Archives: Previews

UCLA concludes a three-game, season-opening homestand on Wednesday when the Bruins welcome Long Island to Los Angeles. UCLA (2-0) closed its 68-50 win last Friday against Lafayette with a 34-7 run, rallying from a nine-point deficit to take control in the nonconference matchup. The Bruins scored 19 points off 14 Leopards turnovers, which included four steals by Lazar Stefanovic. Stefanovic was also one of three Bruins to score in double figures with 11 points. Starter

BYU will tangle with a Southland Conference foe for the second time in three games when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday night in Provo, Utah. The Cougars (2-0) opened their season with an emphatic 110-63 victory over Houston Christian. They followed it up with a 74-65 defeat of then-No. 17 San Diego State on Friday. Hot perimeter shooting carried BYU. In both games, the Cougars shot at least 35 percent from 3-point range and

Everything was going according to plan for Georgetown and new coach Ed Cooley on Saturday at home against Holy Cross. But in the final eight minutes, the Hoyas blew an 11-point lead to the Crusaders and fell 68-67 in a loss that looked all too familiar from recent seasons under Patrick Ewing. Georgetown (1-1) will try to recapture the wave of enthusiasm brought by Cooley on Wednesday night when it visits Rutgers (2-1) in the

Louisville will play its third straight home game and try to bounce back from a loss against winless Coppin State on Wednesday night. The Cardinals (1-1) fell 81-71 to Chattanooga last Friday as the Mocs made 14 3-point baskets. The visiting Eagles (0-3) are coming off a 74-60 defeat Saturday at Mount St Mary’s. It’s early, but this might be a must-win for second-year Louisville coach Kenny Payne as the schedule only gets tougher. Payne

Boston College begins a two-game homestand before Thanksgiving week when it hosts Richmond in a battle of early-season unbeatens on Wednesday night. Two of the top players for the Eagles (2-0) are looking to build off career-best performances from the opening week of the season. Jaeden Zackery led the way in Friday’s 75-71 road win against a young but feisty squad from The Citadel. He scored 21 points — a career high for the junior

Three Seton Hall guards are scoring in double figures through two games, but the team appears to be most improved at center in the early going. The Pirates will continue to rely on newcomers Jaden Bediako and Elijah Hutchins-Everett at center when they face visiting Albany on Wednesday night in Newark, N.J. Bediako and Hutchins-Everett transferred to Seton Hall (2-0) from Santa Clara and Austin Peay, respectively, to help the Pirates bolster their inside game.

Ohio State hopes to apply lessons learned from its first defeat when the Buckeyes host Merrimack on Wednesday night in Columbus. After opening with a win against mid-major Oakland, the Buckeyes hosted then-No. 15 Texas A&M on Friday and lost 73-66. “Rebounding and free throws,” Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton said. “We missed 10 free throws, so that makes a big difference.” Thornton was slightly off in his assessment of the foul shots, but the

There are times when Houston coach Kelvin Sampson is prone to consider the big picture when piecing together the plan for the season. His No. 6 Cougars want to make sure they’re conditioned at the end of the season to turn wintertime promise into something special in the spring. So an in-season tournament is a barometer but is nowhere near the end-all. It is, after all, November. The Cougars (3-0) will meet Towson (2-1) on

Virginia Tech entered this season hoping to remedy its dependence on Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla. But Friday night in a nip-and-tuck loss to South Carolina, there were Cattoor and Pedulla as the Hokies’ backcourt constants, playing 40 and 38 minutes, respectively. When Virginia Tech (1-1) hosts Campbell (1-1) in non-conference action Wednesday night in Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies hope to lighten the workload of their top two players. Virginia Tech anticipated having backcourt help

Nebraska hopes to match its best start in five years when it hosts Stony Brook in a non-conference game Wednesday night in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (3-0) are coming off a 64-50 home win over Rider on Monday in a game that saw them get back sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga. The senior guard, who had missed the first two games because of an ankle injury suffered in an exhibition game, started and played 22 minutes but