Preview Roundups
November 14, 2017
Central Conn. St. at St. John's 6:30 PM ET
The season got off to a solid start for St. John's with a 77-61 home victory over New Orleans Friday, but the win raised some questions about the team's rebounding after the Privateers outrebounded the Red Storm 42-27. The Johnnies will look for better control of the boards when Central Connecticut comes to town Tuesday after two tight setbacks to open the year, including a 71-67 loss to Rutgers on Sunday.
Nicholls State at Villanova 6:30 PM ET
As the Big East's preseason player of the year, Jalen Brunson met expectations in Villanova's season debut. The junior guard will aim to continue his strong play in the second game for the sixth-ranked Wildcats, who host Nicholls on Tuesday.
Iona at Syracuse 7:00 PM ET
Syracuse opened its season in excellent form defensively and will aim to suffocate another opponent Tuesday when Iona comes to town. The new-look Orange trounced Cornell 77-45 on Friday thanks to a strong defensive effort out of coach Jim Boeheim's vintage 2-3 zone.
George Washington at Florida State 7:00 PM ET
Florida State gets its 2017-18 season underway on Tuesday when George Washington heads to Tallahassee seeking a measure of revenge after the Seminoles easily handled the Colonials 67-48 last year in the BB&T Classic. George Washington opened this season with an 84-75 victory over Howard on Friday night.
South Carolina Upstate at Georgia 7:00 PM ET
Georgia center Yante Maten entered this season with plenty of attention cast his way, but one of the SEC preseason players of the year was impressed with the Bulldogs’ freshmen class in Friday’s season-opening victory over Bryant. The Bulldogs host South Carolina Upstate on Tuesday, looking for another strong performance from the newcomers after Rayshaun Hammonds, Nicolas Claxton and Teshaun Hightower combined to score 29 points and 17 rebounds in their debut.
Sacred Heart at Boston College 7:00 PM ET
Boston College will try to open 3-0 for just the second time in the last nine seasons when it hosts Sacred Heart of the Northeast Conference on Tuesday. The Eagles have been getting contributions from up and down the roster, first riding the dynamic backcourt duo of Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman to a season-opening victory against Maine and then allowing others to step up in Sunday's 91-52 win over South Carolina State.
Duke at Michigan St 7:00 PM ET
College basketball gets an early-season treat when No. 1 Duke takes on No. 2 Michigan State on Tuesday night in the opener of the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago. The Blue Devils scored 97 and 99 points in home victories over Elon and Utah Valley to start the season, while the Spartans had 98 points in their season-opening victory over North Florida.
Cleveland St. at Rutgers 7:00 PM ET
Rutgers looks to win its third game in five days to start the 2017-18 season when it hosts non-conference foe Cleveland State on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights squeaked by Central Connecticut State on Sunday following a blowout win in their opener, while the Vikings are looking for their first win after falling at Akron on Saturday.
Bryant at NC State 7:00 PM ET
North Carolina State has gotten it done at both ends of the floor in two dominant victories to start the season, and the Wolfpack look to continue that trend when they host Bryant on Tuesday. The Wolfpack are aiming to win their first three games by 20 or more points for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
High Point at Tennessee 7:00 PM ET
Tennessee continues its head-to-head clash with the Big South Conference when the Volunteers host High Point on Tuesday. While the teams have never squared off, history certainly is on Tennessee’s side as the Vols are 23-0 against current Big South schools, and the Panthers are 0-13 versus SEC opponents.
Stony Brook at Connecticut 7:00 PM ET
Connecticut expects to have star point guard Jalen Adams back in the lineup when it hosts Stony Brook on Tuesday. Adams was suspended for the Huskies' season opener, a 70-58 victory over Colgate.
Liberty at Wake Forest 7:30 PM ET
Wake Forest should have plenty of motivation when it hosts Liberty on Tuesday, given how the weekend felt after the Demon Deacons were shocked at home by Georgia Southern in a disappointing 85-83 defeat in Friday’s season opener. And there was one resounding theme following the game, a contest in which the Demon Deacons gave up 15 offensive rebounds and 47.8 percent shooting from the field.
Lipscomb at Alabama 8:00 PM ET
After a neutral-site win without their highly-touted freshman, No. 25 Alabama goes home and inches closer to full strength when it hosts Lipscomb on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide will have freshman guard Collin Sexton, who served a one-game suspension levied by the NCAA, when they aim to win their eighth straight home opener.
Little Rock at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
Memphis missed an opportunity in its season opener and looks to gain some confidence back when it begins the home part of the schedule with a matchup against rebuilding Little Rock on Tuesday night. The Tigers managed only seven assists Friday in the Veterans Classic at Annapolis, Md., before falling 82-70 to Alabama, which was missing three of its key returnees due to injuries and a suspended top recruit.
UMKC at Kansas State 8:00 PM ET
For most teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations, the best thing they can hope for early in the season is an opportunity to give the entire roster some meaningful minutes. That's exactly what Kansas State was able to do in a one-sided season opener - and it'll hope for a similar outcome Tuesday as it hosts UMKC.
New Hampshire at Texas 8:00 PM ET
Dylan Osetkowski will continue to drive the new-look Texas offense when the Longhorns host New Hampshire on Tuesday. Osetkowski enters the game - a regional-site game for the Phil Knight Invitational - coming off his 12th career double-double in his Texas debut.
Maine at Texas Tech 8:00 PM ET
Second-year coach Chris Beard has another opportunity to experiment with the Texas Tech lineup when Maine visits on Tuesday. Beard mixed and matched different combinations of experienced returners and talented freshmen to overcome a slow start in the opener.
Purdue at Marquette 8:30 PM ET
Teams on opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to experience clash Tuesday when Purdue visits Marquette in the Gavitt Tipoff Games series between the Big East and Big Ten. The 21st-ranked Boilermakers return six of their top seven scorers from a season ago, while the Golden Eagles have just one senior and feature nine players who are either in their first or second seasons of eligibility.
Howard at Gonzaga 9:00 PM ET
Gonzaga is defining roles early in the season and junior guard Josh Perkins might be in the process of becoming the go-to scorer. Perkins drained a career-best six 3-pointers in the No. 19 Bulldogs' season-opening win and looks to knock down more shots in Tuesday's nonconference tilt against Howard.
San Diego St. at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Despite missing three key players, Arizona State opened its season with a comfortable 94-74 win over Idaho State. The Sun Devils, expected to make a run for an NCAA Tournament berth this year after back-to-back losing seasons to start the Bobby Hurley era, will get a much better gauge of where they stand when they host perennial Mountain West heavyweight San Diego State on Tuesday night.
Denver at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
With eight new players dotting the roster, Colorado needs nonconference games such as Tuesday's against visiting Denver to become cohesive before the rigors of Pac-12 life begin. Among those making their debuts was freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV, who contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in Friday's 66-51 season-opening victory over Northern Colorado.
Kentucky at Kansas 9:30 PM ET
As the two winningest programs in college basketball history with a combined 31 Final Four appearances between them, Kansas and Kentucky are routinely in the national championship discussion every year, but only one of them has looked the part in the early going. The third-ranked Jayhawks hope to build on an impressive season-opening victory and halt their struggles at the State Farms Champions Classic on Tuesday when they meet the fourth-ranked Wildcats in Chicago.
Eastern Washington at Stanford 11:00 PM ET
One of the top rebounders in Pac-12 play last season, Stanford forward Michael Humphrey appears intent on expanding his game. The 6-9 senior looks to take another step forward Tuesday when the Cardinal host Eastern Washington, which is opening with a stretch of 36 straight days without a home game.