This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
Tuesday brings us another day with several contending teams on the board, with all of the high-major conferences represented. Here are my predictions for three select games on Tuesday evening.
Georgetown 
at St. John's 
St. John's is proving to be a capable offensive team, ranking 50th in efficiency, however, it's limited by the fact that it can't make three-pointers regularly. The Red Storm makes under 30 percent from beyond the arc, 312th among D-1 teams. Rick Pitino's squad has one of the lowest attempt rates as well, ranking 350th. Given this fact, it's no surprise that St. John's scores 60 percent of its total points off two-pointers, the sixth-highest mark in the nation. This might not be an issue against certain teams, but Georgetown is a different story.
The Hoyas are proving to be a legitimately strong defensive team, holding offensive powerhouse Connecticut under 70 points -- only the second time this season that the defending champions have scored under 70. Georgetown ranks 22nd in defensive efficiency, but the key in this matchup, thanks to the Johnnies' offensive limitation, is the Hoyas' interior defense. Georgetown is holding opponents to under 42 percent on two-point attempts, the fifth-best in the nation. If you're a team that can't reliably make threes, this is not a good matchup. Georgetown also ranks 32nd in block percentage and 13th in average height, per KenPom, so it has a legitimate size and presence in the paint. With a defense like this, one might be concerned about fouling, but the Hoyas rank 50th in free-throw attempt rate allowed while the Johnnies rank 244th in offensive free-throws, so this should be a clean game assuming we don't get referees with a quick whistle, which is always a possibility in any game. Either way, the bottom line is that Georgetown is built to counter St. John's primary source of points.
At the other end of the court, the Hoyas aren't as sharp, ranking 138th in offensive efficiency. This will be a tough test for the road team, but it does a couple of things well that should give them a chance. First, Georgetown ranks 48th in offensive rebounding percentage, a helpful skill against any opponent. Second, the Hoyas are making almost 55 percent of shots inside the arc, the 81st-highest mark, which should give them a good chance of making their put-backs and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities. It's also worth noting that Georgetown has shot much better from beyond the arc compared to the start of the season. The Hoyas have made almost 33 percent of three-pointers all season, however, through five conference games, they've made over 41 percent, the second-best among Big East teams. St. John's ranks 217th in three-point percentage allowed, so this could be the key difference if the trend continues.
Sometimes it's tough backing a big road dog, although if there's ever a time to do it, this is it. Considering the Hoyas' size and improved three-point shooting, I like their odds of keeping this game in the single digits. I'm taking the points with the road Hoyas in this one.
College Basketball Best Bet: Georgetown +10
Ohio State 
at Wisconsin 
The last time the Buckeyes played a game, I picked against them when they hosted Oregon, for reasons that still stand entering Tuesday.
In my article about their previous game, I noted that the Buckeyes failed their most difficult tests. Although they have nice wins over Texas and Kentucky, these performances look more like outliers as time passes. Ohio State has had many opportunities for another quality win but has lost to Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Auburn and now Oregon.
The Badgers, meanwhile, are on track to go dancing in March, thanks to impressive performances against Arizona, Pittsburgh and Iowa. Wisconsin scored exactly 300 points combined in its wins against these three teams, demonstrating the explosiveness of this year's squad.
Ohio State's defense isn't bad on paper, ranking 36th in efficiency, though it's had a few issues since the conference season started. Specifically, the Buckeyes have the fourth-worst defensive rebounding percentage in the Big Ten. In the same period, the Badgers have the fifth-highest offensive rebounding percentage, so the home team will likely accrue a fair amount of second-chance points. Aside from grabbing offensive boards, Wisconsin has the 12th-highest offensive efficiency rating among all D-1 teams while also ranking in the top 60 in effective field goal percentage and turnovers, giving us a strong offensive team all the way around.
Looking at this matchup on the other side of the court, Ohio State has a similar standing offensively, ranking 41st in efficiency, although a closer look reveals substantial flaws. Namely, the Buckeyes have the fifth-worst efficiency rating in the Big Ten against league competition. They are the worst at handling the ball, ranking last among all 18 Big Ten teams in offensive turnover percentage. It's worth pointing out that the problem is even worse than it appears, as Ohio State also ranks last in the Big Ten in non-steal turnover percentage in conference games, meaning it commits unforced errors at the highest clip among all 18 teams. The other problem is their low conversion rate from long-range, making under 29 percent from three-point range against Big Ten opponents, the third-worst percentage in the conference. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has the fourth-best defensive efficiency rating among Big Ten teams during conference play, so it should be able to keep Ohio State in check if it can play up to its usual standard.
After considering all the various factors, I'd much rather take the team that's substantially better at scoring, has a better track record, and has a homecourt advantage. I'm laying the points with the Badgers.
College Basketball Best Bet: Wisconsin -7
Clemson 
at Georgia Tech 
The Tigers are off to a successful start in ACC play, winning five of their first six conference games. Outside of league competition, Clemson beat Penn State and Kentucky, giving it a good chance of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday if it can keep up its current level of play. The Tigers rank 30th in overall efficiency with Ken Pom favoring them in 11 of 14 remaining conference games.
The Yellow Jackets are in rough shape this season. They've had eight opportunities to earn a quality win, per KenPom, and lost every single one. Georgia Tech played three of these games at home, but the location doesn't seem to help, as it lost each by at least eight points. Now, they get another crack at it on Tuesday.
Clemson's offense is a potent one, ranking 42nd in efficiency, thanks largely to its long-range attack. The Tigers have made over 38 percent from beyond the arc, the 24th-highest mark in the nation, while attempting three-pointers above the average rate for a D-1 team, making this a bountiful source of points. Georgia Tech's defense hasn't been great, ranking 89th in efficiency, but it's particularly vulnerable from the perimeter. The Yellow Jackets have allowed opponents to make 35 percent of three-pointers, 255th in the nation, playing right into the hands of the Tigers' best offensive skill. Aside from shooting, Clemson performs well in other key areas. Specifically, the Tigers rank in the top 90 of the country in both turnover and offensive rebounding percentages, making this an all-around tough team to stop. The latter is also important to note because the Yellow Jackets have the fourth-worst defensive rebounding percentage in the conference during league play.
Georgia Tech's offense, on the other hand, is terrible by high-major standards. It ranks 164th in efficiency for the entire season and second-to-last in the ACC since the conference season started. The worst part about the offense is everything. During league play, the Yellow Jackets rank among the bottom five in the ACC in effective field goal percentage, turnovers, offensive rebounding, and free-throw attempt rate. At the same time, Clemson's defense ranks third in efficiency, turnovers, and free-throw attempt rate allowed.
Anything is possible in college basketball on any given night, but Clemson is simply the better team. Its offense is multiple levels better than Georgia Tech's, and it's played better on defense as well. I'm laying the points with the Tigers.
College Basketball Best Bet: Clemson -4.5
Tuesday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Tuesday:
- Georgetown +10
- Wisconsin -7
- Clemson -4.5
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.
