College basketball: Saturday’s regional games to watch
NOTRE DAME (13-9, 3-6 ACC) at N.C. STATE (15-7, 5-4)
PNC Arena, Raleigh, noon, ESPN
The Fighting Irish won by 30 last month at home, but N.C. State is 5-2 and injury-riddled Notre Dame 1-6 since. The Wolfpack’s Markell Johnson has averaged 12.3 assists in the last three games. Matt Farrell (ankle) might be back in action Saturday for Notre Dame.
No. 4 DUKE (19-3) vs. ST. JOHN’S (10-13)
Madison Square Garden, New York City, noon, WCCB
Marvin Bagley III (22 points, 11.4 rebounds a game) could have a field day against St. John’s shaky frontcourt. Shamorie Ponds (19.7) is the top scorer for the Red Storm, which started 10-2 but have gone 0-11 in the Big East and haven’t won in six weeks.
No. 20 CLEMSON (18-4, 7-3 ACC) at WAKE FOREST (9-13, 2-8)
Joel Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, 2 p.m., Fox Sports Carolinas
The Tigers hope to avoid the fate of Florida State, which was upset in midweek at Wake. Clemson’s Marcquise Reed ranks third in the ACC in steals; Wake’s Bryant Crawford is sixth.
PITTSBURGH (8-15, 0-10 ACC) at No. 19 NORTH CAROLINA (16-7, 5-5)
Smith Center, Chapel Hill, 8 p.m., WBTV
This might be just what the Tar Heels need to snap the three-game losing streak. The Panthers are 14th of 15 ACC teams in rebounding (32.8 per game); UNC ranks first (43.2).
SOUTH CAROLINA (13-9, 4-5 SEC) at TEXAS A&M (14-8, 3-6)
Reed Arena, College Station, Texas, 2 p.m., ESPN2
Gamecocks’ coach Frank Martin is 8-5 lifetime against the Aggies, with most of those games coming when he was coach at Kansas State and the Aggies were a fellow Big 12 member. The Aggies are seeking their fourth straight home victory.
MIDDLE TENNESEEE (17-5, 9-1 Conference USA) at CHARLOTTE (5-15, 1-8)
Halton Arena, Charlotte, 7 p.m.
The visiting Blue Raiders, aiming for a third straight NCAA berth, lead the nation in road victories (nine) and got a double-double from Nick King in Thursday’s first-place showdown victory over Old Dominion. The 49ers’ Andrien White score 23 points in Thursday’s loss to UAB.
The annual 49ers’ Alumni Game will be played at 3:45 p.m. and is open to fans with game tickets. The 1988 Sun Belt championship team will be honored at halftime; and the game will be televised on Antenna TV (Spectrum cable channel 1261).
DAVIDSON (11-9, 6-3 Atlantic 10) at GEORGE WASHINGTON (9-13, 2-7)
Charles Smith Center, Washington, 4 p.m.
The Wildcats are among the league’s top shooting teams (47.3 percent from the floor); George Washington is hitting 42.8 percent. But the Colonials’ Yuta Watanabe and Bo Zeigler rank fourth and fifth in blocked shots. Peyton Aldridge is averaging 20 points a game for Davidson.
APPALACHIAN STATE (9-15, 4-7 Sun Belt) at TEXAS STATE (14-10, 7-4)
Strahan Coliseum, San Marcos, Texas, 5:30 p.m.
The Apps are the 20th-best rebounding team nationally, and the team leader is Providence Day’s Isaac Johnson (8.3 per game). Texas State ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense (62.6 points a contest).
RADFORD (15-9, 8-3 Big South) at WINTHROP (13-9, 7-4)
Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, 2 p.m.
The battle under the boards should be interesting, with the league’s top two rebounders competing – Radford’s Ed Polite Jr. (9.0) is first, and Winthrop’s Xavier Cooks (8.9) ranks second.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (9-13, 4-7 Big South) at GARDNER-WEBB (11-13, 6-5)
Porter Arena, Boiling Springs, 3 p.m.
Jordan Jones, fourth in blocked shots, gives the visiting Bucs an inside presence, and the young team has played better of late. Gardner-Webb’s D.J. Laster ranks fifth in Big South shooting accuracy, at 50.4 percent.
JOHNSON C. SMITH (13-7, 6-2 CIAA) at SHAW (14-7, 7-3)
Spaulding Gym, Raleigh, 4 p.m.
The Golden Bulls’ Robert Davis not only leads the CIAA in scoring (22.2 points per game), but also in free-throw shooting percentage (90.0). Shaw’s DeAngelo Stephens-Bell (19.0 points a game) and Savon Goodman (18.3) are the CIAA’s No. 2 and 3 scorers.
Steve Lyttle
This story was originally published February 2, 2018 at 7:48 PM with the headline "College basketball: Saturday’s regional games to watch."