Preview Roundups
February 23, 2017
Georgia at Alabama 7:00 PM ET
Georgia’s already-slim hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament took a huge hit last weekend as Yante Maten suffered a knee sprain, and the team will be without its leading scorer when it visits Alabama on Thursday for an SEC matchup. The loss of Maten, who ranks third in the conference in scoring and ninth in rebounding, is a huge blow for a Bulldogs squad that has lost six of its last eight league games.
Nebraska at Michigan St 7:00 PM ET
Two teams desperate for a late February win clash when Nebraska visits Michigan State for a Big Ten matchup on Thursday. The Cornhuskers enter having won two straight but still are below .500 both overall and in conference play, while the Spartans are hoping to rebound from an ugly loss at Purdue last weekend.
Memphis at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Cincinnati looks to keep pace atop the American Athletic Conference standings when it entertains struggling Memphis on Thursday night. The No. 16 Bearcats won two straight contests by double digits since the loss to  No. 21 SMU, which left both teams with one defeat in the late stages of the regular season.
South Florida at Tulsa 8:00 PM ET
Tulsa will attempt to end a six-game losing streak when it hosts South Florida on Thursday in a matchup between American Athletic Conference teams that have combined to record only one win this month. The Golden Hurricane are coming off an 80-60 loss at No. 16 Cincinnati, while the Bulls have dropped two in a row after posting their only conference victory against East Carolina.
Wisconsin at Ohio St. 9:00 PM ET
Wisconsin and Ohio State finished in the top half of the Big Ten standings in each of the past 12 seasons but only one team finds itself there as the reeling Buckeyes prepare to host the No. 15 Badgers on Thursday. Wisconsin sits a half-game behind conference-leading No. 14 Purdue, while Ohio State is ahead of only bottom-dwelling Rutgers and is guaranteed to finish below .500 in Big Ten play for the first time in Thad Matta’s 13-year tenure.
UCLA at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
UCLA is the only Pac-12 team that's unbeaten in February, and the fifth-ranked Bruins will try to stay on a roll when they travel to Arizona State on Thursday night. UCLA is coming off one of its most impressive wins of the season, a 102-70 victory Saturday against USC, a team that beat the Bruins by eight points in January.
Gonzaga at San Diego 10:00 PM ET
Top-ranked Gonzaga has racked up 20 consecutive double-digit victories and is expected to again win by a substantial margin when it visits San Diego on Thursday in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs routed the Toreros 79-43 earlier this season and have won by 20 or more points 19 times this campaign.
St. Mary's at Pepperdine 10:00 PM ET
Saint Mary's is already locked into the No. 2 seed in the West Coast Conference tournament, so its last two regular-season games - starting Thursday at Pepperdine - serve as the first tune-ups for ultimately another shot at No. 1 Gonzaga in the WCC final. The No. 18 Gaels won 18 of their last 20 contests - losing only to the Bulldogs during that span - after prevailing at BYU 70-57 on Saturday behind 17 points from junior forward Calvin Hermanson.
Southern California at Arizona 10:00 PM ET
Arizona hasn't been at full strength very often this season, but the fourth-ranked Wildcats should have all their key personnel when they host USC on Thursday night. Starting point guard Kadeem Allen missed the last two games with a finger injury and starting forward Dusan Ristic missed the most recent game with a sprained left ankle, though both are expected to return against the Trojans.
Utah at Colorado 11:00 PM ET

Colorado and Utah, a pair of Pac-12 programs who have a combined six NCAA Tournament appearances since joining the conference in 2011, are currently on the outside of the bubble looking in. That’s the not-so-rosy backdrop as Colorado prepares to host the Utes on Thursday night.