Archives: Previews

Having already equaled last season’s win total, South Carolina will try to finish its nonconference schedule with another victory when the Gamecocks face Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C. Victors in four straight contests, coach Lamont Paris’ group has crafted an 11-1 mark for the fourth time in school history. South Carolina’s eight-game home winning streak is its best showing since racking up 13 in a row in the 2015-16 season, a year

Alabama needs to start chalking up victories, and beating any team with an impressive record would be a good step. The Crimson Tide (7-5) will try to do just that when they take on Liberty (10-3) on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala., as part of the C.M. Newton Classic. Officially, it’s a neutral site, but it probably won’t seem that way to Liberty. Alabama, coming off a 111-67 win over Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 23,

Two of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will square off in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday as Wake Forest hosts Virginia Tech in a game between two teams that haven’t lost in more than a month. The Demon Deacons (8-3, 0-0 ACC) have won six straight, all in double-digit fashion. The most recent big win came on Dec. 21 in a 91-68 home rout of Presbyterian. Starring for Wake Forest in that game

A lot has changed for St. John’s since the arrival of Rick Pitino in March — including the Red Storm’s willingness to play Hofstra. A local rivalry will resume on Saturday afternoon when St. John’s is slated to play Hofstra in Elmont, N.Y. Both teams are returning from a lengthy Christmas break. St. John’s hasn’t played since Dec. 23, when the visiting Red Storm squandered an eight-point, second-half lead in a 69-65 loss against then-No.

Notre Dame’s 20-point loss at home to The Citadel on Dec. 19 was so traumatic for the Fighting Irish that they set out to tear down their “foundation” and build it back up from “day one,” first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry said. A win three days later over Marist was a small step in the right direction. Now, after a seven-day layoff, Notre Dame (5-7, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will get a better sense of the

Nearly a month after playing their Atlantic Coast Conference openers, Syracuse and Pitt will resume league play Saturday when they convene on the Orange’s home court in Syracuse, N.Y. The Orange (9-3, 0-1 ACC) dropped their first conference affair to Virginia on Dec. 2, suffering an 84-62 road defeat. However, they have rebounded to win their past four contests, most recently an 83-71 triumph over Niagara on Dec. 21. Judah Mintz (18 points) and Maliq

Rutgers, which let a resume-boosting opportunity slip away last time out, will return to action on Saturday, hosting Stonehill in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights (7-4) scheduled a neutral-site game against Mississippi State on Dec. 23 in Newark, N.J., but familiar problems cropped up in their 70-60 loss. Rutgers shot a season-low 17.6 percent from the 3-point arc (3 of 17), but more worrisome was a 47-26 deficit on the boards. The Scarlet Knights also

No. 19 Memphis has built all sorts of momentum, and the Tigers don’t want to loosen their grip on the things that have helped them excel. Next up comes a visit from Austin Peay on Saturday night in Memphis. The Tigers (10-2) carry a five-game winning streak heading into their final tune-up before American Athletic Conference play. “This has been very taxing, haven’t got much sleep,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. “Really proud to be

Former conference rivals will tangle for the first time since 2011 when No. 14 BYU hosts Wyoming on Saturday in Provo, Utah. BYU (11-1) has won three straight home games in dominant fashion. The Cougars’ most recent triumph — a 101-59 victory over Bellarmine on Dec. 22 — saw them cross the 100-point plateau for the third time this season while holding an opponent under 60 points for the seventh time in 12 games. BYU

College basketball bragging rights within the state of Kansas are at stake as Wichita State and No. 2 Kansas square off Saturday afternoon, with the game actually outside of the state of Kansas. The venue is the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., where Wichita State will be playing for the second straight game, after losing 69-60 to Kansas State Dec. 21. Even though the two campuses are just 165 miles apart, the two programs