This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
Tuesday is a relatively quiet day in the college hoops world, although luckily we still have a few potential NCAA tournament teams lined up on the slate. Here are my best bets for Tuesday's action.
Florida vs. 
Michigan
The Jumpman Invitational from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Florida enters Tuesday riding a three-game win streak, finding a rhythm after losing back-to-back games against Baylor and Wake Forest at the end of November. The Gators have won their games playing a balanced brand of basketball, ranking in the top 55 of the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The former is their strength, having scored at least 70 points in all 10 games this season. Florida also has the fourth-highest offensive rebounding percentage in the nation, a tough team to hold down.
Michigan, meanwhile, is seeking a three-game win streak after enduring a brutal stretch, losing five of six games starting in mid-November. To be fair, the Wolverines have played one of the toughest schedules in the country, ranked 30th in difficulty according to KenPom, so we don't want to overreact to the number in the loss column. In fact, despite playing several challenging opponents, Michigan has posted the 20th-highest offensive efficiency rating in the nation. The Wolverines are making over 57 percent of shots inside the arc and over 37 percent from behind it, yielding the 13th-highest effective field goal percentage. Add it all up, and Michigan is undoubtedly one of the best-scoring teams in the country. The only problem, however, is that its defense is a massive liability.
When comparing these two teams side-by-side, the biggest difference -- and it's gigantic -- is defensive performance. Florida is decent, ranking 54th in defensive efficiency, while Michigan is soft, ranking 126th on defense. The Wolverines have allowed at least 73 points in regulation in five of their last six games, with the only exception being their most recent game against Eastern Washington, allowing 66 points to a team that ranks 252nd in offensive efficiency.
Overall, it's hard to overlook the massive disparity in the defense of each team, especially when the offensive attacks are relatively close in ranking. Based on this key point, I have to go with Florida in this matchup.
Additionally, Florida is pushing an extremely fast pace this season, the 16th-quickest among all D1 teams. Michigan's overall tempo doesn't rank quite as fast, but it doesn't shy away from a track meet, with eight of its 11 games going over 152 points. Even if Florida doesn't walk away with a victory, we should still see a ton of points scored. In all six of their victories, the Wolverines have scored at least 83 points. Given this info, I'm also taking the over.
College Basketball Best Bet: Florida -3.5 and Over 156.5
Marquette at 
Providence
Marquette is proving to be a legitimate championship contender, winning nine of its first 11 games while collecting impressive victories over the likes of Illinois, UCLA, Kansas and Texas. The Golden Eagles have played at an elite level on both ends of the court, ranking top-20 in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Providence, in contrast, only has one impressive win this season, a 13-point home victory over Wisconsin, with most of the other wins coming against lower-level teams. Through it all, the Friars have recorded the 21st-best defensive efficiency rating, making them as tough on defense as nearly any other team in the Big East. Unfortunately for Providence, the same cannot be said on the other end of the court, where it's struggled, ranking 119th in offensive efficiency. The Friars scored just enough points to win most of their games this season, but the lackluster offense bit them when facing an elite defensive team in Oklahoma, losing 72-51.
Given the immense defensive strength of each team, I'm betting we'll have a low-scoring game on our hands. Marquette consistently put up a high amount of points throughout this season, although its lowest scoring totals have all come away from its home court. That is once again the case as the Golden Eagles travel to play in just their third true road game of the season. They scored 71 points at Illinois and then 64 points at Wisconsin. Furthermore, according to the Action Network, nine of Providence's 11 games this season have stayed under the betting total, while four of Marquette's last five games have stayed under. Add all this data up, and I like our chances of seeing a grinding, defensive battle on Tuesday. I'm taking the under in this matchup.
College Basketball Best Bet: Marquette at Providence - Under 145.5
Tuesday College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Tuesday:
- Florida -3.5
- Florida vs. Michigan - Over 156.5
- Marquette at Providence - Under 145.5
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball betting odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the college basketball odds page on RotoWire.
ESPN BET is officially live as of November 2023. Sign up with the ESPN BET promo code ROTO for $250 in bonus bets!
