Archives: Previews

Jaylin Sellers is coming off a career night in UCF’s loss to Stetson last weekend, but coach Johnny Dawkins is hoping the 6-foot-4 transfer from Ball State gets a little help from his friends when the Knights host Lipscomb on Saturday afternoon in Orlando, Fla. Sellers scored 34 points against Stetson, but the Hatters put up 55 in the second half to rally to an 85-82 victory. “We need more than just Jaylin,” Dawkins said.

Looking for a more consistent effort, Kansas State hosts North Alabama on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan. The Wildcats (5-2) needed overtime before posting an 88-78 win over Oral Roberts on Tuesday. Kansas State’s Tylor Perry overcame a scoreless first half to finish with 20 points, matching Arthur Kaluma for the team lead. Perry stepped it up in overtime, totaling seven points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist. Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang

NC State will be looking for an improved effort at the offensive end Saturday when it goes on the road to face Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., in the ACC opener for each team. The Wolfpack (4-2) shot 31.8 percent from the field in Tuesday’s 72-52 loss to Ole Miss in the ACC/SEC Challenge. They missed 22 of their 25 attempts from 3-point range (12.0 percent). “The obvious thing is we didn’t play well

Ole Miss will try to continue its undefeated start to the season as Memphis works on bouncing back from its first loss. The rivals will meet Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss. The Rebels (6-0) won three consecutive games by a combined total of five points before producing their biggest margin of victory of the season Tuesday when they defeated North Carolina State 72-52 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. “That was definitely a step in the right

It is hard to know what to make of Virginia. After two uncharacteristically unfocused games in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, the Cavaliers rediscovered their signature defense in bringing down No. 14 Texas A&M on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Which Virginia team will show up Saturday when the Cavaliers (6-1) face Syracuse (5-2) in their ACC opener in Charlottesville, Va.? Will it be the Virginia team that flatlined in a 65-41 loss to Wisconsin,

November ended on a sour note for Penn State, which hopes to return to the win column Saturday afternoon when Bucknell pays a visit to University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions (4-3) began the season with four straight victories before concluding November with a trio of double-digit defeats at the ESPN Events Invitational. Most recently, Penn State fell to Virginia Commonwealth 86-74 despite Ace Baldwin Jr.’s 27 points and five assists. “I hope they’re really

Eighth-ranked Miami heads home on a redemption mission following a 22-point loss to Kentucky. The Hurricanes are back in action Saturday against visiting Notre Dame in Coral Gables, Fla., where Miami (5-1) and the Fighting Irish (3-3) kick off their Atlantic Coast Conference slate. Miami coach Jim Larranaga continues chasing the goal of rediscovering the formula used to reach the Final Four last season, and admits Tuesday’s 95-73 setback to Kentucky wasn’t a good enough

No. 20 Colorado State brings a bit of baggage to Las Vegas this weekend. The Rams bring their unbeaten record — and multiple health concerns — to Las Vegas for a matchup with Washington (4-2). The Rams (7-0) are without guard Jalen Lake (broken finger) and forward Patrick Cartier could miss the game due to a back injury. Lake played with the broken finger in his left hand and finished with 16 points off the

No. 9 Baylor puts an undefeated November behind them and welcomes Northwestern State (La.) on Saturday in Waco, Texas. The Bears (7-0) played like a powerhouse in their 108-70 home win over Nicholls on Tuesday. Langston Love poured in a career-high 23 points off the bench while going 8 of 10 from the floor and producing a career-best five 3-pointers to lead Baylor. “Every shot I take, I think it’s going in, especially with the

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