Archives: Previews

Michigan State has a lot of work to do before earning consideration for a Top 25 ranking. During the past two games, the Spartans have finally looked like the Top 10 team they were projected to be prior to the season. The Spartans dominated previously undefeated Baylor 88-64 on Saturday, then handled in-state opponent Oakland 79-62 on Monday. They’ll host Stony Brook in East Lansing on Thursday. Michigan State hounded the Bears into 21 turnovers,

Boston College returns to the floor for its only game in a three-week span on Thursday when it welcomes Lehigh to Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Eagles (8-3) carry momentum of a three-game win streak, but with the victories spread over a multiple weeks, the run might not be a tangible factor in their nonconference finale. Boston College overcame a second-half deficit in an 86-80 victory over St. John’s on Dec. 10. Quinten Post’s near triple-double

Virginia Tech has reeled off three straight convincing wins, suggesting the Hokies are ready for the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of their schedule. But first Virginia Tech (8-3) has one last nonconference tune up, Thursday night in Blacksburg, Va., against American (5-6). The Hokies’ strong play this month has come despite injuries to an already-thin backcourt. After two-year starting point guard Sean Pedula suffered a sprained ankle in a win over Louisville, he sat out

No. 19 Texas finally has all hands on deck as it continues preparation for the Big 12 gauntlet, hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday afternoon in Austin. The Longhorns (8-2) carry a modest two-game winning streak into the pre-Christmas contest, with their most recent game a 96-85 victory over LSU in Houston on Saturday. Max Abmas poured in 20 points and Tyrese Hunter added a season-high 19 in that win for Texas, which led by

The surprising rise of No. 20 James Madison has given several mid-major conference teams the rare opportunity to face a ranked team on their home floor. So far, none of them have taken advantage. The next team to get a shot at James Madison (11-0) on its home floor is Morgan State (4-9) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Dukes have an afternoon date with the Bears on Friday in Baltimore. James Madison has had

There are certain parts to Wake Forest’s five-game winning streak that have been particularly encouraging. Coach Steve Forbes said he likes the way the Demon Deacons have avoided tight finishes by maintaining their focus, and they’ll aim for another similar outing when Presbyterian visits Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest is 7-3 after its third consecutive game with five players scoring in double figures. Those performances have helped with some comfortable conclusions. “We’ve all

Steamrolling Texas Tech looks to close out its pre-Christmas schedule on a positive note Thursday when Texas-Arlington comes to Lubbock for an afternoon matchup. The Red Raiders (8-2) bring a three-game winning streak into the matchup after a 76-54 romp past Vanderbilt on Saturday in the Coast-to-Coast Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. The Mavericks (6-4) played in the game right before Texas Tech in the event and edged Air Force for its best win this

Syracuse can extend its winning streak to four games when Niagara comes to town for a nonconference matchup Thursday. Syracuse (8-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has been off since Sunday, when the Orange bench provided a major boost in an 83-63 victory over Oregon. The Orange had four reserves score at least eight points in the win. Sophomore Quadir Copeland led the way with a career-high 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Sophomore center

Ohio State righted itself against UCLA and hopes to carry that momentum into its home game against New Orleans on Thursday. The Buckeyes (9-2) defeated the Bruins 67-60 in Atlanta on Saturday, a week after blowing an 18-point second half lead in an 83-80 loss at Penn State. “Our guys were not too dismayed by a loss. They know it’s a long season and you can’t get too high or too low,” Ohio State coach

The third-ranked Houston Cougars won a grudge match against an old conference rival on Saturday, but the victory came at a significant cost. The Cougars (11-0), who will host Texas State on Thursday, lost sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux to an Achilles injury in their 70-66 win over Texas A&M, marking their first measure of injury adversity this season. Arceneaux logged six minutes before sustaining the injury in the first half. He is scheduled to undergo