Preview Roundups
March 09, 2018
Southern Methodist at Cincinnati 12:00 PM ET
Banged-up SMU put together a surprisingly effective offensive performance in its American Athletic Conference Tournament win over Connecticut on Wednesday. But the Mustangs will need to be even more prolific Thursday afternoon in Orlando as they take on No. 10 Cincinnati, the tournament's top seed and owner of the country's No. 2 scoring defense.
VCU at Rhode Island 12:00 PM ET
With a week to regroup from a less than stellar ending to the regular season, top seed Rhode Island will begin defense of its Atlantic 10 Tournament title in Friday's quarterfinal against No. 8 seed VCU at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Rhode Island dropped two straight, including a 30-point loss to Saint Joseph's, but has taken three straight against VCU, including a victory in the Atlantic 10 Tournament final last season.
Alabama at Auburn 1:00 PM ET
Top-seeded Auburn begins its quest for its first SEC Tournament title since 1985 when it faces No. 9 seed Alabama in the quarterfinals Friday in St. Louis, Mo. The Tigers racked up 25 wins en route to their first SEC regular season championship in 19 years, but suffered three defeats in the last two weeks and hope to rediscover the secret to their success as they strive to improve their seeding ahead of their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.
Memphis at Tulsa 2:00 PM ET
Tulsa, one of the hottest teams in the American Athletic Conference, looks to keep it going in its first game in the league’s tournament Friday, facing Memphis in the quarterfinal round at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The fourth-seeded Golden Hurricane have won eight of their last nine contests - with the one loss being at AAC champ Cincinnati - while the fifth-seeded Tigers have won two straight, including a two-point victory over South Florida in the opening round Thursday.
Georgia at Kentucky 3:25 PM ET
Fourth-seeded Kentucky begins defense of its SEC Tournament title when it faces No. 12 seed Georgia in the quarterfinals on Friday in St. Louis. The Wildcats, who bounced back from a season-long four-game losing skid in early February with four victories in five games to close out the regular season, have won the previous three conference tournaments and hope to become the first team team to win four straight since they achieved the feat themselves from 1992-95.
Providence at Xavier 6:30 PM ET
No. 2 Xavier had its hands full with St. John's during the regular season - but you wouldn't know it by watching the Musketeers roll past the Red Storm in their Big East Tournament quarterfinal. Now, Xavier will look to exact a measure of revenge as they face Providence in Friday's semifinal at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Clemson at Virginia 7:00 PM ET
Sophomore guard Kyle Guy looked just fine after an injury scare last Saturday and hopes to follow up a strong performance in No. 1 Virginia’s ACC Tournament opener as the top-seeded Cavaliers take on fourth seed Clemson in the semifinals Friday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Guy, who played with a brace on his injured left knee, scored a game-high 19 and drained four 3-pointers in Virginia’s 75-58 win over Louisville on Thursday.
Kansas State at Kansas 7:00 PM ET
Role players often make names for themselves during conference tournament play, and Kansas' Malik Newman and Kansas State's Makol Mawien didn't waste any time stepping up when their teams needed them the most in the Big 12 Tournament. Two sophomores who played starring roles look to follow explosive performances on Friday, when the ninth-ranked and top-seeded Jayhawks face the fourth-seeded Wildcats in a semifinal matchup at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Temple at Wichita St. 7:00 PM ET
No. 14 Wichita State has had its hands full with Temple this season, and now a third matchup will decide which team advances to the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals. The Shockers, seeded second in this Orlando-based event, are aiming to bounce back against the seventh-seeded Owls after losing their regular-season finale to league champion Cincinnati.
Mississippi State at Tennessee 7:00 PM ET
No. 12 Tennessee is entrenched in the NCAA Tournament field, but the second-seeded team wouldn't mind adding the SEC Tournament title to its list of accomplishments. The Volunteers begin their pursuit of the conference crown on Friday, when they face seventh-seeded Mississippi State in the quarterfinals at St. Louis.
San Diego St. at Nevada 9:00 PM ET
After rallying to defeat in-state rival UNLV in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, guard Kendall Stephens of top-seeded Nevada was asked whether he preferred to play fourth-seeded Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State in the semifinals on Friday. Obviously not one for political correctness, Stephens picked the Aztecs, and he'll get his wish after San Diego State went on to defeat the Bulldogs at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
UCLA at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
The stars will be out Friday as No. 17 Arizona and Deandre Ayton face UCLA and Aaron Holiday in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Holiday is averaging 28.2 points over his last five games to lead No. 4 seed UCLA, which beat top-seeded Arizona 82-74 in the only regular-season meeting in Tucson on Feb. 8.
North Carolina at Duke 9:00 PM ET
Another edition of college basketball's fiercest rivalry takes center stage on Friday night as No. 4 Duke and No. 11 North Carolina go head-to-head in the ACC Tournament semifinals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The sixth-seeded Tar Heels advanced with an 82-65 quarterfinals win over No. 25 Miami, while the second-seeded Blue Devils dispatched of Notre Dame 88-70.
Butler at Villanova 9:00 PM ET
No. 3 Villanova continues to shine on the offensive end of the court, but its next opponent is one of the few teams that has proven capable of outscoring the Wildcats. The Big East Tournament continues Friday at Madison Square Garden, where the second-seeded Wildcats will face sixth-seeded Butler in the rubber match with a spot in the tourney final on the line.
West Virginia at Texas Tech 9:00 PM ET
A late four-game losing streak, which coincided with Keenan Evans' foot injury and subsequent struggle to get healthy, proved to be too much of a hurdle to keep Texas Tech from ending Kansas' 14-year run of regular-season domination within the Big 12. The senior guard appears to be in good shape at the moment and that is good news for the 13th-ranked Red Raiders as they prepare to meet No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals Friday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Central Florida at Houston 9:30 PM ET
No. 21 Houston doesn't feel much pressure as it prepares to face Central Florida in Friday's quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The No. 3-seeded Cougars have won 10 of their past 12 games and expect to be part of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
Arkansas at Florida 9:30 PM ET
Florida is en route to the NCAA Tournament, but the No. 23 Gators would like to improve their resume when they open SEC Tournament play against Arkansas in Friday's quarterfinals at St. Louis. Third-seeded Florida was sharp while winning its final three regular-season games by an average of 13 points, while the Razorbacks posted a 69-64 over South Carolina in Thursday's second round.
Oregon at Southern California 11:30 PM ET
USC advanced to the semifinals of Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2011, and the second-seeded Trojans will face sixth-seeded Oregon at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday night. The Trojans moved on with a 61-48 victory against 10th-seeded Oregon State, a couple hours before Oregon held to to beat No. 3 seed Utah 68-66.