Preview Roundups
February 22, 2018
Connecticut at Cincinnati 7:00 PM ET
A week ago, Cincinnati was in position to challenge for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But consecutive losses have the No. 11 Bearcats just hoping to hold on to top spot in the American Athletic Conference as they host Connecticut on Thursday.
Purdue at Illinois 7:00 PM ET
Ninth-ranked Purdue fought through some adversity to snap a three-game losing streak last time out and looks to finish the Big Ten regular season with wins over two of the bottom four teams, starting with a road contest against Illinois on Thursday. The Boilermakers rallied for a 76-73 victory over visiting Penn State on Sunday without second-leading scorer Vincent Edwards, who suffered a sprained ankle in practice one day earlier.
Wisconsin at Northwestern 7:00 PM ET

Wisconsin and Northwestern, the two teams tied for a disappointing ninth place in the Big Ten, meet Thursday night when the Wildcats close out their home schedule against the Badgers. They’re also a pair of teams trending in opposite directions as Wisconsin has won three of its last four while Northwestern has dropped a season-worst four straight. 

Gonzaga at San Diego 9:00 PM ET
Gonzaga holds a one-game over Saint Mary's heading into the final week of West Coast Conference play. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs can clinch at least a share of a sixth straight WCC title and 17th in 18 years with a win at fifth-place San Diego on Thursday night.
Houston at Memphis 9:00 PM ET
Memphis has found success switching to a zone defense but it will get a real test when No. 23 Houston visits on Thursday for an American Athletic Conference contest. The Tigers have won back-to-back games thanks to the new defensive strategy but their last-place 3-point defense will need to challenge the hot-shooting Cougars.
Arizona at Oregon St. 9:00 PM ET
Arizona will try to move to the brink of its fourth Pac-12 Conference regular-season title in the past five seasons when the No. 14 Wildcats play at Oregon State on Thursday night, but they'll likely play without second-leading scorer Allonzo Trier, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA on Thursday after testing positive for a banned substance. Trier is averaging 19.6 points, just behind team leader Deandre Ayton (19.7), and Trier led the Wildcats in scoring last season (17.2), despite mi
Washington at Stanford 9:00 PM ET
A coveted first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament could be on the line Thursday as Washington visits Stanford, which has won five of the last seven meetings. The teams are tied in the league standings at 8-6, a half-game behind fourth-place Utah, with the top four teams receiving a first-round bye at next month’s conference tournament in Las Vegas.
UCLA at Utah 9:00 PM ET

UCLA, tied for second place in the Pac-12, on Thursday night visits Utah, the conference’s hottest team after four straight wins. Still, both the Bruins and Runnin’ Utes find themselves on the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble with only three games remaining in their regular seasons.

Pepperdine at St. Mary's 10:00 PM ET
Despite losing back-to-back games against Gonzaga and Bay Area-rival San Francisco, Saint Mary's is still ranked No. 20 heading into the final week of West Coast Conference play and seemingly in good shape for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth. But the Gaels, who trail the sixth-ranked Bulldogs by one game in the standings and have already locked up their ninth 25-win season in 11 years, need to avoid the upset bug when the host last place Pepperdine on Thursday night.
Washington St. at California 11:00 PM ET
Two teams looking to escape the Pac-12 cellar meet Thursday as Washington State visits California, which is on the verge of losing 20 games in a season for the third time in school history. The Cougars snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bears with last month’s 78-53 win in Pullman.
Arizona State at Oregon 11:30 PM ET
Oregon will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak in four years when the Ducks host No. 25 Arizona State in a Pac-12 game on Thursday night. Oregon lost at USC and UCLA last week to drop into a tie for seventh in the conference standings with Arizona State, which was ranked as high as No. 4 in the coaches' poll earlier this season.