Preview Roundups
November 29, 2017
Mercer at Tennessee 7:00 PM ET
Tennessee has faced some stout early-season competition but would do well to avoid overlooking visiting Mercer on Wednesday. The Bears are off to a solid start to the season and in need of a signature win, which they could pick up by knocking off the Volunteers.
Auburn at Dayton 7:00 PM ET
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has gotten the attention of sophomore guard Mustapha Heron, and that's good news for the Tigers as they play Dayton on Wednesday in their first true road game of the season. Heron, who averaged 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds as a freshman, started this campaign with 29 points in three games before exploding for 53 in his last two contests.
Columbia at Connecticut 7:00 PM ET
Connecticut looks to rebound from its biggest loss in 40 years when it hosts Columbia on Wednesday. After winning its first game in the PK80 tournament last week, the Huskies dropped the final two contests, including 102-67 to Arkansas.
Rider at Providence 7:00 PM ET
Never much of a scorer, Kyron Cartwright is beginning to shoulder more of the load for Providence, which can push its winning streak to five games Wednesday against visiting Rider. Cartwright has scored 31 points in the last two games, matching his total from the first three games for the Friars, who will look to beat the Broncs for the second time in the last three seasons.
Pennsylvania at Villanova 7:00 PM ET
No. 4 Villanova has sailed through its first six games, but Big 5 play always adds a new twist. The Wildcats begin their Philadelphia area round-robin with a matchup against visiting Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Penn St. at NC State 7:15 PM ET
After a 5-0 start that included a win over the fourth-ranked team in the country, North Carolina State has fallen back to earth. The Wolfpack will try to pick up the pieces from an uneven performance in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament when it hosts Penn State as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday evening.
Clemson at Ohio St. 7:15 PM ET
Clemson looks to start with six wins in seven games for the first time since 2013-14 when it visits Ohio State on Wednesday night as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Tigers recovered from their lone loss to Temple in the championship game of the Gildan Charleston Classic by shooting a season-high 61.2 percent from the field to turn back Texas Southern 84-77 on Friday, and they are averaging 83 points in their wins.
Michigan at North Carolina 7:30 PM ET
Defending national champion North Carolina aims to rebound from a humbling defeat on the road when it hosts Michigan on Wednesday night as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The 11th-ranked Tar Heels were held to 24.6 percent shooting and outrebounded by 16 in a 63-45 loss to Michigan State on Sunday in the championship game of the PK80 Invitational "Victory" bracket.
Louisiana Tech at Alabama 8:00 PM ET
Alabama hosts Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, four days after taking part in one of the most bizarre games in NCAA history that also could signal the emergence of Collin Sexton as one of the top players in the SEC. The Crimson Tide lost 89-84 to Minnesota but Sexton, a freshman, carried the Crimson Tide with 40 points in a game where the perfect storm of ejections, injuries and foul trouble left Alabama coach Avery Johnson with just three players for the final 10 minutes.
Tenn-Martin at Louisiana State 8:00 PM ET
LSU has a lot of work to do to get ready for Southeastern Conference play, and a night such as Wednesday is the time to get started. Coming off a stretch of tough competition at last week’s Maui Invitational, the Tigers look to tune up when they host Tennessee Martin on Wednesday.
New Orleans at Houston 8:00 PM ET
Houston's deep bench gives fourth-year coach Kelvin Sampson the luxury of mixing and matching players until he finds the right combination. Sampson will look for another hot hand Wednesday when his Cougars host New Orleans.
Alcorn St. at Tulane 8:00 PM ET
Tulane looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Alcorn State on Wednesday. The Green Wave sped out to their first 5-0 start since the 2011-12 campaign before suffering a disappointing 70-59 setback to Georgia State on Sunday and hope to get back on track after being held to 31 percent shooting en route to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Long Beach St. at Arizona 8:00 PM ET
Arizona appeared to enter the Battle 4 Atlantis as an immensely talented young team with very few holes, only to find out there were more cracks in its armor than it could fix during the three-day tournament. The Wildcats, who went from No. 4 last week to unranked this week following their first three-game losing streak since February of 2010, try to get back on track Wednesday when they return home to face Long Beach State.
Oral Roberts at Kansas State 8:00 PM ET
Kansas State couldn't mask the disappointment of losing its shot at the Las Vegas Invitational title - and it put its frustration to good use, fending off a late rally to win the consolation game. The Wildcats return home with a third-place tournament result under their belts - and with an eye on bolstering their non-conference record as they host Oral Roberts on Wednesday night.
Austin Peay at Oklahoma State 8:00 PM ET
Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton Jr. is trying to establish a deep team that can beat opponents in a variety of ways in his first year in Stillwater. Coming off a 100-point effort against Houston Baptist, the Cowboys will look for a sixth win in seven games when they host Austin Peay on Wednesday in the second of four consecutive home games.
Florida A&M at Texas 8:00 PM ET
Texas returns home from the PK80 Invitational with a pair of overtime losses to No. 1 Duke and then-No. 17 Gonzaga. Coach Shaka Smart hopes his Longhorns continue to learn from those games when they host Florida A&M on Wednesday.
Incarnate Word at Gonzaga 9:00 PM ET
Lodged between three games in the PK80 Motion Invitational and its upcoming contests in the Jesuit Basketball and Jimmy V Classics, Gonzaga hosts the University of Incarnate Word on Wednesday night. The 14th-ranked Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back overtime games and a third-place finish in the PK80 Motion Invite while the Cardinals will playin
Chicago St. at Marquette 9:00 PM ET
Marquette attempts to extend its current two-game winning streak when it hosts Chicago State in a non-conference contest Wednesday. The Golden Eagles squeaked past Eastern Illinois by three in an overtime affair Monday, while the Cougars have dropped three straight entering the contest.
Belmont at Texas Christian 9:00 PM ET
Thanks to losses by defending national champion North Carolina (to Michigan State) and Grand Canyon (to San Diego) over the weekend, TCU heads into Wednesday night's home game with Belmont sporting the nation's longest active winning streak. The Horned Frogs, who defeated St. Bonaventure 89-79 in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday night in Niceville, Fla., have won 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Miami-Florida at Minnesota 9:15 PM ET
Miami (Fla.) and Minnesota meet for the third time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, but this will be the first meeting at the Golden Gophers' home after the teams split the prior games in South Florida. Both schools are undefeated, but Minnesota jumped up three spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 12 after its unusual 89-84 victory over Alabama in the unbracketed Barclays Center Classic Saturday, while Miami dropped two spots to No. 13 following an 86-65 win over North Florida.
Boston College at Nebraska 9:15 PM ET
For the most part, Nebraska's start to the 2017-18 season has fallen in line with the preseason optimism surrounding the program, but the next 2 1/2 weeks figure to give sixth-year coach Tim Miles a good idea of just how far his team has come. The Cornhuskers begin a stretch in which they will face five consecutive power-conference foes over the next 18 days when they host Boston College on Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Duke at Indiana 9:30 PM ET
Duke's slate of big-name opponents continues Wednesday when the nation's top-ranked team visits Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Blue Devils recently took care of Texas and No. 6 Florida en route to the Motion Bracket championship at the Phil Knight Invitational tournament and now will turn their attention to the improving Hoosiers.
Montana at Stanford 10:00 PM ET
After going winless at last week’s PK80 Invitational in Portland, Stanford returns home Wednesday to face Montana from the Big Sky Conference. The Cardinal dropped their fourth straight game with Sunday’s 87-78 loss to Portland State, which forced 28 turnovers and led by as many as 17 in the closing minutes.
Cal. State - Bakersfield at UCLA 10:00 PM ET
After redshirting due to a knee injury last year, UCLA sophomore guard Prince Ali appears eager to make up for lost time. The native New Yorker looks to continue his hot start Wednesday as the 25th-ranked Bruins host Cal State Bakersfield, which won two of its three games at last week’s Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.