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Pregame Shootaround: Kentucky, Arizona and Wisconsin all in action on Sunday

Grand Canyon v Kentucky

Getty Images

Getty Images

GAME OF THE DAY: Buffalo at No. 1 Kentucky, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)

Top-ranked Kentucky cruised past Grand Canyon with a 40-point win on Friday night. The Wildcats will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, with tip scheduled before the NFL games, in a contest against Buffalo. Bobby Hurley, in his second season as the head coach at Buffalo, will get to reacquaint himself with the Kentucky fanbase. None of the members in John Calipari’s two platoons were alive when Hurley and Duke played Kentucky in that iconic 1992 Elite 8.

MID-MAJOR GAME OF THE DAY: No. 25 Harvard vs. Holy Cross (5:30 p.m. at the TD Garden)

Last November, the Crimson took down the Crusaders, 82-72, in the inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer tripleheader in Boston. Harvard is the favorite in the Ivy League and Holy Cross is pegged as American’s top threat in the Patriot League. The Crimson haven’t lost to the Crusaders since 2007, Tommy Amaker’s first season. The game will center around two senior wings in Harvard’s Wesley Saunders and Malcolm Miller of Holy Cross.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1) Oklahoma received a major boost to its roster on Saturday night, as the NCAA granted Houston transfer a waiver for this season. The lineup of Jordan Woodard, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, Ryan Spangler and Thomas goes up against Southeastern Louisiana.

2) For the second year in a row, the TD Garden in Boston will play host the Coaches vs. Cancer triple-header, involving six teams from the Commonwealth. The day kicks off with Boston University taking on Northeastern, one of the favorites in the CAA. That’s followed by UMass vs. Boston College with both teams coming in at 1-0. The nightcap is No. 25 Harvard against Holy Cross (mentioned above).

3) North Carolina struggled against North Carolina Central before pulling away for a 76-60 victory on Friday night. Marcus Paige looks to have a better outing than his 2-for-8 shooting on Sunday against Robert Morris, one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference.

4) Last season, for the first time in 16 years, Nebraska reached the NCAA tournament. The Cornhuskers, ranked No. 21 in the top 25, begin the 2014-15 campaign on Sunday afternoon against Northern Kentucky. How will Nebraska handle a season with larger expectations? All we know right now is that tattoos are on the line for head coach Tim Miles.

5) Isaiah Whitehead, the five-star shooting guard in the Class of 2014, makes his collegiate debut on Sunday afternoon for Seton Hall. Kevin Willard puts his highly-touted recruiting class on display against the Mercer Bears, the darlings of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

THE TOP 25:


  • No. 1 Kentucky vs. Buffalo, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • No. 2 Arizona vs. Cal State Northridge, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
  • No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Chattanooga, 1 p.m. (ESPNNews)
  • No. 6 North Carolina vs. Robert Morris, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • No. 9 Virginia vs. Norfolk State, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
  • No. 10 Texas vs. Alcorn State, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • No. 19 Oklahoma vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 3 p.m.
  • No. 21 Nebraska vs. Northern Kentucky, 2 p.m.
  • No. 23 Syracuse vs. Hampton, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)
  • No. 25 Harvard vs. Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m.

OTHER NOTABLES:


  • Mercer vs. Seton Hall, 12 p.m.
  • Samford vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
  • Navy vs. Notre Dame, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
  • UMass vs. Boston College, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
  • South Dakota vs. Stanford, 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
  • George Washington vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
  • Coastal Carolina vs. UCLA, 10 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

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