Preview Roundups
February 04, 2017
Purdue at Maryland 12:00 PM ET
No. 17 Maryland is off to its best start in program history with three freshmen in the starting lineup and looks to remain atop the Big Ten when it hosts 24th-ranked Purdue on Saturday afternoon. The Terrapins have won seven straight and are deadlocked with Wisconsin for first place in the conference after what coach Mark Turgeon said was a gut-check win at Ohio State on Tuesday.
Seton Hall at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Seton Hall is still in search of its first Big East road win as it visits Georgetown on Saturday. The Pirates, who have dropped all five of their league road contests, lost five of their last six overall and need to finish strong to have any hopes of securing an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Texas at Texas Christian 1:00 PM ET
TCU will try for its first season sweep of Texas in 30 years when it
hosts the Longhorns Saturday afternoon. The Horned Frogs, who enter the
weekend in a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 Conference with Kansas
State, won the first meeting 64-61 in Austin on Jan. 11.
Pittsburgh at Duke 1:00 PM ET
With a critical stretch of games approaching, No. 21 Duke will have coach Mike Krzyzewski back on the sideline when it hosts Pittsburgh in an ACC matchup on Saturday. The Blue Devils are beginning a three-game homestand that will include visits by North Carolina and Clemson next week, but they first will have to contend with the struggling Panthers, who have dropped seven straight.
Georgia at South Carolina 2:00 PM ET
No. 20 South Carolina opened SEC play with five straight victories before losing to Kentucky but is rolling again as it enters Saturday’s home contest against Georgia with a three-game winning streak. The Gamecocks feature one of the top defenses in the nation, holding opponents to 60.9 points per game while limiting them to 63 or fewer in five of their last seven contests.
Tulane at East Carolina 2:00 PM ET
A pair of struggling American Athletic Conference teams square off when East Carolina hosts Tulane on Saturday. The Pirates were hammered at SMU last time out for their second straight loss while Tulane dropped six straight games.
Marquette at DePaul 2:00 PM ET
Marquette had a short stay on top of the mountain and now must grab hold of something before it hits rock bottom in Saturday's Big East game at DePaul. The Golden Eagles were handily beaten by St. John's on Wednesday in dropping their second game since upsetting then-No. 1 Villanova.
Mississippi at Vanderbilt 3:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt will try to continue its turnaround after an earlier four-game losing streak when it hosts Ole Miss in an SEC affair Saturday. The Commodores have won three of their last four since the four-game slide, including Tuesday's 68-54 victory at Texas A&M, their second straight triumph on the road.
Louisville at Boston College 3:00 PM ET
Louisville coach Rick Pitino talked about trying to find "silver linings" with any injury after his team's most recent victory, and it appears he might have found one after losing his top two point guards for the foreseeable future. Behind the recent scoring surge from sophomore Donovan Mitchell, the seventh-ranked Cardinals eye a seventh win in their last eight outings Saturday when they visit Boston College.
Miami-Florida at N.C. State 3:00 PM ET
ACC foes North Carolina State and Miami (Fla.) both will be looking to quickly erase memories of second-half meltdowns in their most recent losses when they meet for the second time this season in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday. The Wolfpack squandered an 18-point lead in the final 8:44 against Syracuse and suffered a painful 100-93 overtime defeat while No. 16 Florida State outscored the Hurricanes 44-23 in the final 20 minutes after trailing by three points at halftime and posted a 75-57 victory.
Georgia Tech at Wake Forest 3:00 PM ET
Georgia Tech travels to Wake Forest on Saturday for a matchup between teams whose postseason hopes are fueled by post players enjoying breakout seasons. Georgia Tech’s Ben Lammers leads the ACC in blocked shots and is second in rebounding, while Wake Forest’s John Collins is eighth in the conference in scoring, fifth in rebounding and third in blocks.
Kansas St. at Baylor 3:00 PM ET
Third-ranked Baylor begins the second half of Big 12 play a game behind first place Kansas after losing to the No. 2 Jayhawks 73-68 on Wednesday night at famed Allen Fieldhouse. The Bears, who already have a Feb. 18 rematch with Kansas in Waco circled on their calendar, will try to avoid a letdown after the tough loss when they host Kansas State on Saturday afternoon.
Xavier at Creighton 3:00 PM ET
Little did Xavier know when Creighton lost its starting point guard to a torn left ACL in their first meeting on Jan. 16 that it would be dealing with the exact same situation less than two weeks later. Two of the top teams in the Big East continue their quest to overcome season-ending injuries to their floor generals Saturday when the 25th-ranked Musketeers hit the road and try to avoid a regular-season sweep against the 22nd-ranked Bluejays.
Tennessee at Mississippi St. 3:30 PM ET
Red-hot Tennessee looks to keep rolling when it travels to face Mississippi State in an SEC contest Saturday afternoon. The Volunteers have won four straight, a streak started with a win over the Bulldogs, while Mississippi State is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, which includes a 27-point setback to rival Ole Miss on Tuesday.
Arizona at Oregon 4:00 PM ET
Allonzo Trier has returned just in time for fifth-ranked Arizona, which heads into Saturday’s Pac-12 showdown against No. 13 Oregon in Eugene riding a 15-game winning streak. The dynamic Trier is playing in his fifth game this season but has already proven to be a difference-maker for the Wildcats, who hold a one-game lead in the Pac-12 race over the Ducks.
Connecticut at Cincinnati 4:00 PM ET
Connecticut has won three games in a row for the first time this season but will be facing a team with a much more impressive streak when it travels to No. 14 Cincinnati on Saturday. The American Athletic Conference-leading Bearcats have won 13 consecutive games and 21 straight at home.
Minnesota at Illinois 4:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid when it hits the road to face Illinois on Saturday. The Golden Gophers have dropped five consecutive games, including an 85-78 loss to No. 17 Maryland on Jan. 28, to take the shine off their 15-2 start, and hope to get back on track by beating the Fighting Illini for the first time since a 79-71 victory on Jan. 24, 2015.
Utah at Stanford 4:30 PM ET
Utah looks to bounce back from a double-overtime loss to California on Saturday as the Utes conclude their Bay Area road trip against Stanford, which has lost three in a row following a three-game winning streak. The Utes’ 77-75 loss to Cal on Thursday dropped them into a tie for fifth in the Pac-12 with USC.
Oklahoma St. at West Virginia 5:00 PM ET
The first time Oklahoma State faced West Virginia this season, the Cowboys lost by 17 to kick off a six-game losing streak to open Big 12 play. Five weeks later, Oklahoma State is back from the dead with four straight wins, but Saturday's road date against the 12th-ranked Mountaineers will provide its toughest test yet.
Memphis at Central Florida 5:00 PM ET
Memphis looks to complete a regular-season sweep of host Central Florida, which will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak when the American Athletic Conference foes square off Saturday. The Tigers, who beat South Florida 85-75 on Wednesday and have won five of their last six contests, defeated UCF 70-65 on Jan. 25, while the Knights haven't won since and are coming off an 82-64 defeat at Houston.
Arkansas at Missouri 6:00 PM ET
Missouri hopes for an emotional boost that can help end its 13-game skid when it hosts Arkansas and former coach Mike Anderson in an SEC matchup on Saturday. The contest has been tabbed the “Rally For Rhyan Game” in honor of Rhyan Loos, the six-year-old daughter of Missouri coaching staff member Brad Loos, and her battle with pediatric cancer.
Ohio St. at Michigan 6:00 PM ET
Michigan looks to stay on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble when it hosts Ohio State in a crucial clash for both teams on Saturday. The Wolverines dropped a 70-62 decision to Michigan State on Jan. 29, but are still projected to be one of the last four teams in the tournament in ESPN's latest Bracketology, and they hope to get back into the win column by beating the Buckeyes for the fifth time in the last seven meetings.
Arizona State at Oregon St. 6:00 PM ET
Arizona State and Oregon State both played tough
but came up short Thursday against a pair of top-25 opponents. They’ll now
square off Saturday in Corvallis, Ore., as they try to shake their current doldrums.
St. Mary's at San Diego 7:00 PM ET
Saint Mary's tries to maintain focus as it defeats inferior West Coast Conference competition between Gonzaga meetings and must keep its head on straight for two more games beginning with Saturday's contest at San Diego. The No. 19 Gaels hung on for a 74-70 victory at Pacific on Thursday for their fifth straight victory and 14th in the last 15 games and can taste the opportunity that comes Feb. 11 when they try to exact revenge from the No. 1 Bulldogs for a 79-56 loss Jan. 14.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech 7:00 PM ET
A pair of struggling Big 12 teams meet Saturday night in Lubbock as Texas Tech hosts Oklahoma. The Red Raiders have lost three of their last four games following Wednesday night’s 62-58 defeat at Texas while the Sooners have dropped four straight and 11 of their last 13 to take up unfamiliar residence in the Big 12 basement.
Southern California at Washington St. 8:00 PM ET
USC is on the verge of rejoining the top 25, but the Trojans will certainly need a Pac-12 win Saturday night at Washington State to earn enough votes. That possibility grew substantially when 6-10 sophomore forward Bennie Boatwright returned to the team Wednesday following a two-month absence with a left knee injury and matched his career high with 23 points in an 82-74 win at Washington.
St. John's at Villanova 8:00 PM ET
Sometimes Jay Wright's analysis requires deep thought and well orchestrated insights, but other times - like after Wednesday's win over Providence - the Villanova coach can keep it simple. "Thank God we've got good players," Wright said after his fourth-ranked team's 27th win in 29 games - a run he hopes will continue Saturday versus visiting St. John's.
Kentucky at Florida 8:15 PM ET
After avoiding the first three-game losing streak in the coach John Calipari era, No. 6 Kentucky hits the road for a tough challenge against No. 23 Florida on Saturday night. The Wildcats, who were coming off losses at Tennessee 82-80 on Jan. 24 and to No. 3 Kansas 79-73 on Jan. 28, needed freshman guard Malik Monk's jumper with eight seconds left to force overtime before outlasting Georgia 90-81 on Tuesday as freshman point guard De'Aaron Fox sat out with the flu.
Texas A&M at Louisiana State 9:00 PM ET
Losing Ben Simmons to the NBA was expected to have a negative impact on LSU - but nobody expected it to be this rough. The reeling Tigers look to end an eight-game losing skid Saturday night as they host a Texas A&M team that has dropped two in a row.
Santa Clara at Gonzaga 10:00 PM ET
Top-ranked Gonzaga keeps racking up the victories and now possesses the longest winning streak in school history entering Saturday's West Coast Conference game against visiting Santa Clara. The Bulldogs notched their school-best 23rd straight win when they posted an 85-75 victory at Brigham Young on Thursday and look to move closer to an undefeated regular season.
UCLA at Washington 10:30 PM ET
UCLA has been in the unusual position of needing to end losing streaks this week, and the No. 8 Bruins will try to stop another when they visit Washington for a Pac-12 game Saturday night. UCLA ended a string of three straight road losses against Washington State when it topped the Cougars on Wednesday, also snapping its first two-game skid this season, and will look to end a two-game losing streak against the Huskies, both incurred last season.