Preview Roundups
March 15, 2019
Connecticut at Houston 12:00 PM ET
Houston set a program record with 29 regular-season wins and the top-seeded Cougars hope to begin making more history when they take on ninth seed Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday in Memphis, Tenn. Houston clinched its first regular-season league title since the 1991-92 Southwest Conference after winning at second-place Cincinnati 85-69 on Sunday.
Ohio St. at Michigan St 12:30 PM ET
Top-seeded Michigan State looks to take the first step toward a Big Ten Tournament title to add to its regular-season crown when it takes on eighth-seeded Ohio State in Friday's quarterfinals at the United Center in Chicago. The No. 7 Spartans have won seven of their last eight, while the Buckeyes snapped a three-game losing streak with a second-round victory over Indiana on Thursday, but are 0-2 against Michigan State this season.
Florida at Louisiana State 1:00 PM ET
Top-seeded LSU will try to focus on matters on the court when it takes on No. 8 seed Florida in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn. The ninth-ranked Tigers won their last five games of the regular season to claim the conference regular-season crown for the first time since 2009, but they are embroiled in controversy with coach Will Wade suspended amid a federal corruption probe tied to recruiting.
Memphis at Central Florida 2:00 PM ET
Fourth-seeded Central Florida gained plenty of confidence with consecutive wins against ranked teams earlier this month and looks to make a run in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, starting in the quarterfinals against fifth seed and host Memphis on Friday. The Knights handed Houston its only home loss 69-64 on March 2 and held off visiting Cincinnati 58-55 five days later before ending the regular season with a loss at Temple.
Nebraska at Wisconsin 2:55 PM ET
Wisconsin was a fixture in the late rounds of the NCAA Tournament in recent years before a rare losing campaign in 2017-18. The 19th-ranked Badgers are pointed back in the right direction and hope for a long postseason run, beginning as the fourth seed of the Big Ten Tournament in a quarterfinal matchup with 13th-seeded Nebraska on Friday in Chicago.
Auburn at South Carolina 3:30 PM ET
Although it finished fourth in the powerful SEC, South Carolina figures to need a lengthy run in the conference tournament to gain any at-large consideration for the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-seeded Gamecocks begin what they hope will be a fruitful weekend with a matchup against No. 5 seed Auburn in the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney Friday in Nashville, Tenn.
Xavier at Villanova 6:30 PM ET
Collin Gillespie is starting to heat up for Villanova at the perfect point of the season. The top-seeded and 25th-ranked Wildcats are two wins away from winning another Big East Tournament and hope to extend their time at Madison Square Garden with a win over No. 4 seed Xavier on Friday.
Central Michigan at Buffalo 6:30 PM ET
Top-seeded Buffalo is firing on all cylinders heading into Friday's semifinal matchup with fifth-seeded Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The No. 16 Bulls, who have won seven straight games against the Chippewas, had the offense and defense clicking in an 82-46 thrashing of Akron in the quarterfinals.
Florida State at Virginia 7:00 PM ET
No. 2 Virginia takes on No. 13 Florida State on Friday evening in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament from Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers, who are the tournament’s top seed, advanced with a win over North Carolina State in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon, while the fourth-seeded Seminoles needed overtime to sneak past Virginia Tech.
Iowa State at Kansas State 7:00 PM ET
Even though a drive from Iowa State to the Sprint Center lasts about 3 1/2 hours, some have dubbed the Kansas City, Mo. venue "Hilton (Coliseum) South" given the home-court advantage the Cyclones seem to enjoy at the Big 12 Tournament. After cruising to a quarterfinal win in their first game of the event Thursday, No.5 seed Iowa State hopes it can count on a similar support Friday when it meets top-seeded and 14th-ranked Kansas State in the semifinals.
Alabama at Kentucky 7:00 PM ET
As usual, Kentucky coach John Calipari has his fourth-ranked, freshman-laden troops playing its best basketball of the season heading into postseason play. The second-seeded Wildcats begin their quest for an unprecedented fifth consecutive SEC Tournament title when it opens against 10th-seeded Alabama - a team that beat Kentucky during the regular season - in the quarterfinals Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Minnesota at Purdue 7:00 PM ET
Second-seeded Purdue looks to build on a successful regular season when it faces No. 7 seed Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in Chicago. Many critics wrote the Boilermakers off after a 6-5 start, but they went on to win 17 of their next 20 games to earn a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship along with Michigan State, and hope to continue their winning ways as they search for their first conference tournament title since 2009.
Southern Methodist at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
Second-seeded Cincinnati looks to rebound from a pair of losses to end the regular season when it takes on 10th seed SMU in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament Friday in Memphis, Tenn. The Bearcats were cruising along with five straight wins and controlled their own destiny to the top seed, but they lost at Central Florida before being blitzed by Houston 85-69 at home Sunday.
Colorado at Washington 9:00 PM ET
Washington's success this season can mostly be traced to its defense with Matisse Thybulle usually the one stealing the show. The senior guard hopes to continue breaking records that will help the top-seeded Huskies navigate their way through the Pac-12 Tournament with Friday's semifinal game against No. 5 seed Colorado the next obstacle on the path to what they hope is their first conference tourney title since 2011.
San Diego St. at Nevada 9:00 PM ET
Nevada has a chance to set a school single-season record for wins Friday night when it faces San Diego State in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas. The top-seeded Wolf Pack survived a scare in the quarterfinals on Thursday rallying from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Boise State 77-69.
Duke at North Carolina 9:00 PM ET
North Carolina and Duke - the second and third seeds - renew their storied rivalry in the ACC Tournament semifinals Friday at Charlotte, N.C., with Zion Williamson poised to expand on the 36 seconds he's experienced in the series. Williamson, the Blue Devils freshman phenom, suffered a knee injury in the first minute of the first meeting Feb. 20 and missed the next five games before making a triumphant return in Duke's 84-72 victory over sixth-seeded Syracuse in Thursday's quarterfinals.
West Virginia at Kansas 9:00 PM ET
Conference tournament season provides every team an opportunity to overcome a poor showing in the regular season - no matter how bad it may have been at times - and gives it a chance to forge a path to the NCAA Tournament. No. 10 seed West Virginia is halfway home in terms of pulling off an improbable run and can take another step toward an automatic berth into the Big Dance on Friday when it meets 18th-ranked and third-seeded Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in Kansas City, Mo.
Seton Hall at Marquette 9:00 PM ET
Marquette overcame one nemesis Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. On Friday, the second-seeded and 22nd-ranked Golden Eagles will aim to knock off another pesky foe when they face third-seeded Seton Hall in the semifinals.
Wichita St. at Temple 9:00 PM ET
The Fran Dunphy Farewell Tour continues when third-seeded Temple meets No. 6 seed Wichita State on Friday in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament at Memphis, Tenn. The Owls and retiring coach Dunphy are riding a three-game winning streak, and have won six of their last seven and eight of 10 after Saturday's 67-62 victory over Central Florida put an exclamation point on Dunphy's final home game.
Iowa at Michigan 9:25 PM ET
No. 3 seed Michigan begins its quest for its third straight Big Ten Tournament championship when it battles No. 6 Iowa in the quarterfinals on Friday in Chicago. The Wolverines won four games in four days despite arriving late as their charter flight skidded off the runway in 2017 before defending their title last year in New York City and hope to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding by becoming the first Big Ten team to achieve a three-peat in the conference tourney.
Mississippi State at Tennessee 9:30 PM ET
Tennessee squandered an opportunity to earn a share of a second straight SEC title with a late-season meltdown, including blowing an 11-point lead in an 84-80 loss at No. 24 Auburn on Saturday. The eighth-ranked Volunteers, who dropped to the third seed for the SEC Tournament, will look to correct some of their mistakes when they open against sixth seed Mississippi State in a quarterfinal matchup Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Oregon at Arizona State 11:30 PM ET
Arizona State found itself being mentioned as a potential NCAA bubble team heading into the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The second-seeded Sun Devils, who cruised to a 83-72 victory over UCLA in Thursday's quarterfinals, have a chance to build on their at-large resume and move within one victory of an automatic invitation when they face Oregon in Friday's semifinals at T-Mobile Arena.