Media by Associated Press – Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts attempts to score under defensive pressure from Boston College’s Jonathan Noel (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
There’s plenty of good basketball for anyone seeking to get some money down on a game Tuesday night. Where the intrigue comes in is how teams start to handle the middle of the conference schedule.
Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes (-3.5)
The No. 23 Hurricanes need to start building some momentum. Miami closed a three-game road swing by allowing Pitt to score the final 11 points of the game before losing 71-68. The Hurricanes are hoping to be more like the team that started 4-0 in conference and not like the team that has gone 3-4 since.
Miami is an excellent offensive team and ranks 33rd nationally by shooting 47.8 percent from the field. The Hurricanes put up 77.7 points per game. Miami is good against the spread, compiling a 12-9 mark. Virginia Tech has been rounding into shape since Hunter Cattoor returned from injury.
The Hokies have won back-to-back conference games to stop a seven-game slide. Virginia Tech is 8-13 against the spread this season. The Hokies are a solid all-around team, scoring 73.4 points per game while only allowing 66.3. Virginia Tech’s two conference wins have come at home, the Hokies won’t carry that magic to South Beach.
Texas A&M Aggies (+3.5) at Arkansas Razorbacks
Aggies coach Buzz Williams has survived tough starts the last two seasons to put together a decent NCAA Tournament resume. After starting the season 6-5 with head-scratching losses to Wofford and Murray State, Texas A&M is now 15-6 and 7-2 in SEC play. The Aggies are 13-8 against the spread and are 4-2 straight up in true road games.
Wade Taylor IV leads Texas A&M in scoring at 14.8 points per game. The Aggies do struggle shooting from the perimeter, only making 31.5 percent of their attempts, but are a strong all-around team. Arkansas is one of the what-if teams this season. If the Razorbacks were healthy, Texas A&M likely wouldn’t have a strong chance of winning on the road.
However, Arkansas has been missing two key pieces for most of the season and has struggled in conference play. The Aggies will cover and may win outright.
Clemson Tigers (-4.5) at Boston College Eagles
The Tigers sit solidly atop the ACC standings, but have had a couple scares recently. Clemson only inched by Virginia Tech and Florida State by one point each in recent wins. The Tigers are only 12-10 against the spread this season.
Clemson is an excellent free-throw shooting team, ranking fifth nationally by shooting 79.3 percent. The Tigers also make 46.7 percent of their field goals and 36.5 percent of their 3-point attempts. Defensively, Clemson is tough to break as opponents shoot less than 40 percent against the Tigers.
Playing tough defensive teams isn’t easy for Boston College, which is once again having a rough season. The Eagles only score 65.9 points per game, while shooting less than 30 percent from the 3-point line. Clemson will win and cover.
You can find more NCAA basketball picks here.