Seven college basketball teams ranked and three in the top 10 in the AP Top 25 will be in action on Tuesday. It is part of a night of consecutive games that features decisive clashes between Big Ten, SEC and Big East, with conference leaders from two of the three trying to secure their serve against unqualified opponents.
At Big East, number 3 Villanova will end his nearly one-month break at COVID to welcome Seton Hall, who is second in the league’s 6-2 standings. At the SEC, Tennessee No. 6 beats Florida in Gainesville, Florida; league leader and 18th place, Alabama, hosts LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and South Carolina takes 19th place in Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. And in the Big Ten, half of the league’s ranked teams – No. 7 in Michigan, No. 15 in Ohio State and No. 22 in Illinois – will face tough tests at home.
See, our experts have choices for every big game on the deck, with predictions against the spread and up.
When: 6:30 pm | Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio
TV: Big Ten Network | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Ohio has achieved some good victories in the past month, but none more impressive than the previous one. The Buckeyes defeated Illinois on the road at the weekend by six points, and carry some serious momentum in this with their top 10 offensive shots on all cylinders. And while Purdue has also been good lately, with wins in the last three over Indiana, Michigan State and Penn State, scoring points with Ohio State at home seems like the best move here. OSU has not lost at home all season and has covered the difference in their stadium on five of the seven opportunities this year. Prediction: Ohio State 75, Purdue 69 – Kyle Boone
When: 19h | Where: Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Florida is a shadow of what it was at the beginning of this season. Not only is Keyontae Johnson out as he continues to recover from his breakdown on the court, but sophomore Scottie Lewis will miss this game as well. Those absences alone make me feel good about the Tennessee side, but with this game being in Gainesville, I’m predicting a UT win, but UF coverage. Tre Mann and Noah Locke are in great positions here to play and I think they will make it interesting. Both playing a really good ball lately. Prediction: Tennessee 74, Florida 71 – Kyle Boone
When: 19h | Where: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: FS1 | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Michigan has been unbeatable at home this season. But go a little deeper and you will find the most accurate word to describe your performances at home this season. dominant. Wolverines have a scoring margin of +17.3 at the Crisler Center. Coming from their first weekend loss of the season in Minnesota, they must be up to the task of continuing this trend at home against a Maryland team that is much lower than up in the Big Ten game. Prediction: Michigan 85, Maryland 71 – Kyle Boone
When: 9 pm | Where: Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1 | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Who knows what Villanova will look like? The team has not played a competitive game since December 23 because of problems with COVID in the program. And even the practice time, because of that, was limited. Therefore, we must be in a close dispute between two balanced teams. The Wildcats win because they are the best team, but Hall covers because he has at least some kind of groove, having played four games and practiced consistently during Villanova’s long hiatus. Preview: Villanova 75, Seton Hall 70 – Kyle Boone
Duke in Pittsburgh
When: 9 pm | Where: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Duke is the favorite here, and this, I estimate, is based only on the power of the brand. The Blue Devils are coming out of a loss to Virginia Tech, but have not yet established themselves with a quality win so far. Pitt, on the other hand, comes from consecutive wins over Syracuse and is playing one of his best balls now, while Justin Champagnie continues to stand out. He comes from a 24-point performance and 16 rebounds against Cuse and has the goods to give Duke attacks on the attack because of his size, skill and experience. If you want to spend some money on an underdog, Pitt is my play of the day; I’m taking it straight. And as you can see below, I am not alone. Prediction: Pitt 71, Duke 67 – Kyle Boone
So, who wins all the college basketball games today? And which underdogs cause impressive surprises? Visit SportsLine now to get choices for each game, all from the unbiased model that simulates each game 10,000 times, and find out.