Archives: Previews

For the first time since making a surprise run to the Final Four last year, Florida Atlantic will get to play a game in its home arena when it faces Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night. It should be a warm reception from the home fans for the Owls, who put themselves on the national map and figure to stay there this season. Florida Atlantic was ranked No. 10 in the first two polls of the

All eyes will be on Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek’s gait when No. 4 Marquette takes the court at No. 23 Illinois for a Gavitt Tipoff Games marquee matchup Tuesday night in Champaign, Ill. Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year and preseason Associated Press All-American, limped to the locker room with 8:06 left in Marquette’s 95-65 win over Rider Friday night and did not return. “He turned his ankle,” Marquette coach Shaka

UConn coach Dan Hurley said he saw some good stretches from his team during Saturday’s 107-67 victory over Stonehill, just not enough of them. Hurley added that he’ll be looking for a more complete effort from the fifth-ranked Huskies moving forward, starting with Tuesday night’s matchup with Mississippi Valley State in Hartford, Conn. “I thought we played segments there,” Hurley said in Saturday’s postgame press conference. “Obviously not a full 40-minute game, but I thought

Duke and Michigan State enter the Champions Classic in strange positions. After all, either the Blue Devils or Spartans will have a second loss this early in the season. But it’s still a high-stakes matchup when No. 9 Duke and No. 18 Michigan State gather for Tuesday night’s game in Chicago. “I love these kind of games,” Blue Devils guard Jeremy Roach said. “These are the games I work for.” The rankings for these teams

No. 7 Tennessee scored exactly 80 points in each of its first two victories of the season. The Volunteers (2-0) may need more than that to beat high-scoring Wofford (2-0) on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tenn. The Terriers pulled out a 99-98 victory on Saturday against High Point after scoring 85 in their opener. History is on Tennessee’s side, having swept the seven previous meetings with Wofford from 1952 to 2004. The Volunteers are coming

The surging Philadelphia 76ers look for their ninth consecutive victory when they host the Indiana Pacers in the league’s in-season tournament Tuesday. It will be a rematch after the Sixers defeated the Pacers 137-126 Sunday behind a career-high 50 points from Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers have won eight of their first nine games for the first time since 2000-01 when they last reached the NBA Finals. Reigning league Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid had 37

For the Detroit Pistons, eight is more than enough. The losses have been piling up in the early going and they’ll look to end their eight-game slide when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. The game is part of the NBA’s new in-season tournament. The Pistons lost their East Group A opener to Philadelphia on Friday, 114-106. The Hawks will be playing their tournament opener. Detroit hit the road after the loss to the

The Miami Heat have shown the ability to overcome tough situations and win games; the Charlotte Hornets would be wise to pick up that trait. The teams, with vastly different trends, meet Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C. The Heat hold a five-game winning streak following Sunday night’s 118-113 comeback victory at San Antonio. “A good step,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Hopefully, we can build on that.” Spoelstra called it a “character game,” and that’s

The Milwaukee Bucks will bid to bounce back from consecutive losses on the road when they host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. Milwaukee dropped a 126-124 decision to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night and a 112-97 setback to the Orlando Magic two days later. Giannis Antetokounmpo backed up his 54-point night in Indiana with a 35-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist performance vs. Orlando. With Damian Lillard sitting out a second straight game due to a

The Toronto Raptors will return from a 2-2 road trip to open a four-game homestand with a clash against the Washington Wizards on Monday night. The Raptors completed their trek with a 117-94 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. The Wizards lost 102-94 to the host Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon after overcoming a 17-point deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Washington has dropped six of its past seven games.