Preview Roundups
January 27, 2018
NC State at North Carolina 12:00 PM ET
No. 10 North Carolina had four days to stew over another disappointing road performance and hopes to respond by remaining unbeaten at home in ACC play when rival North Carolina State visits on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels saw their four-game winning streak come to an end Monday in an 80-69 loss at Virginia Tech, getting outrebounded for just the third time this season.
Texas Tech at South Carolina 12:00 PM ET
Texas Tech earned one of the most impressive road wins in program history when it went into Allen Fieldhouse and knocked off Kansas 85-73 on Jan. 2, but the road has not been quite as kind since. The 14th-ranked Red Raiders will try to snap a three-game road slide when they visit South Carolina on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Baylor at Florida 12:00 PM ET
After climbing as high as 16th in the national rankings during a 10-2 start, Baylor enters the weekend in a tie for last place in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears are hoping a break for the fifth-annual Big12/SEC Challenge and a trip to No. 22 Florida on Saturday can be the springboard to get back on track for a potential NCAA Tournament berth.
Duquesne at Rhode Island 12:00 PM ET
A sold-out, nationally televised game should have No. 23 Rhode Island primed for a big effort Saturday when it hosts Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 matchup. The Rams easily dispatched Fordham on Wednesday for their 11th straight victory and can lock down their 17th consecutive conference win by downing the Dukes, who have surpassed their win total from last season.
Virginia at Duke 2:00 PM ET
The top offensive team in the nation meets the country’s stingiest defense as second-ranked Virginia goes for a 12th straight victory when it visits No. 4 Duke for an ACC showdown Saturday afternoon. The first-place Cavaliers are allowing just 51.6 points per game, including 46 in the past four, while Duke is averaging 91.7 and has scored at least 80 in 19 of its 20 outings.

Mississippi at Texas 2:00 PM ET
Ole Miss will try to reverse its road troubles when it travels to Texas for the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. The Rebels are 0-5 in true road games - although their last two losses came by a combined six points at Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Georgia at Kansas State 2:00 PM ET
Kansas State is riding a three-game winning streak, with growing confidence it can compete in the league, as it hosts Georgia on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Wildcats have not trailed at any point in their past two games, victories over TCU and Baylor that followed an 18-point victory over No. 11 Oklahoma, and coach Bruce Weber said he is seeing his players mature in their preparation.
Oklahoma at Alabama 2:15 PM ET
Oklahoma star Trae Young is a landslide favorite for national Player of the Year honors, but Alabama's Collin Sexton was the more-ballyhooed freshman point guard at the start of the season. The two standouts will slug it out on the same court Saturday afternoon, when the No. 11 Sooners visit the Crimson Tide in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
St. John's at Butler 2:30 PM ET
Butler is starting to get back on track after a rough stretch, but a loss to St. John's would send that upward trajectory spiraling in the wrong direction. The Red Storm are winless in Big East play, creating a virtual must-win scenario for the host Bulldogs when the teams collide Saturday.
Miami-Florida at Florida State 4:00 PM ET
It's been a roller-coaster start to the ACC season for 24th-ranked Miami, but the Hurricanes appear to have turned things around in a hurry with impressive victories over North Carolina State (86-81) and Louisville (78-75 in overtime). It doesn't get any easier on Saturday as they travel to rival Florida State, which is out to avenge its 80-74 loss to Miami back on Jan. 7 that helped push the Seminoles out of the polls.
Rutgers at Penn St. 4:00 PM ET
Penn State will try to avoid a letdown following a dramatic road win when it hosts Rutgers in a Big Ten clash Saturday afternoon. In need of a notable victory to boost a lackluster resume, the Nittany Lions swiped an 82-79 win Thursday night at No. 13 Ohio State on Tony Carr's long 3-pointer at the buzzer, which came seconds after the Buckeyes tied the game with a triple of their own.
Syracuse at Pittsburgh 4:00 PM ET

Syracuse seeks a third straight win after suffering four consecutive losses when it visits a demoralized Pittsburgh team on Saturday. The four losses - three by single digits and one in double overtime at Florida State - preceded a 59-45 win over Pitt and an 81-63 triumph over Boston College on Wednesday.

Tennessee at Iowa State 4:00 PM ET

Jordan Bowden broke out of a shooting slump Tuesday just in time to beat Vanderbilt. Next, No. 21 Tennessee hopes to ride the hot hand and record a sixth win in seven games when it visits Iowa State on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Texas Christian at Vanderbilt 4:00 PM ET
TCU looks to build on its biggest win of the season when it hits the road to face Vanderbilt as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. The Horned Frogs beat seventh-ranked West Virginia 82-73 to end an 11-game losing streak to the Mountaineers and hope to move back into the Top 25 by knocking off the Commodores for the first time since 1951.
Texas A&M at Kansas 4:30 PM ET

Former conference rivals square off when No. 5 Kansas hosts Texas A&M on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Jayhawks have won 20 of the 21 all-time meetings between the former Big 12 Conference foes, including nine straight, with the Aggies’ lone victory coming at Allen Fieldhouse in 2007.

Utah at Arizona 5:30 PM ET

As expected, Arizona is alone atop the Pac-12 standings nearing the midway point of the conference season. The 12th-ranked Wildcats will try to maintain that perch Saturday when they play host to a hot Utah squad. 

Oklahoma State at Arkansas 6:00 PM ET
Oklahoma State aims for its first road victory Saturday when the Cowboys visit Arkansas as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Cowboys have lost all four of their true road games and face another tough matchup at Bud Walton Arena, where Arkansas is 31-6 over its last 37 games, including 10-1 this season.
Louisiana State at Auburn 6:00 PM ET
No. 19 Auburn looks to stay on top of the Southeastern Conference standings when it hosts LSU in a league contest on Saturday. Bruce Pearl's Tigers have won two straight since suffering their first conference loss of the season, while Will Wade's squad knocked off Texas A&M on Tuesday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Cincinnati at Memphis 6:00 PM ET
For all the one-sided victories No. 8 Cincinnati has enjoyed this season, its 34-point drubbing of Memphis in its American Athletic Conference opener might have been the best of the bunch. The Bearcats will look to complete the sweep Saturday evening as they tangle with the Tigers in Tennessee.
Kentucky at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
Kentucky's John Calipari and West Virginia's Bob Huggins are friends off the court, so their SEC-Big 12 Challenge game Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va., will be extra special for the coaches. As far as Xs and Os, it seems the No. 7 Mountaineers' best path to victory will be to unleash their "Press Virginia" defense on the young Wildcats, who turn it over 14.1 times per game - second-most in the SEC.
San Francisco at Gonzaga 8:00 PM ET
Gonzaga finished the first round of West Coast Conference action one game behind first place Saint Mary's. The 15th-ranked Bulldogs, who still have a home-and-home with third-place BYU remaining as well as a road date with the Gaels, can't afford any more slip-ups as they head into Saturday's home game with San Francisco to tip off the second half of conference play.
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame 8:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech looks to build off an early-week upset victory over No. 10 North Carolina as it visits Notre Dame in a key ACC matchup Saturday evening. The Fighting Irish have lost four straight in conference play, but have won seven straight over the Hokies.
Wake Forest at Louisville 8:00 PM ET
Even though both of its losses in conference play have come on the road in overtime, Louisville probably cannot afford another defeat if it wants to remain in the race for its first ACC regular-season crown. With a showdown at No. 2 Virginia looming next week, the Cardinals attempt to rebound from another difficult setback Saturday when they host struggling Wake Forest.
Iowa at Nebraska 8:00 PM ET
Nebraska is making a serious push to finish inside the top four of the Big Ten for only the second time since joining the conference in 2011, and the additions of transfers James Palmer Jr. and Isaac Copeland are a big reason why. The two juniors aim to move the Cornhuskers to 12-1 at home this season Saturday when they host Iowa.
Oregon St. at Oregon 8:00 PM ET
Two teams looking to keep pace in the Pac-12 standings meet Saturday as Oregon State visits rival Oregon in a Civil War rematch. Oregon State registered a 76-64 win over the Ducks in Corvallis on Jan. 5 but has struggled away from Gill Coliseum, going 3-26 in Pac-12 road games over the past four seasons.
Colorado at Arizona State 8:00 PM ET

No. 20 Arizona State is one of two ranked teams in the Pac-12, but it enters the weekend 10th in the conference standings following Thursday night’s 80-77 overtime home loss to Utah. The Sun Devils will try to bounce back Saturday night as they host Colorado. 

Georgetown at Creighton 8:00 PM ET
Unable to defeat DePaul at home, it's fair to wonder if Georgetown, which plays at Creighton Saturday, will win another Big East game this season. The Hoyas rallied from 14 points down, but were unable to secure a critical rebound and now face the first of three straight road games against the Bluejays, who put a 24-point beating on them Jan. 6 in Washington.
Missouri at Mississippi State 8:30 PM ET

For the NCAA Tournament hopefuls in the crowded middle of the SEC pack, head-to-head results likely will loom large in March. One of those potentially critical matchups comes Saturday, when Mississippi State hosts Missouri.

Stanford at UCLA 10:30 PM ET
It will be hard to match the excitement of their first meeting this season when UCLA hosts Stanford in a Pac-12 game on Saturday night. Stanford beat the visiting Bruins in double overtime three weeks ago, hitting a 3-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to tie the score before the Bruins hit a game-tying buzzer beater at the end of the first overtime.
Portland at St. Mary's 11:00 PM ET
The West Coast Conference schedule makers did Portland no favors, making the Pilots visit No. 18 Saint Mary’s on Saturday just two days following a 16-point loss to 15th-ranked Gonzaga. Saint Mary’s, which boasts one of the top big men in the country in 6-11 senior center Jock Landale, matched the school record of 15 consecutive wins with Thursday’s 75-62 victory over BYU.