Preview Roundups
November 23, 2017
Utah at UNLV 12:30 AM ET
UNLV and Utah once had a pretty heated rivalry when both teams were among the Mountain West Conference elite from 2000-11, and late Utes' coach Rick Majerus was known to pound a scorers' table or two when a call didn't go his way. The two teams will square off again late Wednesday night in the championship game of the MGM Resorts Main Event at T-Mobile Arena.
Missouri at Long Beach St. 11:30 AM ET
Missouri must move forward without prize recruit Michael Porter Jr. as it begins play in the Advocare Invitational on Thursday against Long Beach State in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The team announced Tuesday that the 6-10 Porter, who was expected to be one of the best freshmen in the country but played just two minutes before going down in the season opener, will miss three to four months after back surgery.
Villanova at Tennessee 12:30 PM ET
Villanova is undefeated and Jalen Brunson is playing like the Preseason Big East Player of the Year, but the Wildcats are far from satisfied. After sneaking past Western Kentucky in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, No. 3 Villanova meets Tennessee in Thursday's semifinals.
St. John's at Oregon St. 2:00 PM ET
St. John’s is beginning to put two disappointing seasons in the rear-view mirror and can start with five victories for the first time since 2009-10 when it takes on Oregon State in the first round of the Advocare Invitational on Thursday at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Red Storm have rolled to four double-digit victories, including a 79-56 triumph over Nebraska, and held teams to 34.7 percent shooting.
Portland at North Carolina 2:30 PM ET
Defending national champion North Carolina hopes to add another tournament title this weekend, as the ninth-ranked Tar Heels open the PK80 Invitational on Thursday against Portland. The tournament honoring Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday features two eight-team brackets and is being played in Portland, Ore.
NC State at Northern Iowa 3:00 PM ET
As he looks to develop a new culture at North Carolina State, coach Kevin Keatts always knew a signature win would help his cause. He got that key victory five games into his tenure with the Wolfpack, who aim for an encore performance Thursday against Northern Iowa in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
Virginia at Vanderbilt 4:00 PM ET
No. 25 Virginia is off to a faster start this season entering the NIT Tip-Off semifinal Thursday against Vanderbilt in Brooklyn, N.Y., and not just based on the Cavaliers winning their first four games. Traditionally one of the nation’s slowest teams offensively, Virginia is averaging 76 points per game, 10 points more than its average in 2016-17 – fueled by Kyle Guy’s 18 points per game – and its typical tough defense once again is among the nation's best.
St. Mary's at Harvard 4:00 PM ET
Saint Mary’s is hoping its third appearance in
the Wooden Legacy tournament proves to be the proverbial charm. The 21st-ranked
Gaels tip off the eight-team extended-weekend tournament Thanksgiving afternoon
with a matchup against preseason Ivy League favorite Harvard at Titan Gym in
Fullerton, Calif.
Portland St. at Duke 4:30 PM ET
Top-ranked Duke looks like it's ready to turn things up to 100 at the PK80. The Blue Devils look to build on a 29-point rout of Furman in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational as they travel to Portland, Ore., for a date with Portland State.
Arkansas at Oklahoma 5:00 PM ET
A pair of unbeaten teams go head-to-head in a marquee matchup when Arkansas and Oklahoma square off Thursday in the first round of the PK80 tournament in Portland, Ore. The tournament honoring Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday features two eight-team brackets.
Xavier at George Washington 5:00 PM ET
Fourteenth-ranked Xavier won the Advocare Invitational in 2015-16 and the Tire Pros Invitational last season. The Muskeeters will try to win a holiday tournament for a third straight year when it faces old Atlantic 10 Conference rival George Washington on Thursday in the semifinals of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Central Florida at Nebraska 6:00 PM ET
Isaac Copeland gave Nebraska a glimpse of what he could provide last time out and the Georgetown transfer hopes for more of the same when the Cornhuskers take on Central Florida on Thursday in the first round of the Advocare Invitational at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Copeland, who had back surgery nine months ago, scored 30 points Sunday in the 92-70 victory over North Dakota.
Rhode Island at Seton Hall 6:00 PM ET
No. 22 Seton Hall expected big things after returning 90 percent of its scoring and rebounding from a team that won 21 games last season, and the Pirates open the NIT Season Tip-Off Thursday in Brooklyn, N.Y., against Rhode Island unbeaten in four games. A trio of Pirates lead the charge offensively as Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez each have surpassed 1,000 career points, and several reserves played well in Saturday’s 82-53 victory over New Jersey Tech.
St. Joseph's at Washington St. 6:30 PM ET
Washington State is off to a 3-0 start but hasn’t
exactly faced a daunting itinerary so far. That will change on Thanksgiving Day
when the Cougars clash with St. Joseph’s in the first round of the Wooden
Legacy tournament in Fullerton, Calif.
Butler at Texas 7:00 PM ET
Texas faces it first true test of the season when it battles Butler as part of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday in Portland, Ore. The Longhorns opened the new campaign with straightforward wins against Northwestern State (105-59), New Hampshire (78-60) and Lipscomb (80-57) and hope to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2014-15 by avenging a 56-48 setback to the Bulldogs in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Western Kentucky at Purdue 7:00 PM ET
Purdue's high-octane offense apparently didn't make the trip to the Bahamas. After an uncharacteristically poor shooting effort, the 16th-ranked Boilermakers aim for a more complete performance Thursday against Western Kentucky in the consolation bracket of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Kansas State at Arizona State 7:30 PM ET
Kansas State and Arizona State both bring perfect 4-0 records into their Thanksgiving night matchup in the Continental Tire Invitational at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. And if things go the way Wildcats coach Bruce Weber hopes in the tournament that also features 15th-ranked Xavier and George Washington, his squad might be doing a little swimming in Sin City.
West Virginia at Marist 8:30 PM ET
West Virginia comes to the Advocare Invitational as the only ranked team in the field and hopes to show why in the next four days, starting with a matchup against Marist in the first round Thursday at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The 20th-ranked Mountaineers suffered an 88-65 loss in their opener to Texas A&M before rolling to three straight wins while averaging 100 points.
Connecticut at Oregon 9:00 PM ET
After winning its first four games by an average of 33 points, Oregon will receive its first true test at this week’s PK80 Invitational in Portland. The Ducks open play in the eight-team Victory Bracket on Thursday against Connecticut, whose goal of being ranked by the time conference play begins would be helped by a few wins this week.
Arizona at Southern Methodist 9:30 PM ET
For No. 4 Arizona, its first wakeup call came sooner than expected. The Wildcats were knocked off by North Carolina State in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas and must bounce back quickly as they face SMU on Thursday.
Florida at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
If things fall into place, No. 7 Florida could face both No. 17 Gonzaga and top-ranked Duke as part of this week’s PK80 Invitational in Portland, Ore. Before looking too far ahead, however, the Gators will open tournament play Thursday against Stanford, which is coming off a 96-72 loss to North Carolina.
Georgia at Cal St. Fullerton 10:30 PM ET
Georgia is unbeaten through three games entering Thursday’s contest at Cal State Fullerton in the opener of the Wooden Legacy tournament, but that does not mean coach Mark Fox is pleased with his team’s performance. The Bulldogs survived Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s upset bid Sunday, losing a 19-point lead and dodging a potential game-tying basket at the buzzer in a 68-65 home victory that, for Fox and his players, was way too close.
Michigan St at DePaul 11:30 PM ET
Michigan State will likely be without star sophomore Miles Bridges when the fifth-ranked Spartans open play in the PK80 Invitational on Thursday in Portland against DePaul. The 6-foot-7 swingman hurt his left ankle during last Sunday’s win over Stony Brook and is listed as day-to-day, but the Spartans won’t take any chances with their leading scorer.
Gonzaga at Ohio St. 11:59 PM ET
Two teams eager for their first test of the young season square off Thursday in the first round of the PK80 Invitational in Portland as Ohio State meets No. 17 Gonzaga. The Buckeyes have cruised to a 4-0 start under first-year coach Chris Holtmann while Gonzaga has averaged 94 points in lopsided wins over Texas Southern, Howard and Utah State.