Preview Roundups
December 21, 2017
South Alabama at Tulane 1:00 PM ET
Tulane will look to build off a solid second half in its latest win when it faces visiting South Alabama on Thursday in its final non-conference game. The Green Wave shot lights out over the final 20 minutes to defeat Nicholls on Monday and will try to carry it over against the Jaguars.
Southern Miss at Florida State 2:00 PM ET
Florida State rebounded from its first loss of the season to defeat Charleston Southern 69-58 on Monday, two days after falling to Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl Classic. The 25th-ranked Seminoles have won 26 straight at home and welcome Southern Miss to Tallahassee for a Thursday afternoon game, the Golden Eagles' first against a Top 25 team since Nov. 29, 2013.
Tennessee St. at Purdue 6:00 PM ET
With seven consecutive wins, including five against teams from major conferences, No. 16 Purdue has turned its season around since consecutive losses in the Battle 4 Atlantis right before Thanksgiving. Coming off a wire-to-wire victory against in-state foe Butler on Saturday, the Boilermakers can’t afford to relax when battled-tested Tennessee State visits Thursday in a nonconference matchup.
Oregon St. at Kent St. 7:00 PM ET
Oregon State tries to equal its longest winning streak in 15 years when the Beavers visit struggling Kent State on Thursday. Oregon State defeated Saint Louis 63-60 on Saturday for its sixth straight victory as it pursues its longest winning streak since 2002-03, and win at least nine of its first 12 games to start a season for the third time in four years under coach Wayne Tinkle.
Fairleigh Dickinson at Maryland 7:00 PM ET
Maryland returns to action Thursday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson, and after a sluggish performance against a Division III school in its last game and an eight-day break before its next contest, the Terrapins want a good performance. Head coach Mark Turgeon was not pleased with the Terrapins’ 76-59 victory on Dec. 12 over Catholic, a game in which the Terrapins trailed more than they led in the first half before finally pulling away.
Long Beach St. at Michigan St 7:00 PM ET
No. 2 Michigan State looks to extend its winning streak to 11 games when it hosts non-conference foe Long Beach State on Thursday. The Spartans are coming off an easy 45-point victory over Houston Baptist on Monday, while the 49ers have dropped two of three - including a home setback against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Southeastern Louisiana at Notre Dame 7:00 PM ET
Notre Dame gets one final tune-up before beginning its grueling ACC schedule when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday. The Fighting Irish are 16-1 under coach Mike Brey as they prepare for their final game before Christmas.
South Carolina State at Central Florida 7:00 PM ET
Central Florida is riding a wave of momentum into the final game of non-conference play as the Knights host South Carolina State on Thursday. UCF has won four consecutive games for the second time this season and looks to make it a season-high five against the Bulldogs.
Cleveland St. at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
It's hard to find fault in a 28-point victory - but No. 22 Cincinnati identified flaws it needs to work on moving forward. The Bearcats seek their fourth consecutive victory Thursday night as they end the non-conference portion of their schedule against visiting Cleveland State.
Charlotte at South Florida 7:00 PM ET
After pulling off back-to-back wins, South Florida looks to end non-conference play on a high note when it hosts Charlotte on Thursday. The Bulls have a couple of potential program benchmarks on the line.
Grambling State at East Carolina 7:00 PM ET
East Carolina looks to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a victory when it hosts Grambling State on Thursday. The Pirates are trying to avoid losing back-to-back home games for the second time this season.
Western Illinois at Butler 7:00 PM ET
Butler begins Big East play next week, following Thursday's final non-conference tuneup against visiting Western Illinois. The Bulldogs rebounded from a recent loss to Purdue with a 16-point win over Morehead State on Tuesday.
American U. at Marquette 7:00 PM ET
Marquette wraps up non-conference play Thursday and seeks its seventh win in eight games when American pays a visit. The Golden Eagles begin Big East play against No. 8 Xavier next week, putting additional emphasis on Thursday's tune-up for that important contest.
Tennessee Tech at Indiana 8:00 PM ET
Indiana looks to bounce back from a humbling loss when it hosts Tennessee Tech on Thursday. The Hoosiers dropped a disappointing 92-72 decision to Fort Wayne on Monday just two days after knocking off then 18th-ranked Notre Dame 80-77 in overtime at the Crossroads Classic.
Oral Roberts at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Minnesota welcomed a nine-day break after a difficult first month and hopes to come back more like the team that opened the season when it hosts Oral Roberts on Thursday night. The Golden Gophers started the campaign with seven straight wins, including victories over Providence and Alabama, before struggling to just two victories in their last five and falling out of the top 25.
Alabama A&M at Michigan 9:00 PM ET
Michigan looks to stay unbeaten at home when it faces Alabama A&M on Thursday. The Wolverines have won three straight games overall, including a 90-58 victory against Detroit Mercy on Saturday, and hope to continue their winning ways by downing the Bulldogs for the second time in program history following an 87-57 triumph in their only previous meeting in 2011.
Buffalo at Texas A&M 9:00 PM ET
Texas A&M will try to bounce back from an off night when the Aggies close non-conference play Thursday against visiting Buffalo. The No. 9 Aggies were missing two starters when they shot a season-low 37.1 percent from the floor in Tuesday's 64-58 win against Northern Kentucky.
Connecticut at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
Coach Sean Miller and Arizona fans got a major
scare when leading scorer Allonzo Trier went down with a knee issue
Monday night. But Miller said Tuesday on his weekly radio show that the junior
guard and All-America candidate could play Thursday night when the 19th-ranked
Wildcats host UConn.
Miami (OH) at DePaul 9:00 PM ET
DePaul had a five-game win streak snapped Saturday
in a tough 62-60 home loss to Northwestern. The Blue Demons will now try to
salvage some pre-Big East-play momentum Thursday night when they host Miami
(Ohio) in their nonconference finale.
Gonzaga at San Diego St. 10:00 PM ET
Gonzaga closes nonconference play with only its second true road game of the season on Thursday night when it travels to perennial Mountain West power San Diego State. And with snow and temperatures getting down into the single-digits this weekend in Spokane, Zags players made no secret of the fact they are looking forward to getting away and spending a little time in sunny San Diego.
Kansas at Stanford 11:00 PM ET
Kansas looks to snap a three-game losing streak to Pac-12 foes on Thursday as the 13th-ranked Jayhawks conclude non-conference play against Stanford at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Jayhawks lost back-to-back games to Washington and Arizona State earlier this month and saw last season come to an end with a 14-point loss to Oregon in the Elite Eight.
Portland St. at California 11:00 PM ET
Back at .500 for the first time since Nov. 16, California looks to extend its winning streak to four games Thursday against visiting Portland State. Following a rough stretch that included ugly losses to Central Arkansas and Division II Chaminade, the Bears have regained some much-needed momentum ahead of their Pac-12 opener at Stanford on Dec. 30.