Preview Roundups
November 29, 2014
Chicago St. at Notre Dame 1:00 PM ET
Notre Dame has been getting baskets from a variety of sources, and the Fighting Irish will try to continue that trend when they host Chicago State on Saturday. Jerian Grant, Zach Auguste, Pat Connaughton and Demetrius Jackson each are averaging at least 12 points. Grant, who leads the club at 17.5, topped the team in scoring two years ago and was averaging a team-high 19 last season when he was suspended for the rest of the campaign after 12 games due to an academic matter.
VCU at Old Dominion 2:00 PM ET
VCU bounced back from its first loss by knocking off Oregon and will try to prepare for another ranked opponent by opening a two-game road trip at Old Dominion on Saturday. The 14th-ranked Rams could not get their full-court pressure defense to rattle Villanova at the Legends Classic on Monday but turned it up in a 77-63 win over the Ducks the following night. VCU will travel to Illinois State on Tuesday before ramping things back up against Virginia.
Jacksonville at South Florida 2:00 PM ET
After bouncing back from its first loss of the season with a win over Hofstra last time out, USF hosts Jacksonville on Saturday looking to start another winning streak before hitting the road. The Bulls trailed by 11 points with less than four minutes to play against the Pride before rallying to make coach Orlando Antigua proud of their resiliency. "They just keep battling," he told reporters. "They just keep competing."
Longwood at Iowa 2:07 PM ET
Iowa’s offense is trying to find a rhythm heading into Saturday’s game against visiting Longwood. The Hawkeyes have yielded just 59.8 points per game, but there needs to be more consistency on offense, where the team is averaging 73.2 points. For example, Mike Gesell and Jarrod Uthoff each scored 15 points against Pepperdine then both failed score against Northern Illinois and combined for a frigid 0-for-10 from the field.
Tulsa at Wichita St. 3:00 PM ET
No. 10 Wichita State is aiming for another deep run in March and can’t afford to overlook visiting Tulsa on Saturday. The Shockers beat Memphis by 15 points on Nov. 18 and followed that up with a 48-point thrashing of Newman on Sunday as they took a step down in competition to warm up before a tough stretch. Wichita State will travel to Utah and has Saint Louis and Seton Hall to come over the next two weeks as it attempts to prove it’s worthy of a top 10 ranking.
Nicholls State at Michigan 4:00 PM ET
Caris LeVert has proven to be an essential piece for Michigan, which plays host to Nicholls State on Saturday. LeVert leads the No. 18-ranked Wolverines in rebounding (6.8), assists (4.4) and steals (1.8), and ranks second to Zak Irvin in scoring (16.8).
George Washington at Seton Hall 4:00 PM ET
After capturing its first in-season tournament championship since 2007, undefeated Seton Hall looks to stay hot when it hosts George Washington on Saturday. The Pirates got past Illinois State to bring home the Ezybonds Global Payments U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam championship on Monday, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 2009. Sterling Gibbs, who was named MVP of the tournament, starred in the title game with a career-high 40 points.
Missouri St. at Washington St. 6:00 PM ET
Washington State found its shooting touch to defeat Rice in the consolation bracket and will play Missouri State for fifth place in the Great Alaska Shootout on Saturday. Missouri State held off host Alaska Anchorage 55-51 after losing its tournament opener 76-61 to Colorado State. The Cougars lost 71-43 after shooting 23 percent from the field in their opener before holding off Rice 76-74 in the closing seconds Friday.
Middle Tennessee St. at Creighton 6:00 PM ET
The Sunshine State hasn’t been very hospitable to Creighton as the Bluejays have dropped six straight games in Florida with Friday’s 72-65 loss to Mississippi in the Emerald Coast Classic semifinals. They’ll try to curb that skid Saturday when they face Middle Tennessee in the tournament’s third-place game in Niceville, Fla. The loss was the first of the year for Creighton, which had opened the season with five straight home wins.
Texas Christian at Mississippi St. 7:00 PM ET
They come from power conferences, but Mississippi State and TCU aren't the first schools from the SEC and Big 12 that come to mind when talking about basketball powers. Still, one of the teams will be unbeaten after they face off in the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic championship game Saturday. Both which team that will be is up in the air, as both have looked solid this season, as well as in their semifinal victories.
Vanderbilt at La Salle 7:00 PM ET
The first road game of the season didn't end well for Vanderbilt, which will look to regroup Saturday against La Salle in the consolation game of the Barclay's Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The young Commodores, led by sophomore Damian Jones, fought an experienced Rutgers squad hard before suffering their first loss of the season. "We talked about several things we did not accomplish," coach Kevin Stallings told the media.
Charleston at West Virginia 7:30 PM ET
West Virginia and its high-pressure defense take on visiting College of Charleston on Saturday. The No. 24 Mountaineers lead the nation in steals with 85 and are second in thefts per game at 14.2. The team tied the school record for steals with 26 in its last outing, a 103-72 victory over Virginia Military Institute.
McNeese St. at Louisiana State 8:00 PM ET
Following a rather unsuccessful showing in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, LSU returns home to host McNeese State on Saturday. The Tigers dropped two of three games in the event, falling 64-61 to Clemson in the fifth-place game on Monday after shooting 37.7 percent and making 1-of-13 3-pointers. Johnny Jones' squad hit only 9-of-37 from beyond the arc during the tournament and entered Friday ranked 323rd in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.8) and 331st in 3-point percentage (24
Alabama St. at Utah 9:00 PM ET
Utah looks to complete a sweep of its own Thanksgiving Tournament when it hosts Alabama State on Saturday. The Utes dispatched North Dakota and Texas-Pan American in the first two rounds of the round-robin tourney. Utah played without leading scorer Jordan Loveridge on Friday due to a knee injury but shot 67 percent from the field and never trailed in winning its third straight game.
Colgate at Arizona St. 9:00 PM ET
Arizona State returns home to face Colgate on Saturday after a pair of disappointing losses in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic marred by poor free-throw shooting and an inability to put games away. The Sun Devils led each contest with less than three minutes to play before falling to Maryland 78-73 on Monday and Alabama 76-71 on Tuesday, making a combined 23-of-37 from the line. Arizona State also led at the half in both games after winning 38 of its previous 43 such contests.
Cincinnati at Mississippi 9:00 PM ET
Despite its 4-0 start, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin challenged his team to reach even higher in the Emerald Coast Classic, and the Bearcats responded Friday with a dominant 69-51 semifinal victory over Middle Tennessee. Now Cincinnati has a tournament title to shoot for as the Bearcats tangle with Ole Miss in Saturday night’s championship game in Niceville, Fla. The Rebels reached the final by rallying past Creighton 75-68 on Friday.
Virginia at Rutgers 9:30 PM ET
It will be the Big Ten versus the ACC when Rutgers and No. 7 Virginia meet Saturday for the championship of the Barclay's Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Cavaliers looked strong for the first 30 minutes against La Salle, but appeared to lose interest in the final 10 before holding on for an eight-point victory. Malcolm Brogdon had 20 points for Virginia, which enjoyed an advantage in just about every statistical category against its rival from the Atlantic 10.