Preview Roundups
November 15, 2018
St. Joseph's at Wake Forest 11:30 AM ET
Wake Forest and Saint Joseph's will play the first ever game in the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday. The Demon Deacons won their opener by 12 while the Hawks have opened the season with a pair of 15-point victories.
Ball St. at Virginia Tech 11:30 AM ET
No. 17 Virginia Tech survived a few issues in its season opener last week and will have had plenty of time to prepare for what could be a busy stretch of games in the Charleston Classic in South Carolina, beginning with a matchup against Ball State on Thursday. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Isaiah Wilkins scored 21 points apiece as the Hokies opened their campaign with an 87-59 victory over Gardner-Webb on Friday.
Central Florida at Cal St. Fullerton 1:30 PM ET
After back-to-back dominant defensive seasons, Central Florida has not been as good as advertised on that end of the court. The Knights aim for a crisper defensive effort Thursday against Cal State Fullerton in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Alabama at Northeastern 2:00 PM ET
Alabama knew it would need to find new sources of offense following the departure of star guard Collin Sexton to the NBA. Freshman Kira Lewis Jr. has shown early on that he could be one of those sources, and he leads the Crimson Tide into the Charleston Classic in South Carolina on Thursday for a matchup with Northeastern in the opening round.
Purdue at Appalachian St. 5:00 PM ET
Junior guard Carsen Edwards looks to continue his hot start when 22nd-ranked Purdue takes on dangerous Appalachian State in the first round of the three-game, four-day Charleston (S.C.) Classic on Thursday afternoon. Edwards was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 26.5 points, connecting on nine total 3-pointers, and 3.5 assists as the Boilermakers opened with a pair of wins.
Ohio St. at Creighton 7:00 PM ET
Ohio State goes on the road for the second time in three games to start the season for another early test against Creighton in the Buckeyes' first visit to Omaha, Neb., since 1972. The Big Ten-Big East matchup is part of the annual Gavitt Tipoff Games between the two conferences.
Syracuse at Connecticut 7:00 PM ET
No. 14 Syracuse and Connecticut renew acquaintances when they face off on Thursday in the opening round of the 2K Empire Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden. The former Big East rivals met in New York last season as well with the Orange posting a 72-63 victory.
Central Arkansas at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET

It is understandable why Pittsburgh, coming off a season in which it lost its last 19 games, stayed away from scheduling heavyweights in the early going as it tries to rebuild under first-year coach Jeff Capel. The undefeated Panthers will play the fourth of five low-major Division I schools to start the season when they host Central Arkansas on Thursday. 

Monmouth-NJ at West Virginia 7:00 PM ET
No. 13 West Virginia would like to forget about its season opener, and that process begins Thursday. The Mountaineers seek their first win of the season as they face Monmouth in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Davidson at Wichita St. 7:00 PM ET
Wichita State followed up a disappointing performance with an inspiring effort in the first two games of the season and hopes to find more consistency when it takes on Davidson in the first round of the Charleston (S.C.) Classic on Thursday. The Shockers, who lost their top four scorers from last season’s squad, opened with a loss to Louisiana Tech before rebounding to knock off talented Providence 83-80 in the Veterans Classic at Annapolis, Md.
Mississippi Valley State at Utah 8:00 PM ET

While its first road test didn’t go quite as planned, Utah returns home Thursday night to host Mississippi Valley State. It will be the second of seven non-conference games in Salt Lake City for the Utes leading up to the Jan. 3 Pac-12 opener at Arizona State.

Fresno St. at Texas Christian 9:00 PM ET
Missing two key players, No. 21 TCU managed to open the season with back-to-back victories despite turning in a pair of fairly uninspiring performances. The Horned Frogs will likely be without Jaylen Fisher and Kouat Noi again on Thursday against visiting Fresno State, which was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West preseason poll.
Penn St. at DePaul 9:00 PM ET

With a NIT championship in hand, Penn State basketball is trying to take the next step to perennial NCAA Tournament contender. Coach Patrick Chambers felt his squad took a step in that direction on Monday and hopes to see more progress when the Nittany Lions hit the road for the first time and play DePaul on Thursday in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games. 

Oregon at Iowa 9:15 PM ET
No. 16 Oregon figures to get its first true test of the season when it matches up against Iowa on Thursday in the opening round of the 2K Empire Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Ducks beat up on Portland State and Eastern Washington in their first two games, winning by an average of 30.5 points.
Detroit Mercy at California 10:00 PM ET
With a total of 11 freshmen and sophomores on the roster and zero seniors, California is hoping junior point guard Paris Austin can serve as a coach on the floor this season. The Boise State transfer looks to continue his strong start Thursday against visiting Detroit Mercy, which was picked to finish last in the Horizon League preseason poll.
Texas A&M at Gonzaga 11:30 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Gonzaga has topped 100 points in each of the first two games of a season for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs attempt to keep the offense revving at a high level when they host Texas A&M on Thursday.