Preview Roundups
March 14, 2019
Akron at Buffalo 12:00 PM ET
Top-seeded Buffalo begins defense of its Mid-American Conference Tournament title Thursday when it meets No. 8 seed Akron in the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The No. 16 Bulls are trying to become the first team to win this tournament four times in a five-year span and will open with the Zips, who ousted ninth-seeded Miami (Ohio) in Monday's first round.
Providence at Villanova 12:00 PM ET
Villanova may be the No. 1 seed, but the defending national champions certainly limped into the Big East Tournament. The 25th-ranked Wildcats arrive at Madison Square Garden having lost five of their last eight games and now must take on an eighth-seeded Providence squad that it beat by 10 points and 18 points during the regular season.
Iowa State at Baylor 12:30 PM ET
Teams seemingly safely situated for next week's NCAA Tournament will try to snap three-game losing streaks when fourth-seeded Baylor plays No. 5 seed Iowa State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday. The Bears swept the season series from the Cyclones by only seven combined points despite a 77-54 edge in rebounding.
Indiana at Ohio St. 12:30 PM ET
Indiana and Ohio State finished the regular season headed in different directions, but come together Thursday for a Big Ten Tournament second-round game that likely will determine whether either team makes the NCAA Tournament field. The No. 9 seed Hoosiers and eighth-seeded Buckeyes are considered bubble teams, and ESPN bracketology had the rivals on its first-four-out list after Saint Mary's upset of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament final.
NC State at Virginia 12:30 PM ET
A year after it was on the wrong end of perhaps the most stunning NCAA Tournament upset, Virginia starts another postseason filled with promise when it takes on eighth-seeded North Carolina State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. The top-seeded Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the Big Dance when it fell to Maryland-Baltimore Country last March in the very same venue, a result that has followed them around ever since.
Arkansas at Florida 1:00 PM ET
Florida takes on Arkansas in the second round of the SEC Tournament Thursday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Eighth-seeded Florida pulled out a 57-51 road triumph when these teams battled at Bud Walton Arena in January, but coach Mike White's team comes in on a three-game skid while the ninth-seeded Razorbacks finished the regular season on a high note with a 3-0 mark in March.
Connecticut at South Florida 1:00 PM ET
South Florida is one away from the school's first 20-win season since 2011-12 and the eighth-seeded Bulls aim to get it Thursday when they tip off against ninth-seed Connecticut in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. USF won eight conference games this season after having that many in the previous three combined, while the Huskies increased their overall win total by one in coach Dan Hurley's first season at the helm.
Creighton at Xavier 2:30 PM ET
Xavier and Creighton finished the regular season as two of the hottest teams in the Big East and the No. 4 and 5 seeds will square off in a conference tournament quarterfinal matchup Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Musketeers won six of their last seven games and the Bluejays ran off five straight wins as they teams finished in a four-way tie for third in the Big East.
Virginia Tech at Florida State 2:30 PM ET
No. 15 Virginia Tech takes on No. 13 Florida State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday afternoon. The Hokies, who are seeded fifth in the tournament, advanced with a relatively easy win over Miami on Wednesday, while the fourth-seeded Seminoles had a double-bye and are playing their first game.
Texas Christian at Kansas State 2:30 PM ET
Kansas State seniors Barry Brown Jr., Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes won 23 Big 12 Conference games combined their first three years before going 15-3 this season and snagging a share of the regular-season title with Texas Tech. The 14th-ranked Wildcats believe there is more work to be done when their conference tournament title hopes begin Thursday when the No. 1 seed plays eighth-seeded TCU in the quarterfinals at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Nebraska at Maryland 2:55 PM ET
Fifth-seeded Maryland will face No. 13 Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in Chicago. The Terrapins won seven of their first eight conference games before going 6-6 down the stretch to miss out on a double bye, but have sewn up a berth in March Madness and hope to make a deep run in the Windy City after failing to win a tournament game over the last two years.
Tulane at Memphis 3:00 PM ET
Fifth-seeded Memphis can earn itself a trip to the Big Dance with four straight wins on its home court, starting with a matchup against 12th seed Tulane in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday at FedExForum. The Tigers likely don’t have a strong enough resume to get an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but they won six of their last eight games after beating Tulsa 66-63 on Saturday and look to move on to Friday's quarterfinals against Central Florida.
Boise St. at Nevada 3:00 PM ET
Nevada coach Eric Musselman divides each season
into four segments: non-conference, conference, the conference
tournament and - ideally - the NCAA Tournament. Musselman’s No. 17 Wolf Pack on Thursday enter phase three when they take on Boise State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas and
Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Southern California at Washington 3:00 PM ET
Top-seeded Washington limps into its Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 seed USC on Thursday in Las Vegas and may need to run the table in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies, who split their final four regular-season games, were 40th in the NET rankings through Tuesday, and do not own a victory this season over a team that will make the NCAA Tournament - unless via automatic bid.
Missouri at Auburn 3:00 PM ET
Auburn seeks its first win in the SEC Tournament in four years while trying to boost its NCAA Tournament resume when it takes on 12th-seeded Missouri in the second round Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. Auburn, seeded fifth in the tournament and ranked 24th nationally, won its final four games of the regular season, including a big 84-80 win over eighth-ranked Tennessee in the finale Saturday.
Colorado at Oregon St. 5:30 PM ET
Fourth-seeded Oregon State closed the regular season with four losses in six games and will seek a turnaround when it faces No. 5 Colorado in Thursday's quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament at Las Vegas. The Beavers enjoyed a first-round bye because of a better than anticipated season while the Buffaloes posted a 56-51 victory over 12th-seeded California on Wednesday.
Alabama at Mississippi 7:00 PM ET
Ole Miss has experienced a remarkable turnaround in Kermit Davis’ first season as coach, winning eight more games than a season ago entering the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday as the No. 7 seed against 10th-seeded Alabama in Nashville, Tenn. The eight-victory jump is the largest among all Power 5 teams this season, and after a late-season three-game losing streak, the Rebels found themselves late against Missouri on Saturday, rallying for a 73-68 road victory.
Penn St. at Minnesota 7:00 PM ET
Minnesota looks to improve its standing for the NCAA Tournament when it takes on Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at the United Center in Chicago. The seventh-seeded Golden Gophers are likely to be included in the NCAA field but would like to pad their resume with a win or two in Chicago, while the No. 10 seed Nittany Lions will need to win the title to get to the Big Dance.
Louisville at North Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Louisville takes on No. 3 North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday evening. The seventh-seeded Cardinals advanced with a win over Notre Dame on Wednesday evening while the Tar Heels, who are seeded second in the tournament, will be playing their first game after receiving a double-bye.
West Virginia at Texas Tech 7:00 PM ET
After an historic weekend that featured the program's first regular-season Big 12 Conference regular-season title and first in any league since winning the Southwest Conference title in 1996, No. 6 Texas Tech turns its complete attention to the conference tournament. The Red Raiders seek a 10th consecutive win when they play 10th-seeded West Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
St. John's at Marquette 7:00 PM ET
For a team seeded No. 2 in the Big East Tournament, this opening matchup for 22nd-ranked Marquette is far from ideal. The Golden Eagles lost twice this season to seventh-seeded St. John's and hope to avoid another defeat Thursday at Madison Square Garden in the quarterfinals of this event.
Southern Methodist at Tulsa 8:00 PM ET
SMU finished the regular season with an impressive win on the road and hopes to ride that momentum when it takes on seventh-seeded Tulsa in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday in Memphis. The 10th-seeded Mustangs had lost four in a row and nine of 10 before shooting 58 percent from the floor and outlasting South Florida 77-71 on Sunday.
UCLA at Arizona State 9:00 PM ET
Second-seeded Arizona State played its best basketball down the stretch and rides that momentum into a meeting with No. 7 seed UCLA on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The Sun Devils won five of their last six regular-season games, greatly improving their NCAA Tournament hopes as coach Bobby Hurley told reporters: "We feel like there's a little less of air of desperation."
Syracuse at Duke 9:00 PM ET
Conference Player of the Year Zion Williamson is expected to be back in uniform after missing most of the last six games when third-seeded Duke takes on sixth-seeded Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday at Charlotte, N.C. The 6-7 freshman phenom went down in the opening minutes of the loss to No. 3 North Carolina with a knee sprain and the No. 5 Blue Devils have gone 3-3 since.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State 9:00 PM ET
Mississippi State has done more than enough to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years and will try to begin the postseason on a good note when it takes on 11th-seeded Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. The sixth-seeded Bulldogs won six of their final eight games of the regular season to hit double digits in SEC victories for the first time since 2008.
Illinois at Iowa 9:25 PM ET
No. 6 seed Iowa looks to rediscover its mojo when it faces 11th-seeded Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in Chicago. The Hawkeyes, who have dropped four consecutive games, including three by double digits to fall out of the Top 25 while tumbling to a projected nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, hope to bounce back by taking down the Illini for the fourth straight time.
Texas at Kansas 9:30 PM ET
Kansas finds itself in the unusual position of being the No. 3 seed as it meets sixth-seeded Texas on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The No. 18 Jayhawks, who had won or shared the conference regular-season title for 14 straight seasons, are expected to start four freshmen and a transfer versus the Longhorns as they vie for their 11th Big 12 Tournament title in the 23rd edition.
Georgetown at Seton Hall 9:30 PM ET
James Akinjo and Mac McClung will get their first taste of the Big East Tournament on Thursday when sixth-seeded Georgetown squares off against No. 3 seed Seton Hall in the quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden in New York. The freshmen duo has led the Hoyas to their first winning season in four years but a trip to the NCAA Tournament is far from guaranteed as they prepare to face the Pirates, whose postseason fate also hangs in the balance.
East Carolina at Wichita St. 10:00 PM ET
After a 1-6 start to conference play, Wichita State reeled off nine wins in 11 games and enters the American Athletic Conference Tournament on a league-best four game winning streak. The sixth-seeded Shockers will face No. 11 seed East Carolina, which has lost four straight and nine of 10, in the first round of the American Tournament on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn.
Oregon at Utah 11:30 PM ET
Third-seeded Utah completed the regular season with three wins in four games and looks to maintain the momentum when it meets sixth-seeded Oregon on Thursday in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals at Las Vegas. The Ducks are also playing well with five consecutive victories, including an 84-51 thrashing of Washington State in Wednesday's first round.