Media by Associated Press – Virginia’s Kihei Clark (0) celebrates after making a 3-point shot against Illinois during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tuesday is a big night in college basketball. There are seven ranked teams in action and big-name teams going head-to-head in both the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Big East/Big 12 Battle. The ESPN channels and FS1 will be full of action all night long, with doubleheaders scheduled for multiple channels.
Let’s take a look at three of the games that involve ranked teams in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Virginia -4
Virginia is already battle-tested this season with neutral site wins over Baylor and Illinois, covering in both games. They are 3-2 ATS overall, covering all the games where they are favored by 24 or less.
The No. 5 Cavaliers head to Michigan for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and they are -4. The Wolverines are 5-1 on the season with a loss to Arizona State on a neutral court. They are 1-4 ATSS and 0-3 ATS at home.
Virginia ranks 83rd in the nation in scoring at 78.0 ppg, and they are fifth in 3pt shooting at 44.8%. UVA is 21st in defense, allowing 57.6 ppg, and they have dominated the glass so far this season. The Cavs have shown the ability to play various styles so far this season, scoring to beat Baylor 86-79 and playing defense to beat Illinois 70-61.
Michigan will come at the Cavs with big man Hunter Dickinson who averages 18.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg. Michigan is shooting 31.8% from 3pt range this season, and the defense is allowing 70 ppg. Virginia will be the best team the Wolverines have played, and they will struggle to keep up.
Maryland -12
Another ACC/Big Ten Challenge game gives us a stark contrast in the first month of action as No. 22 Maryland (6-0) visits Louisville (0-6). Maryland is giving up 12 points on the road, but they are still the side to bet on in this game.
Louisville has been downright horrendous this season. At the Maui Invitational, they lost to Arkansas by 26, Texas Tech by 32, and Cincinnati by 19. They also lost at home to Appalachian State, Bellarmine, and Wright State before heading to Maui, and they are 0-6 ATS on the season.
This will be the fourth game in a row the Cardinals have been underdogs by at least nine points. They haven’t come within 10 points of covering the first three and don’t be surprised if Maryland wins this game by 20.
Maryland ranks in the top 30 in the nation in scoring (82.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (50%). They are top 50 in points allowed (61.3), 3pt defense (26.3%), and overall FG% (39.1).
Louisville ranks 355th in the nation in scoring at 58.7 ppg, and they are shooting 39.5% from the field. They also allow 72 ppg, and opponents shoot nearly 50% against the Cardinals.
Maryland has scoring with four players in double figures. Donta Scott and Julian Reese lead the way at 15 ppg each, and the Terps also have the size to take down the Cardinals on the road.
Illinois -11.5
It is rare to see Syracuse venturing into the Central Time Zone as they will for Tuesday’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Illinois. The last time the Orange went this far in the regular season was a 2016 loss at Wisconsin in the same competition. Now they are 3-3 overall, 2-4 ATS as they give up double digits points to the Illini.
Illinois is ranked No. 18 on the season at 5-1. Their only loss came in Las Vegas to Virginia, and they have a win in the same event against UCLA. The Illini are 4-2 ATS, 3-1 at home, and they have already covered double digits three times this season.
Illinois can flat-out score with at least 87 points in four of their six games this season. They rank in the top 20 in the nation at 84.7 ppg and 50.8 FG%, while Syracuse is in the bottom 50 allowing 70.0 ppg and 36.3% shooting from 3pt range.
Syracuse has lost outright to Colgate and Bryant at home, and they lost on a neutral floor to St. John’s. They won’t be able to stay with the Illini’s fast-paced offense in a hostile environment on Tuesday.
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