Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their College Basketball picks and predictions for Tuesday, February 24.
Pittsburgh at Providence, 7:00PM ET
Pittsburgh's first-ever No. 1 ranking lasted two weeks earlier this season. It's hoping to hold onto the top spot a little longer the second time around.
The Panthers lost their first road game after ascending to No. 1 last month, a fate they'll try to avoid Tuesday night as they go for their ninth straight victory over Providence.
Pitt (25-2, 12-2 Big East) won two home games after being voted the nation's top team Jan. 5, but fell at then-No. 20 Louisville on Jan. 17 and again 11 days later at then-No. 21 Villanova.
Coach Jamie Dixon's team hasn't lost since, winning seven in a row by an average of 15.7 points. The Panthers knew they'd be strongly considered to move up from No. 4 when they beat then-No. 1 Connecticut on the road Monday, and followed it up with an 80-61 home victory over DePaul on Saturday.
Those wins, coupled with losses Saturday by No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 North Carolina, resulted in Pitt vaulting to the top of the poll.
NCAA Free Pick: Pittsburgh – Best Line: -8 Sports Interaction
Penn State at Ohio State, 7:00PM ET
All games in this series since 1997
OHIO ST is 11-11 against the spread versus PENN ST since 1997
OHIO ST is 16-6 straight up against PENN ST since 1997
9 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1997
Games over the last 3 seasons
PENN ST is 2-1 against the spread versus OHIO ST over the last 3 seasons
OHIO ST is 3-0 straight up against PENN ST over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
All games played at OHIO ST since 1997
PENN ST is 5-4 against the spread versus OHIO ST since 1997
OHIO ST is 7-2 straight up against PENN ST since 1997
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1997
Games played at OHIO ST over the last 3 seasons.
PENN ST is 1-0 against the spread versus OHIO ST over the last 3 seasons
OHIO ST is 1-0 straight up against PENN ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NCAA Free Pick: Penn State – Best Line: +5.5 Sports Interaction
Florida at LSU, 9:00PM ET
Just over a year ago, LSU fired its coach as a disappointing season was drawing to a close. As 2008-09 winds down, coach Trent Johnson has the program poised for its first SEC championship in three years.
The 18th-ranked Tigers look to clinch a share of the conference regular season title Tuesday night against Florida, which is in the mix for first place in the league's competitive East Division.
LSU (23-4, 11-1) went 13-18 last season to finish fourth in the six-team West. Coach John Brady was fired before the season ended despite taking the Tigers to the Final Four only two years earlier.
The 2007-08 season now must seem a distant memory, as Johnson, who was hired in April, has LSU a virtual lock for this season's NCAA tournament.
The Tigers clinched the West's top seed for the SEC tournament with a 79-72 victory over Auburn on Saturday - their 11th straight league victory since losing to Alabama in the conference opener.
NCAA Free Pick: Florida – Best Line: +4 Sports Interaction