Archives: Previews

West Coast headliners fight to make a non-conference statement on Saturday in Las Vegas when No. 11-ranked Gonzaga faces Southern California in the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational. Gonzaga (5-1) returned to the mainland with an 81-65 defeat of Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday. The win over the Roadrunners followed a 2-1 showing at the Maui Invitational on Thanksgiving week in Honolulu. The Bulldogs rebounded from a 73-63 loss to current No. 1-ranked Purdue

No. 24 Illinois leaves the state for the first time this season Saturday when it visits Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. The Fighting Illini (5-1) open Big Ten play in a matchup of two of the conference’s early defensive leaders. “I’ve been really pleased with this group,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “I’ve been really pleased with the improvements we’ve made. Now it’s what we really play for — these league games and to put ourselves

No. 7 Duke heads from Arkansas in Atlanta to open Atlantic Coast Conference play against host Georgia Tech on Saturday. After trailing by one point at halftime, the Blue Devils (5-2) fell behind Arkansas by as many as 14 in an 80-75 setback on Wednesday. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer’s group faced a raucous crowd in a record-setting attendance of 20,344 fans at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. “I don’t care if you’re experienced

Arizona’s transfers are playing major roles as the No. 2 Wildcats get back in action Saturday afternoon against Colgate in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona (6-0) last played on Thanksgiving, leading most of the way but having to battle to pull out a 74-68 victory over Michigan State in Palm Desert, Calif. North Carolina transfer Caleb Love scored a team-high 17 points. San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds

Villanova did not expect to be competing in the fifth-place game of the inaugural Big 5 Classic Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. But that’s where the No. 18-ranked Wildcats (6-2) find themselves with a matchup against Drexel following losses against Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph’s. Villanova consistently stood atop the Big 5 — which now includes the Dragons in recent years. The Wildcats won national championships in 2016 and 2018. Without Hall of Fame head coach Jay

No. 17 North Carolina doesn’t intend to fall off the radar this December. A year ago the Tar Heels faded, but that might not be the case this time as they enter Atlantic Coast Conference play coming off a notable performance. “We were really trying to put the world on notice,” North Carolina forward Armando Bacot said after his team beat No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday. Next comes a visit from Florida State for the

Rankings and records will be irrelevant when No. 3 Marquette makes the 80-mile trip to face Wisconsin on Saturday in the annual nonconference matchup of in-state rivals in Madison. Both Marquette and Wisconsin took care of business this week in tune-up victories following impressive tournament showings. Marquette (6-1) rolled past Southern 93-56 on Tuesday, and Wisconsin (5-2) defeated Western Illinois 71-49 on Monday for its fourth consecutive win. The I-94 rivalry began in 1917 and

The key contributors tend to be evolving and rotating for the Charlotte Hornets. As long as at least a player or two are able to come through, the Hornets figure to have a chance against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at Charlotte, N.C. The Timberwolves will arrive on a roll with a three-game winning streak and victories in six of their last seven games. They’ve had a variety of players come to the forefront.

When the Clippers and Golden State Warriors met on Thursday, Los Angeles had no answer for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson down the stretch. The Clippers were within seven early in the fourth quarter before Curry and Thompson took over, combining for 21 points over the final 9:53 to lead Golden State to a 120-114 victory. Los Angeles will attempt to prevent the star duo from taking over again when it hosts the Warriors in

Recent results indicate the New Jersey Devils may be regaining their form from a strong opening few weeks and now they would like to avoid any kind of a letdown against the NHL’s worst team. The Devils go for their season-high fourth straight win Friday night in Newark, N.J., when they host the San Jose Sharks, who are still searching for their first road win. New Jersey is on its second three-game winning streak this