Preview Roundups
December 29, 2018
High Point at Ohio St. 12:00 PM ET
Ohio State will be looking to close out an unbeaten December and the non-conference portion of the schedule with a win at home over High Point on Saturday. The No. 11 Buckeyes have won five straight games this month, including an 80-66 victory over UCLA last weekend before the Christmas break.
Davidson at North Carolina 12:00 PM ET

No. 14 North Carolina looks to rebound from a tough loss and close out the calendar year with a home win over in-state opponent Davidson on Saturday. The Tar Heels have won nine straight meetings dating to 2001, including an 85-75 victory last December. 

Brigham Young at Mississippi State 12:00 PM ET
Mississippi State rides an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's contest against visiting BYU in the final preparation for its SEC opener Jan. 8 at South Carolina. The No. 17 Bulldogs, whose only loss this season was to No. 17 Arizona State, survived a scare before outlasting Wright State 67-63 on Dec. 22 in their last game as they wind down a non-conference season that included victories over Clemson, Cincinnati, Saint Mary's and Dayton.
Howard at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
What was once Jessie Govan's team, Georgetown now belongs to a group of freshmen heading into its final non-conference game Saturday against visiting Howard. Mac McClung and James Akinjo took over partial ownership of the Hoyas thanks to a pair of explosive performances a few days before Christmas.
Coppin St. at Notre Dame 12:00 PM ET
Notre Dame will look to close out the 2018 calendar and its non-conference schedule on a high note as it hosts winless Coppin State on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Irish shoot for a fourth consecutive win, with their latest victory coming in a 100-74 rout of Jacksonville on Dec. 20.
MD Baltimore County at Penn St. 1:00 PM ET
Penn State has one final tune-up before a return to Big Ten play when it hosts Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have endured an up-and-down and challenging non-conference slate, and are coming off a 73-64 loss at Alabama on Dec. 21 - the team's fourth setback in the last six games.
Tennessee Tech at Tennessee 1:00 PM ET
Third-ranked Tennessee did not let an overtime loss to Kansas sap any momentum from its hot start to the season, as the Volunteers bring a six-game winning streak into Saturday’s home contest against Tennessee Tech. The Volunteers are off to their best 11-game start since winning 10 of their first 11 in 2007-08, and Grant Williams continues to assert himself as one of the top players in the SEC with conference play beginning next weekend.
Fairleigh Dickinson at South Florida 1:00 PM ET
South Florida looks to finish off its successful non-conference schedule Saturday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson of the Northeast Conference. The Bulls are riding high with their first five-game winning streak since 2007 and are in position to not only match last year's win total of 10, but become only the sixth team in school history to register that many wins in the first 12 games.
Florida A&M at Memphis 1:00 PM ET
Memphis looks for its third straight victory when it hosts non-conference foe Florida A&M on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers are coming off a 99-41 rout of Tennessee State last Saturday, while the Rattlers have dropped four straight, including a 54-39 setback at Portland on Dec. 21.
Tennessee St. at Vanderbilt 1:30 PM ET
Vanderbilt looks to bounce back from a disappointing offensive effort when it hosts Tennessee State on Saturday, one week after scoring 58 points - 23 below its season average - in a loss at Kansas State. The Commodores shot 31.9 percent from the field and did not score on 11 of their first 13 possessions, reaching the midpoint of the opening half with the same number of turnovers as points (four).
Northern Illinois at Michigan St 2:00 PM ET
Michigan State tries to extend its winning streak to six games against a familiar face when Northern Illinois visits East Lansing Saturday for a non-conference contest. Huskies head coach Mark Montgomery played point guard for the seventh-ranked Spartans from 1988 to 1992 and was an assistant under Tom Izzo from 2001 to 2011.
Gardner-Webb at Wake Forest 2:00 PM ET
Wake Forest was given a rude send-off into its holiday break with an 83-64 loss at No. 3 Tennessee on Dec. 22. The Demon Deacons will try to get back into the win column as they host Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon.
St. Bonaventure at Syracuse 2:00 PM ET
The nonconference part of Syracuse's schedule has been up and down, but the Orange can close out 2018 on a high note Saturday with a home win over St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies upset the Orange in the Carrier Dome last season, posting their first ever win in 11 road meetings with Syracuse.
Kentucky at Louisville 2:00 PM ET
No. 15 Kentucky looks to continue its recent control of the series against Louisville when it visits the Cardinals on Saturday. The Wildcats have won five of the past six meetings and are 9-2 against Louisville during coach John Calipari's nine-plus seasons at the school.
Florida Gulf Coast at Mississippi 2:00 PM ET
Ole Miss has won six games in a row and aims to close out the calendar year on a high note Saturday against visiting Florida Gulf Coast. This is the final non-league tuneup for the Rebels, who open SEC play next weekend versus Vanderbilt before facing a pair of ranked opponents.
Santa Clara at Washington St. 2:00 PM ET
Washington State hopes to end a disappointing non-conference portion of the schedule on a positive note when it hosts improving Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars had won two straight before losing both contests at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic last weekend and start Pac-12 play with a matchup against rival Washington on Jan. 5 that opens a three-game road swing.
Xavier at DePaul 2:00 PM ET

Quentin Goodin appears to be recovering from a shoulder injury just in time for Big East play as Xavier tries to replace its top three scorers from a 29-win squad. The reigning conference player of the week will lead the Musketeers on Saturday when DePaul visits in the league opener for both teams.

Texas A&M CC at Oklahoma State 2:00 PM ET
Oklahoma State entered its holiday break on a positive note after snapping a four-game skid with an 82-73 victory over Central Arkansas on Dec. 21. The Cowboys will host Texas A&M Corpus Christi Saturday as they finish off their non-conference schedule.
Eastern Michigan at Kansas 2:00 PM ET
A season full of flirting with danger finally came back to bite Kansas last weekend, suffering its first loss of the season and losing its top spot in the rankings after being unable to put away an opponent when it had a chance. The fifth-ranked Jayhawks hope to get back on track before they begin Big 12 play next week on Saturday when they welcome Eastern Michigan into Allen Fieldhouse.
Morehead St. at Missouri 2:00 PM ET

Missouri looks to run its winning streak to six games when it wraps up non-conference play against visiting Morehead State on Saturday. The Tigers are seeking their first six-game winning streak since starting the 2013-14 campaign with 10 consecutive victories. 

Nevada at Utah 2:00 PM ET
Sixth-ranked Nevada, off to a 12-0 start for the first time in the school's Division I history that began in 1969-70, will try to accomplish another first when it travels to Utah on Saturday. A win over the Utes would complete the first undefeated nonconference season in school history.
Southwest Minnesota St. at Nebraska 2:00 PM ET
During what is quickly shaping up to be his finest season at Nebraska, it wouldn't be a surprise if Tim Miles is feeling a bit nostalgic during the holidays. Less than two weeks after taking his Cornhuskers back to his home state, the seventh-year coach will wrap up No. 23 Nebraska's non-conference schedule Saturday when it hosts one of his former employers in Division II foe Southwest Minnesota State.
Florida Atlantic at Illinois 3:00 PM ET
Illinois returns from the holiday break for its final non-conference game Saturday at home against Florida Atlantic trying to find someone to help Trent Frazier. The Fighting Illini have relied heavily on the sophomore guard, who's averaging 16.5 points per game, and coach Brad Underwood wants to get Frazier's teammates more involved in the offense.
Maine at Rutgers 3:00 PM ET
Rutgers snapped a lengthy losing streak its last time out and hopes to carry consecutive wins back into Big Ten play with a triumph over visiting Maine on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights lost four in a row and went 23 days without a win before surviving an overtime affair against Columbia last Saturday.
Texas Southern at Texas A&M 3:30 PM ET
Texas A&M will try to keep its momentum rolling toward the start of SEC play when the Aggies host Texas Southern on Saturday. The Aggies have won five straight behind a balanced offense and improved defense.
Campbell at Miami-Florida 4:00 PM ET
Miami finishes up its non-conference slate Saturday at home in its first meeting with Campbell. While the Camels are coming off their first victory in three games, 70-69 over Alabama State in the St. Pete Shootout, the Hurricanes appear to be back on track after a late November through early-December swoon and they look to win their third in a row heading into their opening ACC matchup with North Carolina State next week.
Butler at Florida 4:00 PM ET
Butler looks to match its defensive effort from the first meeting with Florida this season when it visits the Gators on Saturday afternoon for the first-ever encounter between the two schools outside of tournament play. The Bulldogs limited Florida to 34.6 percent shooting from the field in a 61-54 first-round victory at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 23, and have won two in a row coming into their final non-conference contest.
New Jersey Tech at Houston 4:00 PM ET
No. 19 Houston has used a simple formula of solid defense and unselfish offense during its undefeated start. The Cougars will try to extend the nation's longest active home win streak to 26 when they host New Jersey Tech for their non-conference finale on Saturday.
Colgate at Pittsburgh 4:00 PM ET

Pittsburgh surpassed its win total of eight from a season ago with a 99-57 win over New Orleans on Dec. 20, and first-year coach Jeff Capel has three freshmen to thank for most of the success. The trio of rookies will try to build on an outstanding effort against the Privateers when a quality Colgate team visits Saturday in the Panthers' final non-conference game before No. 14 North Carolina rolls in to open ACC play.

Princeton at Arizona State 4:00 PM ET

Coming off one of the biggest wins of the season and in its program history, No. 17 Arizona State has to shift gears for its final non-conference game of the season. That comes Saturday afternoon when the Sun Devils host always-tricky Princeton of the Ivy League.

Belmont at Purdue 4:30 PM ET
Purdue looks to post back-to-back wins for the first time in six weeks when it hosts Belmont on Saturday. Matt Painter tinkered with his starting lineup and the change paid instant dividends as the Boilermakers ended a two-game skid with a 95-67 win over Ohio on Dec. 20 and hopes to end a disappointing first seven weeks of the season on a high note after dropping four non-conference games for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.
North Florida at Auburn 5:00 PM ET
Auburn's last opportunity to prepare for what is expected to be a rigorous SEC season comes Saturday when it hosts North Florida. The No. 11 Tigers are coming off a hard-fought 93-88 victory over Murray State on Dec. 22 with all five starters reaching double figures in scoring, and will play their fourth game in 15 days before taking a 10-day break entering conference play.
Wisconsin at Western Kentucky 5:30 PM ET
No. 16 Wisconsin looks to continue its winning ways when it wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule on the road against Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Badgers have won five of their last six games, including a decisive 84-53 victory against Grambling State on Dec 22, to put the memories of last year's losing season in the rearview mirror, and they hope to stay on the right track by downing the Hilltoppers for the third straight time.
New Orleans at Baylor 6:00 PM ET

It was a perplexing seven-day period before the Christmas break for Baylor coach Scott Drew, as the Bears sandwiched a loss to Stephen F. Austin around wins over Arizona and Oregon. With a week off to rest and celebrate the holidays, Baylor concludes a three-game homestand with its final non-conference contest before Big 12 action begins when struggling New Orleans visits Saturday.

Radford at Maryland 6:00 PM ET
Maryland looks to bounce back from a pre-Christmas loss when it ends non-conference play at home against Radford on Saturday. The Terrapins dropped a 78-74 decision to Seton Hall on Dec. 22 to suffer their second non-conference home defeat in the same season for the first time since 2013, and hope to regain their footing after falling out of the Top 25 by beating a fearless Radford team that has knocked off two Power 5 teams on the road.
Liberty at UCLA 6:00 PM ET

UCLA is stumbling through the final portion of its non-conference schedule, having lost three straight and five of its last eight games. And sitting at 7-5 – the program’s worst 12-game start since 2011 – the Bruins will try to salvage a win Saturday in their non-conference finale against visiting Liberty.

Buffalo at Canisius 7:00 PM ET
After a week likely spent wondering what it could have done differently, No. 22 Buffalo will finally get a chance to move on from its first defeat when it plays at Canisius on Saturday. The Bulls had no answer for Markus Howard in falling at Marquette on Dec. 21, but still have plenty to play for - including bragging rights over their crosstown rival, the Golden Griffins.
Oregon at Boise St. 7:30 PM ET
Oregon is a battered team as it looks to defeat host Boise State for the second time this season on Saturday. Standout freshman center Bol Bol will sit out his fourth game with a foot injury, and he is one of three key Ducks who will miss the contest.
George Mason at Kansas State 8:00 PM ET
Kansas State has leaned on its defense since a poor performance against Marquette and looks to continue the trend when it completes the non-conference schedule against visiting George Mason on Saturday. The Wildcats allowed 56.8 percent shooting in an 83-71 loss against Marquette on Dec. 1 and lost at Tulsa 47-46 next time out, but have since won three straight contests after a 69-58 win over Vanderbilt last Saturday.
Bryant at Iowa 8:00 PM ET
Iowa will look to extend its four-game win streak when the No. 21 Hawkeyes finish their non-conference schedule Saturday against Bryant. Iowa is coming off its best offensive performance of the season in a 110-64 blowout of Savannah State last weekend as the Hawkeyes set a school record for 3-pointers made with 19.
Seattle at California 8:00 PM ET
California guard Darius McNeill set the school’s freshman 3-point record last season, but his sophomore campaign has been marked by inconsistency. McNeill looks to take another step forward Saturday when the Bears close out non-conference play against visiting Seattle, which has won eight of its last nine games.
Central Conn. St. at Oregon St. 8:00 PM ET
Oregon State limped into the Christmas break with three losses in its last four games capped by a 66-63 home loss to Kent State. The Beavers, who open Pac-12 play at conference preseason favorite Oregon on Jan. 5, conclude non-conference play Saturday night when they host Central Connecticut.
St. John's at Seton Hall 8:30 PM ET
St. John's has an unblemished record, but the coaches' poll decision-makers aren't impressed. The unranked Red Storm close out 2018 by visiting Seton Hall on Saturday.
Long Beach St. at Stanford 10:30 PM ET
Stanford looks to close its non-conference schedule on a high note Saturday against visiting Long Beach State, which is facing its fifth Pac-12 opponent of the season following losses to UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State and USC. The Cardinal saw their two-game win streak come to an end with last Saturday’s 74-65 loss to San Francisco.