Preview Roundups
February 20, 2019
Mississippi State at Georgia 6:30 PM ET
Mississippi State looks like it has steadied itself after a bumpy stretch of its schedule, even without one of its key contributors entering Wednesday’s visit to slumping Georgia. Mississippi State won its second game in a row Saturday, getting 22 points from senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon in a 77-67 victory at Arkansas, the same day Weatherspoon’s brother – Nick Weatherspoon – was suspended indefinitely for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
Rutgers at Michigan St 6:30 PM ET
Michigan State looks to avoid a letdown before a big weekend showdown when it hosts Rutgers in a Big Ten Conference contest Wednesday. The No. 11 Spartans, who have won three straight, are tied with No. 7 Michigan atop the conference standings but visit the Wolverines on Sunday, while the Scarlet Knights are hoping to rebound from a heartbreaking 71-69 loss to No. 19 Iowa on Saturday.
Villanova at Georgetown 6:30 PM ET
Georgetown has had 2 1/2 weeks to come up with a solution for Collin Gillespie. On Wednesday, the Hoyas will prove whether they can stop the Villanova sophomore when they host the 16th-ranked Wildcats in Big East action.
Florida at Louisiana State 7:00 PM ET
Thanks to its upset victory at Kentucky followed by a win at Georgia, LSU made a huge leap in the rankings this week, moving up six spots to No. 15 and joining Tennessee atop the SEC standings at 11-1. Now the Tigers open a three-game homestand on Wednesday evening with a visit from Florida, one of two meetings with the Gators in the last three weeks of the regular season.
Louisville at Syracuse 7:00 PM ET
Its last time out, No. 22 Louisville avoided a third straight loss - albeit barely. The Cardinals would love to post a comfortable victory Wednesday when they visit Syracuse in an ACC clash.
Xavier at Seton Hall 7:00 PM ET
Seton Hall is climbing its way back up the Big East standings and is currently in a tie for third place as it vies for a season sweep of visiting Xavier on Wednesday night. The Pirates had lost four in a row and five of six before bouncing back to rip off a three-game winning streak, sandwiching a pair of victories over Creighton around a rout of Georgetown.
Boston College at NC State 7:00 PM ET
North Carolina State has been unable to secure wins against the elites of the ACC, but it has a relatively favorable stretch to close out the regular season as it seeks to boost its NCAA Tournament resume. The Wolfpack begin that stretch when they host Boston College on Wednesday night.
Tulane at Memphis 7:00 PM ET
Memphis should have little trouble bouncing back from a loss that virtually ended its hopes of receiving a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference tournament when it hosts struggling Tulane on Wednesday. The Tigers lost 79-72 at Central Florida on Saturday and are tied for fifth in the American standings, two games behind Temple for the fourth and final bye position and 2 1/2 back of UCF.
Arkansas at Auburn 8:30 PM ET
Auburn looks to build off one of its best defensive performances in league play when it returns home to meet fading Arkansas on Wednesday night in a critical SEC contest. The Tigers rebounded from losses to LSU and Ole Miss to take care of business at last-place Vanderbilt on Saturday, limiting the Commodores to 33.3 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers in a 64-53 victory.
Northwestern at Ohio St. 8:30 PM ET
Ohio State needs to keep the air in its NCAA Tournament bubble after a deflating loss at No. 11 Michigan State last weekend and Northwestern could provide the helium Wednesday night in the first of two regular-season meetings this season. Northwestern would just be satisfied with any win after six consecutive Big Ten losses.
St. John's at Providence 8:30 PM ET
Mustapha Heron provided quite the verbal statement on the heels of St. John's making a fairly large one on the floor. Fueled by their biggest comeback in nine seasons, the resilient Red Storm look to ride the momentum of their stirring win versus Villanova when they visit Providence on Wednesday at Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech 9:00 PM ET
Neither Pittsburgh nor Georgia Tech will enter the ACC tournament in three weeks with realistic chances of a championship run, considering the Panthers bring a nine-game losing streak into Wednesday’s matchup at the Yellow Jackets, who have dropped seven in a row. But Wednesday constitutes a chance for one of the struggling teams to at least experience a victory while trying to build something positive entering the final games of league play.
North Carolina at Duke 9:00 PM ET
The 2018-19 season gets its first installment of the Tobacco Road rivalry Wednesday night when North Carolina visits Duke. The Blue Devils, who were just crowned the No. 1 team in the country in this week’s edition of the rankings, put their nine-game win streak on the line, while the ninth-ranked Tar Heels can pull into a tie atop the ACC standings with a victory.
Butler at Marquette 9:00 PM ET
Tenth-ranked Marquette and high-scoring junior guard Markus Howard continue their push toward a potential Big East title and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament when they host Butler on Wednesday. Howard, who is fourth in the nation at 25.6 points per game, scored 36 in the Golden Eagles' last contest - a 92-73 victory at DePaul on Feb. 12 that left them one-half game behind No. 16 Villanova for conference supremacy.
Creighton at DePaul 9:00 PM ET
Ty-Shon Alexander continues to climb the ranks in terms of 3-point shooting for Creighton, which travels to face DePaul on Wednesday in a Big East game. Alexander has a chance to set the mark for most 3-pointers by a sophomore and most consecutive games with a triple for the Bluejays, who will be in search of their ninth straight victory over the Blue Demons.
Wichita St. at Tulsa 9:00 PM ET
After a disappointing 1-6 start to conference play, Wichita State reeled off four straight victories before falling 72-62 to No. 25 Cincinnati on Sunday. The Shockers are hoping a date with a familiar foe will get them back in the win column as they visit Tulsa on Wednesday for the 130th all-time meeting between the programs - with Wichita State winning 11 of the last 12 in the series.
Stanford at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Arizona State has proven to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the country, but few players have been as reliable as forward Zylan Cheatham. The San Diego State transfer looks to continue his strong senior campaign Wednesday when the Sun Devils host Stanford, which has won five of its last six games to move into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Pac-12.
Colorado at Washington St. 10:00 PM ET
Colorado has gone from afterthought to contender
in the Pac-12 in the span of a little more than two weeks. The Buffaloes now
take the conference’s longest active win streak (five games) on the road for
Wednesday night’s contest at Washington State.
Utah at Washington 11:00 PM ET
Washington is seeking its first Pac-12
regular-season championship in seven years while Utah is hoping to hang on to
one of the top four spots in the conference. Those are the stakes when the
Runnin’ Utes visit the Huskies on Wednesday night.
Nevada at San Diego St. 11:00 PM ET
Sixth-ranked Nevada has won 10 straight games by an average of 22 points since suffering its lone loss of the season at New Mexico. But the Wolf Pack, who begin the week with a 1 1/2-game lead in their quest to become the first team in Mountain West history to win three consecutive outright conference titles, now must travel to old nemesis San Diego State on Wednesday night.