College basketball scouting reports
Central Connecticut St. (3-5) at Northwestern (9-1)
When: 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena
Net: BigTenNetwork.com
Radio: WIND 560-AM
Skinny: Central Connecticut, which hasn't played in 10 days, is one of the most patient teams in Division I. The Blue Devils' plodding tempo and poor shooting (39.3 percent) are reflected in their 57.5 points per game. This is Northwestern's last game before its Big Ten opener on Dec. 30 at Illinois, so Wildcats coach Bill Carmody hopes CCSU presents some aggressive defensive looks that help prepare for conference play. NU leads the Big Ten with 10 3-pointers per game. The team hits 38 percent from long range.
Albany (4-8) at Loyola (8-2)
When: 7 p.m. at Gentile Center
Net: horizonleaguenetwork.tv
Radio: WAUR 930-AM, WNTD 950-AM, WLUW 88.7-FM
The skinny: The Ramblers, who are holding tight at No. 40 in the RPI listings, gun for their fifth win in a row against an Albany team that's playing its seventh road game in a row. Loyola's offensive M.O. has changed from years past (when the team struggled to hit 3-pointers). The Ramblers are shooting just 42 percent overall, but they're at 39.7 percent from 3-point range. Senior Marcus Thomas has hit 23 of 48 3-pointers while Geoff McCammon (16-37) has been next-best. Albany redshirt freshman forward Jake Lindfors (Driscoll) started 5 games early in the year and averages 3.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg.
DePaul (7-4) at Florida Gulf Coast (3-6)
When: 6:05 p.m. at Alico Arena
Audio: depaulbluedemons.com
The skinny: DePaul's best player is available for the first time since the Nov. 22 loss to Tennessee. Junior center Mac Koshwal has been cleared to play after missing the last eight games with multiple lower-leg issues, including a left foot problem. The Demons could use his 15.0 points per game, but they really need his 13.0 rebounds per night as they're getting outboarded by 2.6 per game. The Eagles, who are riding a three-game winning streak, depend heavily on freshmen. Redshirt forward Anthony Banks leads the way with 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. This is DePaul's last game before Monday's Big East opener at Pittsburgh.
UIC (3-6) at Akron (7-3)
When: 6 p.m. at Rhodes Arena
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM (delayed until 9:30 p.m.)
The skinny: The Flames righted their ship with home wins over Oregon State and Northern Illinois. Now they have to see how their act plays against one of the Mid-American Conference favorites. The Zips have tried 10 different starters, which helps to explain why they have six guys averaging between 7.5 and 8.5 points per game. Seven-foot freshman Zeke Marshall, a Top 60 national recruit, averages 6.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
Maryland-Eastern Shore (3-6) at Northern Illinois (1-7)
When: 1 p.m. at Convocation Center
Radio: WLBK 1360-AM
The skinny: For this rare weekday matinee, the Huskies are selling upper-bowl seats for $1 and offering concession specials as well. Meanwhile, NIU coach Ricardo Patton is trying different combinations in order to shed a five-game losing streak. Second-team all-MAC guard Jake Anderson, for example, played just 9 minutes off the bench in Saturday's 20-point loss at UIC. According to Ken Pomeroy's statistical metrics, the Huskies rank among the nation's bottom 15 teams in effective field-goal percentage (41.0 percent) and turnover rate (25.9 percent).