Alabama and TCU sit in the most obvious spots on Tuesday's college basketball slate.
The Crimson Tide and Horned Frogs suffered tough losses of two different varieties on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
Alabama was embarrassed by Oklahoma on the road and it should find a way to take out its frustration against a Vanderbilt side that it beat by double figures two weeks ago.
TCU will try to bounce back from its overtime loss against Mississippi State, and it has revenge on its mind too against West Virginia.
Wins are needed for both teams to get back on track and enter February and chase their conference title aspirations.
Tuesday CBB Picks
Overall Record: 85-89-5
Virginia Tech at Miami (-3.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
I'm beginning to develop a blind trust in Miami on short spreads.
I do think the Hurricanes will bounce back from their loss to Pittsburgh with a win over Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are a better team than their 3-7 conference record because Hunter Cattoor was injured for the start of league play. They won two straight games with Cattoor at full strength, but they were both at home against Duke and Syracuse.
Virginia Tech struggled to play good defense on the road in the ACC. It conceded at least 70 points in four of five ACC away games. The Hokies also allowed 77 points in a road nonconference loss to Charleston.
Miami possesses the better offense that averages more than four points per game compared to Va. Tech, and I believe that unit can exploit the Hokies' defensive struggles away from Blacksburg.
Clemson (-4.5) at Boston College (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
I don't understand this line.
Clemson is way more than five points better than Boston College.
Boston College's only wins in ACC play came against Notre Dame twice, Louisville and a banged-up Virginia Tech squad.
Clemson is the best team in the ACC and it already owns double-digit victories over two of the worst teams in the conference (Louisville and Georgia Tech).
The Tigers were pushed to the brink of an upset on Saturday against Florida State, and I think that will help them focus in Chestnut Hill to avoid any type of an upset.
Kansas State at Kansas (Under 146) (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
I'm skeptical of how to approach the Kansas State-Kansas showdown.
The 8.5-point spread in favor of Kansas seems high for a top-10 battle, but the game is being played inside Allen Fieldhouse.
I think the best way to approach the Big 12 clash is to trust the two defenses and take the under. Both teams hold opponents under 68 points per game.
Kansas has had some strong defensive performances at home, as it held Indiana, Oklahoma State and Iowa State under 70 points. The Jayhawks are also coming off a win over Kentucky in which they held the Wildcats to 68 points.
K-State flexed its defensive muscle on Saturday as well by limiting Florida to 50 points. The Wildcats held three of their last five opponents under 70 points.
K-State needs to win the game with defense and Kansas has a path to victory with strong defense as well, so I think we end up seeing a game in the high 60s or low 70s.
Vanderbilt at Alabama (-8.5, 1st Half) (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Alabama needs a bounce-back performance after getting destroyed on the road by Oklahoma.
The Crimson Tide have a perfect bounce-back opponent in the form of Vanderbilt coming into Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday.
Bama beat Vandy by 12 points in their first meeting on January 17. The Tide held a 10-point lead in that road game in Nashville.
I think Alabama comes out motivated on Tuesday to put the Oklahoma loss behind them and ends up with a similar halftime lead as the one earned two weeks ago.
West Virginia at TCU (-2) (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
While we're on the topic of bounce-back games, let's talk about TCU.
The Horned Frogs suffered an overtime road loss to Mississippi State on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
They can get back to winning ways against a West Virginia team that has lost every Big 12 road game it played with the exception of the visit to Texas Tech. Tech is the worst team in the Big 12.
TCU also has a revenge angle going for it since it lost to the Mountaineers by nine points in Morgantown on January 18.
San Diego State at Nevada (+130) (11 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
Nevada needs a win way more than San Diego State does.
The Wolf Pack sit on the First Four Out line in the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi. A win over Mountain West leader San Diego State would be a massive boost for their NCAA tournament hopes.
There are not any colossal differences between the two sides on defense. They each give up 66 points per game, so I believe there is a chance Nevada rides its home-court advantage to earn a huge win in league play.