CBB Super Tuesday: 10 Games Involving Ranked Teams, Who Covers the Spread?

It’s that time of year again. The college football season is over, and the NFL season is dwindling. That only means one thing: it’s time to lock in to college basketball. On Tuesday, we are blessed with an elite slate of CBB games. There are 10 games involving ranked teams. Let’s break down all 10 of those games…

Michigan State has been destroying everyone in their path of late, covering four straight games with ease against Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Indiana. They are also 5-15 to the over this season, ripping off seven straight unders. I don’t have the stomach to bet on Rutgers in this one, but it’s probably the right side. Instead, let’s fade the under trend for Sparty and bet on points in this BIG10 clash.

Jeremy Fears has proven to be one of the best point guards in the BIG10, and he has a great matchup against Rutgers on Tuesday night. Back Sparty to put up a big number offensively in this one, with Rutgers carrying their weight enough to help cash the over.

It’s been a tough stretch for Oklahoma, losing their last six games in a row. Luckily for the Sooners, they finally have a matchup they can exploit on Tuesday night. Arkansas can score, but their defense has held them back at times this season. Oklahoma has plenty of offensive pieces that can carry them to a cover, or even potentially an outright win. 

Xzayvier Brown, one of my favorite transfers this offseason (from St. Joes), is an elite offensive weapon. He should dominate either Darius Acuff Jr. or Maleek Thomas, whichever offensive-minded guard is covering him on Tuesday. Nijel Pack and Tae Davis have been solid scorers for the Sooners as well this season. I’m smelling an upset in Norman, Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

This is not a great spot for the Irish. Virginia is coming off their first loss in a while to UNC in a game they should’ve won, but blew it. Notre Dame is coming off their first ACC win in weeks. The Irish have still not covered a game since their west-coast loss to Cal in early January. With all of that being said, why do I still think Notre Dame can keep this game within single digits? 

Even considering how bad the Irish have been this season, this is still too many points to give a home team in ACC play. Give me Jalen Haralson, Braeden Shrewsberry, Cole Certa and the Irish to keep this game within single digits on Tuesday night at the Purcell Pavilion. 

I can’t believe Nebraska is still undefeated. I thought Minnesota would knock them off over the weekend, but an insanely efficient second half sparked the Huskers to their 20th win of the season. Michigan, on the other hand, is still ranked ahead of Nebraska, but they certainly haven’t looked the part of late. They haven’t covered their last six games, unlike Nebraska, who’s been on fire ATS. This is where the Huskers finally fall, dropping their first game of the season against their best opponent yet. 

Michigan opened up -11.5 on the spread, a ridiculous number if you factor in how each team has looked over the last two weeks. The spread has since moved to -9.5 for the Wolverines, and I’m willing to lay them on the spread to cover for the first time in weeks on Tuesday. This is the biggest team Nebraska has faced in a while. If they are unable to shoot 40% from deep, they will struggle to score on the interior, where they thrived against Minnesota over the weekend. Expect Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mask to struggle against Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., their toughest matchup physically all season. The Huskers get blown out on the road for the first time all year.  

UCONN is in a similar spot as Michigan right now. They are winning, but they aren’t covering. They are 6-14 ATS, and have been grinding out wins of late. Luckily for the Huskies, they own Providence. This Providence team also doesn’t play any defense, one of the worst units in the Big East. 

I like points in this game. If UCONN goes up early, they will keep their foot on the gas. They’re coming off a sweaty overtime win against Villanova, and should be looking for a rare blowout statement victory that they haven’t seen much of late. Providence can hang around offensively, with stud freshman Stefan Vaaks and veterans Jason Edwards and Jaylin Sellers all averaging more than 15 PPG. Expect the Friars to carry their weight offensively against the big and bad Huskies on Tuesday night.

This is not the same Alabama team we’ve seen dominate the SEC in recent years. Labaron Philon Jr. is one of the best players in the country, but they’ve lost three of their last five games to teams they probably should’ve beaten. Missouri also beat Alabama last year when they played, so I’m sure revenge is on Nate Oates’ mind.

This could be a get-right spot for the Tide. Missouri doesn’t play any defense, and they’re coming off a rare win against Oklahoma. Fade the Tigers, and back the Tide to cover the spread on Tuesday night. Expect Philon Jr. to put up a big number offensively, as well.

This is the game I’m looking forward to the most on Tuesday. St. Louis has been one of the best mid-majors in college basketball this season. George Washington started out hot, but they’ve lost three of their last five games. Luckily, for the Revolutionaries, they will have the best player on the floor in this game. 

The matchup to watch in this one is Rafael Castro vs Robbie Avila in the paint. Avila is a great college player, but Castro is an NBA player. I was at the A10 tournament last year, and there were 10+ NBA scouts there watching Castro. He has a great opportunity on Tuesday night to showcase his elite offensive skillset against a respected big man in Avila. Back Castro and the Revolutionaries to keep this game within single digits. I could see this game going down to the wire, coming down to the last couple possessions. 

Much like their football team, Vanderbilt basketball is on the come-up. Who would’ve thought both their football and basketball teams would be ranked and this competitive? Shoutout the NIL area of sports. They hit a cold-spell last week, but bounced back nicely with a big win against Mississippi State over the weekend. Kentucky has found their groove of late, ripping off five straight wins. 

This is a smash spot for Vanderbilt at home. Kentucky hasn’t lost in a while, gaining confidence, but this is the best team they will have faced in some time. As Vanderbilt continues to get back on track after some losses in January, expect them to keep their foot on the gas at home against the Wildcats. Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, Devin McGlockton and Tyler Nickel have all been impressive so far this season. This Commodores team is deep, and they have plenty of weapons to keep up with Kentucky. Fade the Wildcats on their win streak, and back Vandy to win this game by 10+ points.

Much like Nebraska, Miami-Ohio has yet to lose a game this season. One of the few remaining unbeaten teams (Arizona, Nebraska, Miami-Ohio), all the pressure is on the Redhawks in this one. UMass has improved drastically this season under coach Frank Martin, the former South Carolina head coach that took them to a Final Four back in 2017. They’ve ripped off four wins in their last five games, coming off an impressive outright win as an underdog at Buffalo over the weekend. 

Is Tuesday the night Miami-Ohio finally falls? I don’t know if they end up losing outright, but UMass is definitely the sharp side on the spread. Leonardo Bettiol, the senior from Italy, has been carrying this offense all season. He has the size to match up well against this big RedHawks team. Fade the undefeated RedHawks on the spread, this game could get really weird.

Some are saying this is the game of the night. I don’t disagree, although I prefer some mid-major games myself. Purdue is fresh off back to back losses against UCLA and Illinois. There was nothing they could do against the Fighting Illini over the weekend; they simply couldn’t miss. After two tough losses, the Boilermakers are heading to Assembly Hall to face a hungry Hoosiers team. Indiana has only won one game in their last five, and that was against Rutgers. 

Let’s not forget what happened the last time Purdue played at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers dismembered Purdue in a blowout. Assembly Hall is one of the toughest venues to play at in the country, and nothing will come easy for Purdue on Tuesday. You’re going to hear people say “no shot Purdue loses three games in a row,” but this is college basketball we are talking about here; anything is possible. Fade Purdue again on Tuesday night, and back Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries and the Hoosiers to cover their third straight game. You typically don’t want your coins on the opposite side of Indiana when they’re playing at home, and this matchup is no different.