Archives: Previews

Cincinnati is pushing for a prolonged perfect start and a major off-court victory when it hosts Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. The Bearcats are 4-0 for the second time in three seasons under head coach Wes Miller, including Sunday’s 90-66 win over Northern Kentucky. Dan Skillings Jr. poured in a career-high 25 points while freshman Day Day Thomas added 20. After the game, Miller lashed out at the NCAA for its refusal to communicate its

Boston College and Colorado State meet Wednesday in a fight between undefeated teams in the first round of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo. Colorado State (4-0) posted an 84-61 victory over the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Friday. The Rams skated to an easy win even though guard Isaiah Stevens, the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, was limited to six points. It was the first time

Villanova slipped out of the AP Top 25 poll after one surprising loss and one cruise-control type of win. The Wildcats can shift their trajectory at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas, where they’ll face undefeated Texas Tech in the first round Wednesday afternoon. Villanova (3-1) lost a Philadelphia Big 5 rivalry game at Penn 76-72 on Nov. 13. The upset angered some Villanova fans who are used to national title-contending teams under former

One commonality for Memphis and Michigan this season: operating in missing coach formation. Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway was suspended for the first three games for recruiting violations, while Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is continuing to recover from an offseason heart procedure. Howard is still out and Hardaway will return to the bench when the Tigers and Wolverines meet on Wednesday in a first round Battle 4 Atlantis contest in Nassau, Bahamas. Memphis is

Ole Miss won four straight home games to start the season. The Rebels will get their first test away from home when they visit Temple (3-1) on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. “All four of our games have been games that tested our composure and poise down the stretch,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. The Rebels defeated Alabama State by 10 points on Nov. 6 and Eastern Washington by 11 four days later after pulling

No. 13 Baylor cruises into the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York matchup with Oregon State chasing continuity and chemistry. The task of replacing four of their five starters from last year’s team has gone swimmingly for the Bears (4-0), who defeated Auburn their season opener in South Dakota and racked up three wins in six days, all at home. The winner draws the victor of the clash between Florida and Pittsburgh on Friday for

No. 14 North Carolina hits the road for the first time this season on Wednesday when it faces Northern Iowa in the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas. The winner of the matchup between the Tar Heels (3-0) and the Panthers (1-2) will face either Texas Tech or Villanova on Thursday. North Carolina recorded three straight double-digit victories against mid-major opponents to begin the season. “We’re going to learn a lot about us next week,”

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman have Creighton playing at an expected high level to open the season. The trio tries to continue a run of success Wednesday when the eighth-ranked Bluejays face Loyola-Chicago at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo. Creighton (4-0) ranks among the national leaders in scoring (92.0 points per game) and field-goal percentage (53.7). The Bluejays also are shooting 40 percent from 3-point range while winning their

Charlotte’s fourth-quarter comeback and eventual overtime victory against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night were the highlights of the season so far for the Hornets. The challenge will be doing it again. The first chance for that comes on Wednesday against the visiting Washington Wizards. “They know this. We talk about it all the time,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “This league isn’t about a great win. This league is about, ‘Can we come

Giannis Antetokounmpo will have an opportunity to score at least 40 points for the third straight game when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Boston Celtics in a matchup of division leaders Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo tossed in 40 during Milwaukee’s 132-125 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and followed up that performance by scoring 42 in a 142-129 win against the host Washington Wizards on Monday night. Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.2 points per