College basketball Gameday: Michigan State at Duke, N.C. State at Illinois highlight schedule
Tuesday’s area college basketball games:
DAVIDSON (4-1) at MERCER (4-2)
Hawkins Arena, Macon, Ga., 7 p.m.
This game could be a defensive struggle. Davidson, coming off a lopsided victory over Charlotte, is holding opponents to 36.9 field-goal shooting. Mercer is limiting foes to 37.1 percent from the floor. Jack Gibbs, recovered from a shoulder injury, leads Davidson at 21 points a game, but Peyton Aldridge is adding 19.8.
N.C. STATE (5-1) at ILLINOIS (4-3)
State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill., 8 p.m. ESPNU
It’s Day 2 of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and the Wolfpack faces an Illini team reeling from three straight setbacks, including a home loss to Winthrop. Senior guard Malcolm Hill leads Illinois with 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. Freshman Dennis Smith Jr. is off to a big start for the Wolfpack, averaging 19.8 points.
MICHIGAN STATE (4-3) at DUKE (6-1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, 9:30 p.m. ESPN
This ACC-Big Ten Challenge contest has the Spartans facing a Duke team dealing with injury problems. Blue Devil freshmen Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden continue to be sidelined, and all-America guard Grayson Allen reinjured his foot Saturday against Appalachian State. The Spartans are coming off a victory over Wichita State and are holding foes to 38 percent shooting from the floor.
COKER (4-2) at GARDNER-WEBB (2-4)
Paul Porter Arena, Boiling Springs, 7 p.m.
The visiting Cobras, of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference, have won three in a row and have four players averaging in double figures. Gardner-Webb’s last outing was a 77-59 loss to Georgia, in which Gardner-Webb stayed close for much of the game. Sophomore guard David Efianay leads Gardner-Webb in scoring with 15 points a game.
Steve Lyttle
This story was originally published November 28, 2016 at 2:53 PM with the headline "College basketball Gameday: Michigan State at Duke, N.C. State at Illinois highlight schedule."