College basketball: Friday’s area games to watch
FRIDAY’S MATCHUPS
SOUTHERN (0-3) at No. 1 DUKE (3-0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, 7 p.m.
The visiting Jaguars have shot worse than 30 percent from the floor in two of their games. The key threat is guard Eddie Reese, who is both a 3-point shooting and rebounding threat. Duke’s Grayson Allen is off to a big start, averaging 25.7 points and shooting 56 percent from 3-point range.
CLEMSON vs. DAYTON or HOFSTRA
TD Arena, Charleston, S.C., 7 or 9:30 p.m., ESPN News
If the Tigers won their first-round game, they’ll play at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Dayton lost its top three scorers from last season, but forward Xeyrius Williams, a strong rebounder, is back. Hofstra is experienced and could challenge in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
WAKE FOREST (0-2) vs. DRAKE (1-0)
Vines Center, Lynchburg, Va., 8:30 p.m.
This is a first-round game in the Virgin islands Paradise Jam, moved to Lynchburg because of hurricane damage. The Deacons are off to a rough start, with shaky defense. Drake was picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference, but guard Reed Timmer is a preseason all-conference pick.
SOUTH CAROLINA (2-1) vs. UTEP or BOISE STATE
HTC Center, Conway, S.C., 10:30 a.m., ESPNU
It’s a morning game for the Gamecocks in the losers’ bracket of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament. They’ll need a much better shooting performance than Thursday’s 29 percent in the loss to Illinois State.
No. 2 QUEENS (3-0) vs. LIVINGSTONE (0-0)
Brayboy Gym, Charlotte, 5:30 p.m.
This is the opener of the JCSU Tipoff Classic. The Royals are getting about 20 points a game from Mike Davis and Todd Withers in their fast start. This is the opener for Livingstone, picked to finish eighth of 12 teams in the CIAA.
JOHNSON C. SMITH (3-0) vs. BENEDICT (3-0)
Brayboy Gym, Charlotte, 8:30 p.m.
In the JCSU Tipoff Classic nightcap, the Golden Bulls are led by senior guard Robert Davis, who scored 35 points in Tuesday’s win at Tuskegee. High-scoring Benedict has five players averaging in double figures.
Steve Lyttle
This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "College basketball: Friday’s area games to watch."