Archives: Previews

Between the sudden departure of its head coach, the frightening on-court collapse of a key player and the NCAA’s controversial denial of the eligibility of a star transfer, it’s been a tumultuous six months for West Virginia. And the effects appear to have contributed to an uneven start for the Mountaineers. West Virginia (3-5) will try to put it all aside and get its season on track when it hosts Drexel (5-4) Saturday in Morgantown,

After each team had a week away from game action, Florida State and South Florida will look to snap losing streaks as they face off Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., in the Orange Bowl Classic. The Seminoles (4-3) dropped back-to-back games after letting a 17-point lead slip away at home against Georgia and losing on the road at North Carolina. The Bulls (2-4) have dropped three in a row, losing to Maine at home and Hofstra

The difference between Georgia Tech’s play at home and on the road is night and day. It means the Yellow Jackets (4-3) are more than happy to return to their home arena when they host Alabama A&M on Saturday in Atlanta. First-year head coach Damon Stoudamire’s team lost its only two road games so far this year in blowout fashion, with a 35-point loss at Cincinnati and a 14-point defeat to in-state rival Georgia on

Minnesota will go for back-to-back victories when it hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers (6-3) are coming off a 76-65 win on their home court against Nebraska. They trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half and stormed back by outscoring the Cornhuskers 52-26 in the second half. The comeback win came with a cost. Dawson Garcia, Minnesota’s top scorer at 18.2 points per game, injured

Virginia Tech is anxious to see more of the December version of MJ Collins and leave the November version behind. When Virginia Tech (6-3) meets visiting Valparaiso (4-5) in the first-ever meeting of the teams Saturday at Blacksburg, Va., Collins will be on center stage as he tries to build on the best game of his career. In Virginia Tech’s ACC opener Sunday, Collins made all three of his 3-point attempts on his way to

Kansas State is getting used to playing overtime games. More importantly, it’s getting used to winning them. The Wildcats (7-2) have gone into overtime and won in each of their last three games heading into Saturday afternoon’s contest against host LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Kansas State recorded a 72-71 win over visiting Villanova on Tuesday night in the Big 12/Big East Battle. “I like where we’re at,” Wildcats coach Jerome Tang said. “Everybody would

Indiana and Auburn will be looking to boost their non-conference credentials against NCAA Tournament-caliber foes when they meet on a neutral court Saturday in Atlanta. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has a deep team that revolves around Johni Broome, a 6-foot-10 junior center, who leads the Tigers with 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and a pressure defense. Pearl’s offense features five perimeter players who average more than seven points, led by freshman point guard

Sunday’s tight contest at Virginia Tech slipped out of Louisville’s control before leading to a seven-point loss in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener. The Cardinals will aim to get back on track Saturday as they take a break from league play with a visit to Chicago to face struggling DePaul. Louisville (4-4) benefited from 10 first-half points from Mike James to take a 31-30 lead at intermission against the Hokies, but the advantage was short-lived.

If the start of this season is any indication, Butler again might be a force to be reckoned with in the Big East Conference. The Bulldogs are off to a 7-2 start after a 72-59 win Tuesday night over Buffalo. Their only losses are to ranked teams — Michigan State and Florida Atlantic — and they own solid wins over Penn State, Boise State and Texas Tech. Butler will try to add another victory to

The 99th meeting between Syracuse and Georgetown has a new look Saturday as two first-year coaches square off when the Orange visit the Hoyas in Washington, D.C. After Jim Boeheim patrolled the Orange sideline for the previous 47 seasons, Adrian Autry gets his first crack at the Hoyas as a head coach. Georgetown coach Ed Cooley is the new face of the Hoyas (5-3) and already has the team within reach of last season’s win