Preview Roundups
December 20, 2017
St. Joseph's at St. John's 4:30 PM ET
St. John's is off to its best start of the Chris Mullin era and enters Wednesday's matchup against Saint Joseph's with victories in four of the last five games, with the lone loss coming against now fourth-ranked Arizona State. The teams will be competing in the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., St. John's sixth neutral site contest of the season and its final tuneup before beginning Big East play.
Houston at Providence 6:30 PM ET

In his third year at the helm, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has revamped a dormant program with consecutive strong recruiting classes and third-place finishes in the American Athletic Conference. With the conference opener just over a week away, the Cougars look to put another notch on their NCAA Tournament resume when they play Providence in the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

James Madison at Florida 7:00 PM ET
Florida has tumbled from No. 5 in the nation right out of the top 25 of the Coaches Poll during a difficult five-game stretch and looks to begin getting back on track when it hosts James Madison on Wednesday. The Gators dropped games to No. 3 Duke, No. 25 Florida State and Loyola Chicago before knocking off No. 22 Cincinnati, but coughed up a lead in the final minutes of a 71-69 setback against Clemson on Saturday.
Houston Baptist at Vanderbilt 7:00 PM ET
Vanderbilt showed it could hang with a top-10 school in a 12-point loss to No. 4 Arizona State on Sunday, but there still is plenty for the Commodores to improve on entering Wednesday’s non-conference home game against Houston Baptist. Vanderbilt has dropped three in a row and seven of its first 10 games this season, and with just two games remaining before the SEC schedule starts Dec. 30 at Florida, the Commodores need to get better fast.
Evansville at Duke 7:00 PM ET

Third-ranked Duke looks to extend the nation’s longest non-conference home winning streak when it hosts Evansville on Wednesday. The Blue Devils have won 138 straight contests at home against opponents not from the ACC. 

North Texas at Georgetown 7:00 PM ET
Georgetown may have fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten, but it has a chance to get back to its winning ways Wednesday against visiting North Texas. The Hoyas proved they are better than their schedule by pushing Syracuse to overtime last week and should score an easy victory with a similar performance in their first meeting with the Mean Green.
Wagner at Seton Hall 7:00 PM ET
With some of its weaknesses exposed, No. 22 Seton Hall must get to work in hopes of turning them into strengths, beginning with Wednesday's game with visiting Wagner. The Pirates struggled with turnovers and received next to nothing from its bench in falling last week at Rutgers, but can start to make amends with another victory against the Seahawks.
Maryland - E. Shore at Iowa State 7:00 PM ET

Iowa State has won eight straight games and freshman Lindell Wigginton has been the spark plug. Four days after scoring 15 points in the second half to lead a comeback against Northern Iowa, the shooting guard will try to continue his torrid shooting when the Cyclones host Eastern-Maryland Shore on Wednesday in the final tune-up before Big 12 play commences with home games with Kansas State and Texas starting on Dec. 29.

Coppin St. at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
No. 10 West Virginia lost its season opener but has been on a tear since, winning nine straight games. That doesn't mean that coach Bob Huggins is satisfied, of course, as his team prepares to host Coppin State on Wednesday.
Little Rock at Mississippi State 8:00 PM ET

Mississippi State aims for its first 10-1 start in six years when it hosts Little Rock on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 9-0 at home, while the Trojans are 0-6 on the road.

 

Texas-San Antonio at Nebraska 8:00 PM ET
While Nebraska's 1-3 record during its most challenging four-game stretch of the season was about the best most fans would have expected, the way the Cornhuskers competed throughout most of the run has some believing a top-half finish in the Big Ten could be in the works. Coming off consecutive hard-fought losses to ranked opponents, the Cornhuskers look to rebound Wednesday when they host UT San Antonio.
Siena at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
Memphis looks to rebound from a tough loss over the weekend when it returns home to face Siena in its final game of the Houzz Gotham Classic. The Tigers fell to Louisville on Saturday, their first defeat in the five-team, round-robin event which also snapped their four-game winning streak, while the Saints are coming off their easiest win of the season, a 19-point triumph over Bryant.
Southern at Baylor 8:00 PM ET
No. 18 Baylor has chance to extend two streaks as it closes non-conference play against visiting Southern on Wednesday. The Bears, who have won 47 straight at home against unranked non-conference opponents, are trying to enter Big 12 play with double-digit wins for the 11th time in 12 years.
Furman at Tennessee 9:00 PM ET
Tennessee forward Grant Williams was not happy after the Volunteers' last game, but he knows that the college basketball season is a marathon, not a sprint. The 20th-ranked Volunteers aim to play two complete halves Wednesday when Furman visits for a non-conference clash.
Wofford at North Carolina 9:00 PM ET
Fourth-ranked North Carolina hopes to avoid a letdown after recording an inspiring road victory when it returns home to take on dangerous Wofford on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels have won five in a row after rallying for a 78-73 victory at Tennessee on Sunday when they finished the game on an 11-3 run in their only contest decided by single digits this season.
Albany at Louisville 9:00 PM ET
With 11 new players and an uncertain coaching situation, it would be easy for Louisville to struggle heading into conference play early in the new year -- but that hasn't been the case at all as the Cardinals seek their fifth straight win Wednesday against visiting Albany. Louisville fended off rival Memphis 81-72 Saturday in the showcase game at the Gotham Classic in New York and will wrap up the event against a Great Danes team off to an equally impressive start.
Northwestern St. at Utah 9:00 PM ET
Utah hosts Northwestern State on Wednesday in its pre-Christmas finale and final non-conference tune-up of the season. It also will be the non-league finale for the Demons, who will be visiting Salt Lake City on the second night of a daunting back-to-back road trip after falling 105-68 at No. 17 Oklahoma on Tuesday.
South Carolina Upstate at Creighton 9:00 PM ET
Creighton pushes the pace as well as any team in college basketball, outscoring opponents by nearly nine points per game on average in transition en route to boasting the eighth-ranked scoring offense in college basketball. The 24th-ranked Bluejays eye a fifth straight win Wednesday in their final tune-up before the start of Big East play next week when they host South Carolina Upstate.
Central Arkansas at Oregon 11:00 PM ET

Oregon will be looking to take a five-game win streak into the Christmas break when it welcomes Central Arkansas to Eugene on Wednesday night. It also will serve as the non-conference finale for the Ducks, who will then have nine days off prior to their Dec. 29 Pac-12 opener against Utah. 

Kansas State at Washington St. 11:00 PM ET
Sophomore wing Xavier Sneed is fast becoming a difference-maker for Kansas State, which concludes its non-conference schedule on Wednesday in Spokane against Washington State. Sneed is averaging 19.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over his last two games to spark a Kansas State team that has won five of its last six contests.