Seton Hall Pirates (9-3, 1-0 Big East) at Butler Bulldogs (10-4, 0-1 Big East) Indianapolis; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Seton Hall visits Butler after Jada Eads scored 25 points in Seton Hall's 51-40 victory over the Providence Friars. The Bulldogs have gone 6-1 in home games.
Iona visits Hofstra following Von Essen’s 20-point outing
Iona Gaels (4-7, 2-0 MAAC) at Hofstra Pride (4-6) Hempstead, New York; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Hofstra takes on Iona after Emma Von Essen scored 20 points in Hofstra's 76-71 win against the Bucknell Bison. The Pride are 2-2 on their home court.
No. 1 UCLA hosts Markowski and Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at UCLA Bruins (12-0, 1-0 Big Ten) Los Angeles; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Nebraska takes on No. UCLA after Alexis Markowski scored 20 points in Nebraska's 72-61 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Saint Louis visits Kaur and Rhode Island
Saint Louis Billikens (6-7) at Rhode Island Rams (5-8) Kingston, Rhode Island; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Rhode Island hosts Saint Louis after Harsimran Kaur scored 21 points in Rhode Island's 77-37 victory over the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash. The Rams have gone 3-3 at home.
JMU hosts Troy after Dyer’s 23-point game
JMU's average of 5.3 made 3-pointers per game is 2.0 fewer made shots on average than the 7.3 per game Troy allows. Troy has shot at a 40.0% clip from the field this season, 1.8 percentage points greater than the 38.2% shooting opponents of JMU have averaged. The matchup Sunday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.
Grand Canyon plays Northern Arizona following Durazo-Frescas’ 27-point game
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (9-3) at Grand Canyon Antelopes (12-2) Phoenix; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Grand Canyon hosts Northern Arizona after Alyssa Durazo-Frescas scored 27 points in Grand Canyon's 108-44 victory over the Park (AZ) Buccaneers. The Antelopes have gone 10-0 in home games.
Purdue visits Olsen and No. 24 Iowa
Purdue Boilermakers (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) at Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten) Iowa City, Iowa; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. Iowa hosts Purdue after Lucy Olsen scored 21 points in Iowa's 92-86 win over the Northern Iowa Panthers.
No. 16 Kentucky hosts Western Kentucky following Salary’s 20-point performance
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-2) at Kentucky Wildcats (10-1) Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky takes on No. Kentucky after Destiny Salary scored 20 points in Western Kentucky's 80-70 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Oregon State visits Gonzaga after Ejim’s 29-point game
Oregon State Beavers (4-8, 0-1 WCC) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (6-7, 1-1 WCC) Spokane, Washington; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Gonzaga hosts Oregon State after Yvonne Ejim scored 29 points in Gonzaga's 66-59 victory against the San Diego Toreros. The Bulldogs have gone 4-1 in home games.
Ciezki and Indiana host Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at Indiana Hoosiers (9-3, 1-0 Big Ten) Bloomington, Indiana; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Indiana takes on Wisconsin after Shay Ciezki scored 20 points in Indiana's 90-55 win against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The Hoosiers are 6-1 in home games.
Tulane visits Moore and Florida Atlantic
Tulane Green Wave (7-4) at Florida Atlantic Owls (8-5) Boca Raton, Florida; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Florida Atlantic hosts Tulane after Jada Moore scored 20 points in Florida Atlantic's 68-52 victory over the Wright State Raiders. The Owls have gone 5-1 in home games.
No. 22 NC State faces Clemson after James’ 21-point performance
Clemson Tigers (8-4, 1-0 ACC) at NC State Wolfpack (9-3, 1-0 ACC) Raleigh, North Carolina; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. NC State hosts Clemson after Aziaha James scored 21 points in NC State's 61-47 victory against the James Madison Dukes.
Joyner leads East Carolina against Tulsa after 30-point outing
East Carolina Pirates (8-4) at Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-6) Tulsa, Oklahoma; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: East Carolina plays Tulsa after Amiya Joyner scored 30 points in East Carolina's 71-56 victory against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. The Golden Hurricane have gone 4-2 in home games.
Missouri State takes road win streak into matchup with UIC
Missouri State Bears (8-3) at UIC Flames (3-6) Chicago; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Missouri State will try to keep its three-game road win streak alive when the Bears play UIC. The Flames are 2-3 on their home court.
‘Underrated for how tough he is’: Starc playing hurt as Boland flags pitch issue that may hurt Aussies
Scott Boland has confirmed strike bowler Mitchell Starc is feeling a niggle around the ribs but is confident the star quick will do his utmost to secure Australia a Boxing Day Test triumph over the next two days in Melbourne.