This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The Tuesday college hoops slate brings us several notable non-conference matchups and a pair of Big East battles. A lot to like for an otherwise uneventful weekday. Here are my predictions for three select games on Tuesday.
DePaul 
at St. John's
The Blue Demons have won eight of 10 games to start the season but have yet to record a quality win. To be fair, they've only had one opportunity but lost in Lubbock to Texas Tech, 76-62. DePaul nearly defeated Providence in the following game, but it lost in overtime after blowing a five-point lead with under four minutes remaining. Outside of those two losses, they have handily beaten most other teams on its schedule, including its last game, a 19-point win over Wichita State.
DePaul's rebuilding process is happening quickly, largely thanks to the work put in by new head coach Chris Holtmann. His final two years in Columbus were disappointing, but this is still a coach who has taken two different programs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on multiple occasions. Holtman's teams have been sharp offensively in recent years, which is again the case. The Blue Demons are making 56 percent of shot attempts inside the arc and over 40 percent from beyond, yielding an effective field goal percentage that ranks 12th in the nation. The Blue Demons' accuracy from long-range is even more dangerous when we consider that they have the seventh-highest three-point attempt rate among all D-1 teams. They also have the highest assist rate in the nation, further underscoring the teams' exemplary ability to find open players who can make their shots.
The Red Storm also has a pair of losses, both coming against good teams. The Johnnies suffered their first loss to Baylor in double overtime at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and then lost to Georgia in the third game at the same event. And much like their opponent on Tuesday, the Johnnies don't yet have any significant wins on their resume, although maybe home wins against New Mexico and Kansas State might have more value at the end of the season. Either way, St. John's still has a lot of work to do before it can be assured it will hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
Defensively, St. John's has played well, ranking 19th in efficiency and posting elite numbers with its interior defense. The Johnnies rank 18th in two-point field goal percentage allowed and 11th in block percentage, although opponents are having much more success from the perimeter, making 34 percent from beyond the arc, ranking 209th in three-point percentage allowed. This is welcome news for the road team, as their best offensive trait is their accuracy from deep.
At the other end of the court, DePaul ranks well above average in key categories such as effective field goal percentage allowed, free-throw attempt rate allowed, and defensive rebounding. The Blue Demons rank 46th in the latter category, an important note because St. John's best offensive trait is its aggressiveness on the offensive glass. DePaul appears to have the tools needed to mitigate this strength.
The efficiency data favors St. John's by a decent margin, understandably so, but DePaul has the offensive capabilities to make the game interesting. The Blue Demons probably won't win, but given their offensive firepower, I like their odds of staying within range of the home team. I'm taking the points in this one.
College Basketball Best Bet: DePaul +13
Clemson 
at South Carolina 
The Tigers are coming off a wild loss to Memphis, a nail-biter that saw several lead changes before Clemson finally ran out of gas in overtime. Even with the hard-luck loss, the Tigers have already assembled an impressive resume, collecting wins over San Francisco, Penn State, Kentucky, and Miami, with its only other loss coming at Boise State in mid-November. Clemson ranks 75th in strength of schedule, per KenPom, so this team is thoroughly battle-tested.
The Gamecocks, in contrast, don't have anything close to a quality win. They've played two teams that would've qualified, Indiana and Xavier, and neither game was competitive by the start of the unofficial fourth quarter. South Carolina also suffered a third loss, one that came at home on opening night to North Florida. We never want to overreact to one bad game, but in hindsight, this loss to the Ospreys was somewhat foreboding.
When Clemson has the ball on Tuesday, it will face a South Carolina defense that ranks 57th in efficiency but much lower in a couple of important areas. First, South Carolina is not aggressive on defense, ranking 276th in turnover percentage and 325th in steals. Second, the Gamecocks are mediocre on the defensive glass. Average is fine against some opponents, but Clemson is exceptional at collecting offensive boards, ranking 35th in offensive rebounding percentage. Between its lack of steals and defensive boards, South Carolina will likely concede many second-chance points on Tuesday.
When South Carolina has the ball, it will confront a Clemson defense playing at a high, arguably elite level. The Tigers rank 16th in defensive efficiency and are above average or great in nearly every key category. South Carolina cannot make the same claim on offense. The Gamecocks rank 103rd in efficiency, 214th in offensive rebounding, 298th in free-throw percentage, 313th in offensive block percentage, and 282nd in offensive steal percentage. They're doing a few things well, but they're also doing a few things awful, with the latter likely to haunt them when facing a tough defense.
Overall, Clemson is simply the better team. It's better on both ends of the court, and it's played a tougher schedule with more impressive victories. I'm laying the points with the Tigers in this matchup.
College Basketball Best Bet: Clemson -2.5
Drake 
vs. Kansas State
The Bulldogs are one of five remaining undefeated D-1 basketball teams, and now they must travel and face their toughest test so far. Drake has already collected wins over Miami, Florida Atlantic, and Vanderbilt, all on a neutral court during Feast Week en route to winning the Charleston Classic. This was a nice accomplishment, but the Bulldogs haven't played any other teams of note, and two of their wins came against teams outside of D-1, so they still have more to prove before entering the heart of conference season. Drake has only played one true road game this season, and it had a close call when it did. The Bulldogs led by just two points with a minute remaining in the game before ultimately surviving with a six-point margin. We don't want to play the 'what-if' game, but the Beacons are ranked 221st in overall efficiency, so a loss to the Beacons would've spelled disaster for the road team.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, have already suffered three losses. The number is concerning, but for what it's worth, each loss came against a good opponent. Kansas State has lost to LSU, Liberty, and St. John's, with the latter two coming away from the Little Apple. The Wildcats defeated all of its other opponents by at least double-digits, so it appears they're still a competent group, even though they're still searching for their first quality win.
Offensively, Kansas State holds a clear edge over Drake. The Wildcats rank much higher in efficiency, 87th versus 127th, and they're also better at shooting. Kansas State ranks 50th in effective field goal percentage compared to 73rd for Drake; however, the real difference is on the perimeter. The Wildcats are making over 37 percent from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs making under 33.
Drake is good in many areas when it has the ball, although it has one colossal flaw. The Bulldogs are among the sloppiest teams in the country, ranking 353rd in offensive turnover percentage and 361st in non-steal turnover percentage, meaning they're suffering from self-inflicted areas a good portion of the time. And unforced or not, Kansas State ranks 72nd in defensive turnover percentage, so it can undoubtedly take advantage of this weakness. According to efficiency data, the Wildcats represent the best defensive team that the Bulldogs have seen up to this point, so Tuesday's matchup will be a revealing test.
Defensively, Drake has a higher efficiency ranking than K-State (45th versus 72nd), although the Wildcats do several things well that should help their cause. Kansas State ranks 93rd in effective field goal percentage allowed and 33rd in free-throw attempt rate, making them an effective unit when guarding most positions on the court.
Winning 10 consecutive basketball games is no small feat, and it is still a daunting task to travel and play against a Big 12 team. Given its strengths and close proximity to home, I'm taking Kansas State in this match-up.
College Basketball Best Bet: Kansas State -1.5
Tuesday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Tuesday:
- DePaul +13
- Clemson -2.5
- Kansas State -1.5
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
