Jeff Benton
Your Tuesday freebie is Clemson as the small favorite over Wake Forest.
The Tigers are coming off a road loss at Florida State, but I expect them to get back on the right track tonight against the fading Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest comes into this home tilt having dropped 6 straight and 8 of 9 since ACC play began back on January 3rd!
The Tigers have captured 6 of the last 7 straight up in this series, and they have covered in 3 of the past 5 series showdowns.
Danny Manning's team has not been able to use home court to their advantage, as Wake has failed 8 of their last 10 lined home dates.
Clemson stands at 13-8, and they have dreams of bigger and better things than playing in the NIT this postseason.
I say side with the Tigers to keep the Deacons at bay.
3* CLEMSON
Chris Jordan
It's hard not to be impressed by the Oklahoma Sooners, and how they're playing and dominating against teams. It doesn't matter who the Sooners are playing, they're a team that looks like a legitimate national championship contender.
Behind Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins, you can expect the top-ranked Sooners to stay hot, as they attempt to earn their 18th consecutive home win while handing TCU a 12th straight league road defeat.
Hield was solid against national player of the year candidate Ben Simmons and LSU on Saturday, hitting 7 of 8 from 3-point range in the second half en route to a 32-point performace, leading Oklahoma to a come-from-behind, 77-75 road victory.
Hield is tied for the most 3-pointers in the nation (87) and ranks second with 26.2 points per game.
Oklahoma has won its last 17 at home by an average of 17.7 points. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs have lost 16 of 18 all-time meetings with Oklahoma, along with 28 straight on the road against ranked opponents.
5* OKLAHOMA
Brad Wilton
My comp play for Tuesday goes on the Yellow Jackets as the home underdog as they play host to the Blue Devils of Duke.
The defending champs are in a heap load of trouble, as Coach K's team sports straight up and against the spread losses in 4 of their last 5 in ACC action.
G-Tech was close over the weekend at Syracuse, and Brian Gregory's team has shown much improvement this season. The Yellow Jackets are out to end an 8 game series losing streak, and tonight that very well could happen.
The Yellow Jackets may have only won 2 of their last 8 games straight up, but they remain very dangerous with home covers in 6 of 10 lined games this season, while the Blue Devils stand at just 3-6 on the road this season versus the spread.
Take the points, and don't be surprised if Tech is able to stop the 8-game series slide they are on with the outright in this one!
2* GEORGIA TECH
Craig Davis
Free play of the day is the Toronto Raptors minus the points at the struggling Phoenix Suns. At the time of this writing, the Raptors are laying 9 1/2 points in Vegas and offshore.
This game has blowout written all over it.
After winning and winning and winning recently, the Raptors got punched in the mouth last night in Denver and saw their winning streak come to a halt.
The Suns are in disarray right now, having lost 19 of 21 games and now having to deal with the loss of HC Jeff Hornacek as he was fired shortly after the Suns' 91-78 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night.
So without a true head coach, without Brandon Knight and without Eric Bledsoe, they're supposed to somehow find a way to get motivated to win a home game against a team that comes in pissed off?
Sorry, I don't see it. Take Toronto as your free play of the day.
5* TORONTO
Scott Delaney
My free play for Tuesday night is on the Portland Trail Blazers, minus the points against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Portland has generally been regarded as a high-scoring, offensive team. But anyone else out there notice the defense this team has displayed of late? The Blazers will extend their longest home winning streak in nearly a year by denouncing the struggling Bucks, who have lost five of their last six games, including four straight on the road after last night's 111-104 setback at Sacramento.
Portland has allowed 93.7 per game, which is 8.6 below its season mark, and catches the Bucks at the right time. The Blazers have won four in a row at home for the first time since last season.
Plus, the Blazers have won seven of their last nine home games against Milwaukee, which has allowed an average of 108.0 points and 39.5 percent shooting from 3-point range during its slump.
Look for Portland to get it done on both ends of the court tonight.
3* PORTLAND
Harry Bondi
UMASS +3 over URI
Battle between two struggling teams tonight in Amherst and we will side with history and health and take UMASS. Minutemen have not won THIS YEAR but always beat the Rams winning 7 of their last 8 by an average of 10 ppg. URI also comes into this match-up in worse shape than UMass thanks to a pair of injuries to two of their top players. Jarvis Garrett, the team leader in scoring and assists and Kuran Iverson, the Rams second leading scorer and leading rebounder are injured and expected to miss tonight's game.
Bruce Marshall
Boston Bruins -1.5 +165
The Bruins entered the All-Star break pretty hot, winning 5 of their last 6 and with a wild-card berth, part of which is a reflection of an excellent power play (25.9 per cent, second-highest in the NHL). Meanwhile, the skidding Maple Leafs have dropped four in a row (0-2-2) and nine of their last 10 (1-7-2) to fall into the division cellar. Toronto has been blanked three times over the past 10 games and has scored a combined eight goals in the nine losses. Boston G Tuukka Rask has won all three meetings against the Maple Leafs this season to improve to 14-3-1 with a 1.81 GAA vs. the Leafs, who are 0-for-26 on the power play over their past nine games.
Dr. Bob
Opinion - TENNESSEE (+8) over Kentucky
Kentucky played well in their overtime loss at Kansas but I can certainly envision the Wildcats having less intensity for this game against a 10-11 Tennessee team. Kentucky is just 2-4 straight up on the road, which includes a loss against an Auburn team that’s worse than Tennessee. The Volunteers, meanwhile, have played better at home, where they are 9-2 straight up with wins over Florida and South Carolina and a close 4 point loss to highly ranked Texas A&M. My ratings favor Kentucky by only 6 points and I’ll lean with the Volunteers at +8 or more based on the line value. I’d play Tennessee in a 2-Star Best Bet at +9 or more.