This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The top three college basketball betting plays are live for a huge CBB slate Tuesday, courtesy of Steve Peralta.
Northwestern at 
Georgetown
Georgetown is 2-0 after beating the likes of Coppin State and Green Bay at home, but don't let that distract you from the fact that this team still has a lot to prove. Last season, Georgetown went 0-20 against Big East teams, and despite hitting the reset button on the roster, I'm still not convinced this team is much better than last year. Georgetown brought in many new players via the transfer portal and the Hoyas still found themselves in overtime against Coppin State on opening night at home. Furthermore, Georgetown was awful on defense last season, ranking No. 228 in adjusted efficiency, and that doesn't appear to be much better if the first game was any indication.
In contrast, Northwestern is also 2-0, but the Wildcats have taken care of business and defeated weaker opponents by big margins exactly as expected. Northwestern returned many upperclassmen, including two key senior players in Boo Buie and Chase Audige. This is mostly the same group of players from a year ago that defeated Indiana and won at Michigan State.
Overall, Northwestern is more experienced, more disciplined, and more cohesive as a team. I like their chances on the road against a soft Georgetown defense.
College Basketball Best Bet: Northwestern +1
Memphis at 
Saint Louis
Head coach Penny Hardaway has turned Memphis into a defensive powerhouse. Prior to his first year as head coach in 2019, Memphis ranked No. 200 in adjusted defensive efficiency, then Hardaway joined the team and the ranking shot up to No. 5 in 2020. Then, in 2021, Memphis finished with the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country. KenPom currently has this year's team ranked at No. 19 on defense, but given Hardaway's coaching history, it wouldn't be surprising if the ranking ticks upward as the season goes on.
Memphis earned a quality road victory at Vanderbilt on Nov. 7, but the matchup against Saint Louis will be an even greater challenge, especially considering the Billikens have a strong offense, currently ranked No. 19 in adjusted efficiency. The only problem with Saint Louis' offense -- it hasn't been tested yet. I would argue Saint Louis playing Memphis is a bigger test for the Billikens' offense than vice versa.
In a close game, I prefer a battle-tested, consistent defense. Give me the points. I'll take the Tigers to cover.
College Basketball Best Bet: Memphis +3
Kansas vs 
Duke
The Jayhawks lost four starters from last year's championship team, giving Bill Self the task of reloading with several new players. The job is a little easier considering he's bringing in the fourth-best recruiting class in the country, per 247sports. Nonetheless, the team now lacks roster continuity, which was a key trait of last year's championship squad.
Duke also has many new players, although the Blue Devils arguably edge the Jayhawks in talent considering the former hauled in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, including the No. 1 player in Dereck Lively, who debuted in the last game after missing the season opener with an injury. Lively only played in 15 minutes in his debut, but his usage should increase now that he's had additional time to recover. Lively is an athletic seven-footer, so the possibility of increased playing time cannot be overlooked. In addition to Lively, Duke also has freshman center Kyle Filipowski, who began his college career with back-to-back double-doubles.
Duke played exceptional defense through the first two games, allowing just 41 points per game, tied for the best in the country. It's true Duke hasn't played great competition yet, but neither has Kansas and yet its raw defensive numbers aren't at that level. KenPom is currently giving Kansas the edge in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency, but that number is almost sure to change after this game, one way or another.
Both teams are young and talented, but when looking closely at the rosters, and looking at how these two teams played in their first two games, I'll take the Blue Devils because of their talent and defensive capabilities.
College Basketball Best Bet: Duke +1.5
Tuesday Night College Basketball Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Tuesday night:
- Northwestern +1
- Memphis +3
- Duke +1.5
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the College Basketball odds page on RotoWire.
