Preview Roundups
November 09, 2018
Wichita St. at Providence 6:00 PM ET
Wichita State was expected to struggle a bit after nine straight seasons of 25 wins or more, and its opener only reinforced that notion. The Shockers will try to recover from a rare home loss when they travel to Annapolis, Md., to take on a dangerous Providence team Friday night in the Veterans Classic.
Bowling Green at St. John's 6:30 PM ET
Shamorie Ponds picked up right where he left off last season and will try to lead St. John's to its second straight win to begin 2018-19 when it hosts Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference on Friday. Ponds, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting as the Red Storm raced to a 25-point lead at halftime and coasted to a 76-55 win over Loyola Maryland on Tuesday.
North Carolina at Elon University 7:00 PM ET
Seventh-ranked North Carolina looks to complete a courageous two-game stretch on the road against mid majors with a pair of victories Friday night when it visits in-state foe Elon of the Colonial Athletic Association. Senior forward Luke Maye recorded 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Tar Heels earned a 78-67 victory Tuesday at Wofford of the Southern Conference.
Lehigh at Miami-Florida 7:00 PM ET
After defeating Barry 91-61 in the team's lone exhibition game, Miami gets its regular season underway on Friday at home against Lehigh of the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks defeated Monmouth on Tuesday, 85-61, as they won their season opener for a second straight year for the first time since doing so in 1998 and 1999.
UL Lafayette at Tennessee 7:00 PM ET
Sixth-ranked Tennessee got off to a good start defensively in the season opener and hopes to carry that over Friday night when it hosts Louisiana, which scored 121 points in its first game of 2018-19. The Volunteers, who were upset by Loyola Chicago in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, limited Division II Lenoir Rhyne to 20.9 percent shooting in an 86-41 victory Tuesday.
Arkansas at Texas 7:00 PM ET
Arkansas and Texas will renew their old Southwest Conference rivalry Friday in the Armed Forces Classic at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The experienced Longhorns have a game under their belt while Arkansas will debut a new group around preseason All-SEC first team selection Daniel Gafford.
Stanford at NC-Wilmington 7:00 PM ET
Stanford freshman guard Cormac Ryan looks like an unassuming 13-year-old who needs to clean his room, but don’t be fooled by his schoolboy appearance. A native New Yorker, the 6-5, 190-pound Ryan hopes to build on his impressive season opener when the Cardinal visit UNC Wilmington on Friday.
Detroit Mercy at Temple 7:00 PM ET
Fran Dunphy's final season as a college coach is underway, but he'd prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Dunphy's Temple squad aims for a 2-0 start Friday when it hosts Detroit Mercy.
Southern Illinois at Kentucky 7:00 PM ET
Kentucky entered the season as the No. 2 team in the country, but it took only a few minutes into its season opener before the Wildcats realized how much room they have to improve. Following the program's most lopsided loss in the John Calipari era, Kentucky sets its sights on winning its 10th straight home opener Friday when it hosts Southern Illinois.
Charleston Southern at Florida 7:00 PM ET
Florida returns home from a season-opening 81-60 loss to rival Florida State, halting the Gators' run of 29 straight season-opening victories dating back to 1991. Coming to town Friday will be a Charleston Southern team that rolled past Columbia International 100-68 on Tuesday partly due to its ability to hit from deep with 16 3-pointers.
Stony Brook at South Carolina 7:00 PM ET
South Carolina plays its first game of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament when it hosts Stony Brook on Friday evening. The Gamecocks will be looking to make it two consecutive victories to open the season after they beat South Carolina Upstate 65-52 on Tuesday.
Missouri at Iowa State 7:00 PM ET
After losing its top returning scorer Jontay Porter for the season in October, Missouri has little choice but to look for offense elsewhere. Mark Smith answered the call in the Tigers' season-opening home win, and he'll attempt to carry his success on the road Friday when his team visits Iowa State in a battle of former Big 12 conference rivals.
Fairleigh Dickinson at Rutgers 7:00 PM ET
Rutgers opens the 2018-19 campaign at home Friday night when it welcomes Fairleigh Dickinson for a non-conference matchup. Coach Steve Pikiell will have a young group as the Scarlet Knights have only one senior on their roster, while Greg Herenda's Knights have four starters back from a season ago.
North Carolina Central at Clemson 7:00 PM ET
After producing its highest offensive output in nearly a decade, No. 23 Clemson looks to keep the points coming when it hosts North Carolina Central on Friday. While the Tigers won their 34th consecutive season opener with a 100-80 triumph over The Citadel on Tuesday, N.C. Central hasn’t begun a season with a victory since 2010.
Gardner-Webb at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ET
Virginia Tech opens its 2018-19 season as the 17th-ranked team in the country when it hosts Gardner-Webb on Friday evening. The Hokies have made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons but have been knocked out in the first round on both occasions.
VMI at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh hadn’t won a game in 319 days prior to posting a 69-53 victory against a Youngstown State team Tuesday that was picked to finish ninth in the 10-team Horizon League. The Panthers, their new coach and new players will try for two in a row after a school-record 19 consecutive losses when Virginia Military Institute visits on Friday.
Lamar at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM ET
Georgia Tech overachieved in its first season under coach Josh Pastner by reaching the NIT title game, but a 13-win campaign and key personnel losses have the Yellow Jackets looking for stability entering Friday’s season opener at home against Lamar. The Yellow Jackets lost their top three scorers from last season – a campaign marred by losses to Grambling State, Wofford and Wright State – and enter 2018-19 with seven freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
Austin Peay at Mississippi State 7:30 PM ET
No. 19 Mississippi State put an end to five consecutive non-winning seasons in 2017-18 by winning 25 games - its most in 14 years - and advancing to the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden. With their top six scorers returning and the program being ranked in the preseason for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign, the Bulldogs' sights will be set much higher this season when they tip off at home Friday against Austin Peay.
North Florida at Penn St. 7:30 PM ET
In his eighth season at the helm, Penn State coach Patrick Chambers finally had the breakout season he was seeking last year as the Nittany Lions won 26 games and stomped their way to an NIT championship being led by three sophomores. With an exhibition win over preseason No. 13 West Virginia already under their belt this year, expectations will be soaring when Penn State opens the regular season Friday against North Florida in the U.S. Regional of the Cancun Challenge.
James Madison at East Carolina 7:45 PM ET
East Carolina was able to get away with starting three freshmen in its season-opening win but may need to go with a more seasoned group Friday when taking on visiting James Madison in a non-conference game. The Pirates, who have won only one of their last eight games against the Dukes, welcomed the return of coach Joe Dooley with an easy victory over Delaware State.
Kennesaw St. at Kansas State 8:00 PM ET
Kansas State may have been one of the more unlikely teams - in a field full of them - to make the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last season, but coach Bruce Weber's club is well-positioned to prove it was far from a fluke. The 11th-ranked Wildcats look to build upon one of the most successful seasons in recent memory starting Friday when they host Kennesaw State.
NC-Greensboro at Louisiana State 8:00 PM ET
LSU looks to improve to 2-0 on the season when it hosts UNC Greensboro on Friday in a non-conference game. The Tigers are coming off a season-opening 94-63 win over Southeastern Louisiana, while the Spartans started with a 74-66 victory at North Carolina A&T.
Montana St. at Indiana 8:00 PM ET
Archie Miller actually complained about defense after Indiana's 104-55 romp past Chicago State in the season opener so that's one aspect he'll use to motivate his team Friday night for a home game against Montana State in the Hardwood Showcase. Miller said he thought the Hoosiers could have played better despite holding Chicago State to 31.7 percent shooting from the field and 23 second-half points while forcing 20 turnovers.
Oklahoma at Texas Rio Grande Valley 8:30 PM ET
The post-Trae Young era begins for Oklahoma on Friday night as the Sooners begin their 2018-19 season on the road against Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Sooners will be the most experienced team in the Big 12 as they will boast eight senior or graduate students and only one freshman.
Maryland at Navy 8:30 PM ET
Jalen Smith looks to build on his impressive college debut when Maryland visits Navy as part of the Veterans Classic on Friday. The 6-10 freshman notched a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds to lift Maryland past Delaware 73-67 in its season opener on Tuesday and the five-star recruit from Baltimore hopes for a repeat performance as the Terrapins search for their 12th straight victory over Navy.
Savannah State at Georgia 8:30 PM ET
A new era begins for Georgia on Friday when the Bulldogs host Savannah State in the season opener, marking Tom Crean’s debut as head coach of a program that constantly rests in the shadows of the school’s football team. That won’t change overnight and Crean recognizes that, and after months of public appearances, his first Bulldogs squad looks to deploy the new coach’s up-tempo attack.
Buffalo at West Virginia 9:00 PM ET
After four action-packed seasons, college basketball fans must get used to seeing West Virginia without Jevon Carter. The post-Carter era tips off Friday as the 13th-ranked Mountaineers host Buffalo in an intriguing non-conference matchup.
Eastern Washington at Oregon 9:00 PM ET
With four freshmen having a game of experience under their belts, No. 16 Oregon has a license to improve Friday night when the Ducks host Eastern Washington, which already got a taste of Top 25 competition in its season opener. Oregon routed Portland State 84-57 on Tuesday with freshman center Bol Bol, the 7-2 son of former NBA player Manute Bol, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes as the only starter among the first-year players.
McNeese St. at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Coming off a double-overtime thriller in its season opener, Arizona State will look to make it back-to-back home victories to start 2018-19 when it hosts McNeese State on Friday night. It was a good start to the season for coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils as last season ended in disappointing fashion by making the NCAA Tournament but losing to Syracuse in the First Four.
Mississippi Valley State at Texas Tech 9:00 PM ET
Texas Tech will try to extend its non-conference home win streak to 40 when the Red Raiders host Mississippi Valley State on Friday night. The Red Raiders cruised to an season-opening win after getting a spark from graduate transfer Tariq Owens.
Washington at Auburn 9:30 PM ET
Twelfth-ranked Auburn tries to complete a football-basketball sweep when it hosts No. 24 Washington on Friday. The stakes were a bit higher on the gridiron when then-No. 10 Auburn upended the then-No. 6 Huskies 21-16 on Sept. 1 in Atlanta but the pending action on the court should provide a national measuring stick for teams each picked to finish third in their respective conference preseason polls.
UC Irvine at Texas A&M 9:30 PM ET
Savion Flagg put on quite a show in the season-opening win for Texas A&M and will try for an encore performance in Friday's non-conference game against visiting UC Irvine. The sophomore will head into the matchup with the Anteaters with momentum after producing career highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds as the Aggies won their 18th straight opener.
Pacific at Nevada 10:00 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Nevada tops the mid-major polls after advancing to the Sweet 16 in March and is considered a sleeper team to watch for the Final Four this season. The Wolf Pack, who overcame a slow start to pull away for a 16-point win over BYU in their first contest, continue a season-opening four-game homestand when they host Pacific on Friday.
Long Beach St. at UCLA 11:00 PM ET
No. 20 UCLA opened its season with a 96-71 rout of Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday. And if the debut of 7-1 freshman center Moses Brown was any indication, the Bruins - who host Long Beach State on Friday night - figure to present some big problems in the Pac-12 Conference this season.
Yale at California 11:00 PM ET
One of the worst offensive teams in the country last season, California is looking forward to a new beginning when it faces Yale on Friday in the Pac-12 China Game in Shanghai. The Bears lost 17 of their final 18 games in 2017-18 but have three proven scorers returning in starters Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Darius McNeill and Justice Sueing.