It's another loaded Tuesday slate of college hoops, as positioning for both conference and NCAA Tournament seeding is heating up.
Here's your whole preview - with the odds, provided, as always, by Betfred Sportsbook.
No. 9 Baylor (-1) at No. 14 Kansas State – 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2: Baylor is favored in another giant Big 12 matchup. Baylor is led by three of the best guards in the entire country, Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer and Keyonte George, with George leading the way at 16.6 points per game for the season. Baylor needs to rebound after an epic collapse against Kansas on the road where they lost a 13-point lead and ended up losing by 16 points. Kansas State is one of the biggest surprise teams in the entire country. Keyontae Johnson has been great for the Wildcats and leads the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He’s one of the best stories in all of college basketball too with how good he’s been since his scary medical situation at Florida a few years back. Kansas State being an underdog here makes no sense. Kansas State is the play here because they’re at home and Baylor is still reeling after a monumental collapse on the road.
The Pick: Kansas State (+1/ML)
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Texas A&M (-1) – 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Tennessee has struggled recently. Just last week they rebounded nicely with a great win against No. 1 Alabama, but then followed it up with a dud at Kentucky on Saturday. Santiago Vescovi leads the Vols in scoring at 12.5 points per game, but they have a revolving door of guards that play very well. The Volunteers are also one of the best defenses in the entire country and are second in points allowed at 56.7 points per game for the season. Texas A&M might be the hottest team in the SEC not named Alabama. They’ve won five straight and have looked very dominant. Wade Taylor IV is the star for the Aggies and leads the team in points per game, assists, and steals per game for the season too. It makes sense A&M is favored here and right now I’d lean A&M in a close game. There’s just not much to trust with Tennessee right now, especially on the road too.
Lean: Texas A&M (-1)
No. 13 Miami at Virginia Tech (-2) – 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU: This is an underrated matchup starting at the same time as the other two above. Miami’s built around their athletic guards and the standout is Isaiah Wong who leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals per game for the season. He leads the team at 16.4 points per game for the season. The Hurricanes have won six games in a row, putting up 92 on Wake Forest on Saturday. Virginia Tech is unranked but comes into this game being favored. Grant Basile leads the team in scoring and blocks per game. He averages 16.7 points per game. The Hokies are the home team here and that’s one of the biggest factors in them being favored here. It makes sense that Virginia Tech is favored here because they’re playing well and are at home. Take the Hokies in a very close game.
The Pick: Virginia Tech (-2)
No. 10 Marquette at No. 19 Creighton (-5.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1: Marquette is one of the biggest surprises in all of college basketball. They’ve won seven of their last eight games they’ve played in. Kam Jones is the standout and leads the Golden Eagles in scoring at 14.9 points per game. They’ve really excelled on offense this year under Shaka Smart. Creighton has had one of the most notable inconsistent seasons in all of college basketball this season losing six straight at one point - including a loss at Marquette to start Big East play. The thing was, most of those games - including Marquette - came with star center Ryan Kalkbrenner was out with illness. He is the difference at the center position and leads the team in scoring and blocks per game for the season. Creighton being favored by this much makes sense because while it’s a big number it makes sense because they are healthy and at home. The Blue Jays are the lean here, and they should cover too.
The Pick: Creighton (-5)
No. 23 Iowa State at No. 8 Texas (-7.5) – 9 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network: Iowa State is one of the best defensive teams in all of college basketball this year, holding opponents to just 61.6 points per game. That's the 11th fewest in all of college basketball. Jaren Holmes leads Iowa State in scoring at 13.3 points per game and helps the offense the most. The key for the Cyclones is that their defense has been so good and can shut teams down. Texas has played like one of the best teams in all college basketball this year. Marcus Carr leads the Longhorns in scoring, assists, and steals per game for the season, including a 17.1 points per game for the season. They’ve been great in a loaded Big 12 this year. Texas being favored makes sense because they’re at home, but the spread seems a bit big still. Texas should win, but this spread seems big because of how good the Cyclones are on defense. Expect a close Texas win.
The Pick: Iowa State (+7.5)
No. 17 Indiana at Michigan State (-3) – 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Indiana has a lot of talent, and are playing their best basketball - having won nine of their last 11. Trayce Jackson-Davis is playing like an All-American this year after averaging 20.5 points to lead the Hoosiers, while also leading them in rebounds and blocks per game. They have the talent but need to put it together. Michigan State has had an up and down season this year and is on the bubble for the tournament. Joey Hauser is the best player for the Spartans and leads the team in scoring and rebounds per game for the season. They’ve excelled the most on defense this season and can shut Indiana down, and keep in mind one other thing about the Hoosiers - they have a huge showdown against in-state rival Purdue on Saturday night. Could they be looking ahead a bit, here? Take the Spartans here at home in a really close game because of their defense.
The Pick: Michigan State (-3)
Follow Jake Faigus on Twitter - @Jake_Faigus
For all of Tuesday's college hoops lines check out the Betfred Sportsbook
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