CBB Tuesday bets bets: Can Syracuse keep up with Duke?

When the calendar flips to the new year, it means one thing for college basketball: Nonconference play is (mostly) in the rearview mirror, and teams will almost exclusively play conference matchups for the rest of the regular season.

While nonconference games are exciting and bolster resumes for the NCAA Tournament, conference play is the juicy entree of college basketball's full-course meal.

Let's get to our best bets for a loaded Tuesday slate.

Penn @ Auburn (-21.5, O/U 150)

There's a reason I said nonconference games were mostly behind us, as a few more remain.

Auburn's final nonconference contest is a matchup with Penn at home. Since losing to Baylor on opening night, the Tigers have gone 10-1 in their last 11 games. They certainly look the part of an SEC contender.

Penn has played an incredibly difficult schedule this season. Yet, aside from being destroyed by No. 3-ranked Houston this past weekend, the team has been competitive against some of the country's best teams.

The Quakers upset Villanova back in November and competed against Kentucky in a 15-point loss. Penn is hungry and talented, while Auburn's focus may be on its pending SEC matchup with Arkansas this weekend.

This spread is too large in favor of Auburn against one of the Ivy League favorites.

Pick: Penn +21.5

Purdue @ Maryland (+6, O/U 140.5)

Maryland went undefeated in conference home games last season, including an upset win over Purdue in College Park. That's likely why the spread is as low as it is. However, the Terrapins won't have the same home atmosphere they're accustomed to with many students away from campus for winter break.

Maryland's also significantly worse this season compared to last, especially offensively. Its last three games that ended in regulation against power conference opponents all finished under 140 points. The Terps are an abysmal shooting team, connecting on 27.5% of their 3-point attempts. That ranks 337 out of 362 eligible Division I teams.

Although they struggle offensively, they're defensive-minded and play with a ton of physicality - a staple of Kevin Willard's teams. It won't be enough to completely stop Zach Edey and the No. 1-ranked team in the country, but Maryland should slow down a prolific offense at home.

Pick: Under 140.5

Syracuse @ Duke (-14, O/U 152.5)

This line has moved up to 14 in favor of Duke after opening at 10. For as talented as the Blue Devils are, they haven't looked otherworldly in recent weeks. They lost to Georgia Tech in its ACC opener last month and then scraped by a good Baylor team.

After blowout losses to Tennessee and Gonzaga, Syracuse has continuously impressed over the last month. It has a resounding win over Oregon and a victory over ACC foe Pittsburgh on its resume.

The Orange don't have the ideal personnel for stopping Duke's Kyle Filipowski. However, they should find ways to score against the Blue Devils' defense to keep this game close. In an ACC rivalry like this one, 14 is too many points. Syracuse won't win on the road, but the team should keep it relatively close.

Pick: Syracuse +14

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage.