of the nation's top backcourts with West Coast Conference Player of the Year Nigel Williams-Goss. With Williams-Goss, a second round pick of the Utah Jazz, moving on to play professionally in Serbia, the Bulldogs, who host Santa Clara on Saturday, are turning to Perkins to be their floor leader in an effort to win their 17th regular-season conference title in 18 years.
Lipscomb at Purdue 8:00 PM ET
Purdue coach Matt Painter wanted sophomore guard Carsen Edwards, the only freshman in the Big Ten last season to record at least 45 3-pointers and 35 steals, to become a more efficient player this season. With the 6-0 shooting guard averaging 23.7 points over the last three contests, Edwards and the 13th-ranked Boilermakers seek a ninth straight victory when Lipscomb visits on Thursday to conclude non-conference play.
Arizona State at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
The early battle for supremacy in the Pac-12 takes place Saturday in Tucson as No. 4 Arizona State visits 18th-ranked Arizona in the conference opener for both teams. One of three remaining unbeaten teams in Division 1, the high-scoring Sun Devils have relied on their explosive backcourt to become the most surprising story in college basketball.
California at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
Two teams eager to turn the page meet Saturday as California visits Stanford in the Pac-12 opener for both squads. The Bears finished nonconference play with a losing record for the first time since 2003-04, while the Cardinal struggled through a challenging schedule without injured wings Dorian Pickens and Marcus Sheffield.