Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Thursday’s slate and what to watch

spt-120104-josiahturner

Mike Miller

Here’s some bad news for every Pac-12 team except Arizona: Josiah Turner is “improving by leaps and bounds,” according to Wildcats coach Sean Miller.

Granted, that mostly refers to practice as Turner, a 6-3 freshman who was one of 2011’s highest-rated point guards by scouts, is still adjusting to the college game. He routinely plays about 20 minutes a night, is right around his average of six points a game and also logs a few turnovers.

But the last few games have also shown promise. A confidence-boosting game against Bryant resulted in five assists, a season high. And he notched five steals against ASU, also a season high. The more he plays, the better it is for Arizona (10-4), which is appears to be hitting its stride. Turner can only help matters.

(All times ET; TV info courtesy of HDSportsGuide.com)

Michigan at Indiana, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
The Hoosiers’ latest Big Ten test comes against a team that really hasn’t been test yet. The Wolverines (12-2) played Penn State and Minnesota, two of the league’s worst teams, at home. Going into Bloomington is a world away from that. Still, it wouldn’t be the first big upset a John Beilein team pulled off in hostile territory.

Arizona at UCLA, 11 p.m. (FSN)
This is a “home” game for the Bruins, but that might not mean much. UCLA (7-7) hasn’t fared well at the Sports Arena this season. (Neither did one fan.) Why would the Honda Center be any better? Just as intriguing, how will their massive frontcourt guard a team that essentially rolls out five guards at once?

Stanford at Oregon, 9 p.m. (CSN Bay Area)
If the Cardinal (12-2) want to be considered a true player in the Pac-12 race, here’s a game they need to win. Oregon (10-4) is a tough task at Matthew Knight Arena (I can’t see!), which is a tribute to Dana Altman’s coaching skills and the Ducks’ talent. Stanford’s defense should be up to the challenge, though.

Washington at Colorado, 9 p.m. (Root)
This one shouldn’t be close. But the Huskies (8-5) occasionally play down to their opponents (they also play up, as Duke and Marquette would attest), but they’re on the road and could be gasping for air in Boulder. Altitude. It’s always an equalizer.

EAST
Stony Brook at Binghamton, 7 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bryant, 7 p.m.
St. Francis (Pa.) at CCSU, 7 p.m.
Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire at Hartford, 7 p.m.
Mount St. Mary’s at Monmouth (NJ), 7 p.m.
LIU at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
Quinnipiac at St. Francis (NY), 7 p.m.
Canisius at St. Peter’s, 7 p.m.
Albany (NY) at UMBC, 7 p.m.
Fordham at UMass, 7 p.m.
Boston U. at Vermont, 7 p.m.
Manhattan at Loyola (Md.), 7:30 p.m.
Purdue at Penn St., 8 p.m.
South Florida at Villanova, 8 p.m.

SOUTH
W. Carolina at Chattanooga, 7 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Elon, 7 p.m.
Louisiana-Monroe at FAU, 7 p.m.
The Citadel at Furman, 7 p.m.
High Point at Presbyterian, 7 p.m.
VMI at UNC Asheville, 7 p.m.
Davidson at UNC Greensboro, 7 p.m.
Radford at Winthrop, 7 p.m.
Coll. of Charleston at Wofford, 7 p.m.
Campbell at Charleston Southern, 7:30 p.m.
Morehead St. at Jacksonville St., 8 p.m.
Appalachian St. at Samford, 8 p.m.
Tennessee St. at Tennessee Tech, 8 p.m.
SE Missouri at UT-Martin, 8 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette at W. Kentucky, 8 p.m.
North Texas at South Alabama, 8:05 p.m.
Alabama St. at Jackson St., 8:30 p.m.
Middle Tennessee at Troy, 8:30 p.m.
Alabama A&M at Grambling St., 9 p.m.

MIDWEST
Ill.-Chicago at Cleveland St., 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at DePaul, 7 p.m.
IUPUI at IPFW, 7 p.m.
W. Illinois at Oakland, 7 p.m.
Loyola of Chicago at Youngstown St., 7:05 p.m.
Michigan at Indiana, 9 p.m.

SOUTHWEST
Denver at Arkansas St., 8:05 p.m.
N. Dakota St. at Oral Roberts, 8:05 p.m.
Alcorn St. at Prairie View, 8:30 p.m.
Southern U. at Texas Southern, 9 p.m.

FAR WEST
Washington at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Pepperdine at Gonzaga, 9 p.m.
BYU at Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m.
Stanford at Oregon, 9 p.m.
S. Dakota St. at S. Utah, 9 p.m.
Saint Mary’s (Cal) at San Diego, 9 p.m.
Washington St. at Utah, 9 p.m.
Weber St. at E. Washington, 9:05 p.m.
Montana St. at Idaho St., 9:05 p.m.
Fresno St. at Utah St., 9:05 p.m.
UNLV at CS Bakersfield, 10 p.m.
California at Oregon St., 10 p.m.
UC Irvine at Pacific, 10 p.m.
Santa Clara at Portland, 10 p.m.
San Diego Christian at San Diego St., 10 p.m.
UC Riverside at UC Davis, 10 p.m.
Cal St.-Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara, 10 p.m.
Nevada at Idaho, 10:05 p.m.
Cal Poly at Long Beach St., 10:05 p.m.
N. Arizona at Portland St., 10:05 p.m.
Arizona St. at Southern Cal, 10:30 p.m.
Arizona at UCLA, 11 p.m.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.