Tuesday's Pregame Beat

7:00 pm: Clemson @ Georgia Tech: The Tigers and the Yellow Jackets are arguably the two toughest teams to gauge in the ACC. Tech has beaten Duke and Carolina, but lost to UVa and Georgia. Clemson has had a great start to the season, but this is Clemson. They always start the season before struggling down the stretch. Both teams like the play pressuring defense, and word is that Demontez Stitt will be starting tonight, which is a huge boost for the Tigers if he is healthy. It should be fun to see Trevor Booker going up against Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal.

7:00 pm: Northwestern @ Ohio State: OSU has beaten Wisconsin and Purdue in the last week, and looks like they may be the second best team in the Big Ten. Northwestern in the midst of a brutal start to the Big Ten season, and could really use a win like this on the road. My biggest concern is the Buckeyes being able to create open looks against the Wildcat's zone.

9:00 pm: Purdue @ Illinois: Purdue has lost three in a row, dropping them near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, after an undefeated start to the regular season. The Illini have had the opposite problem. They lost a number of tough games early in the season, but have gone 4-1 to open Big Ten play. The Boilermakers really need a win, and I don't think they will lose four straight games, even in Big Ten play. They are just too good.

9:05 pm: Northern Iowa @ Wichita State: Northern Iowa has a gaudy record, but no impressive wins and a loss to DePaul. Wichita State seems to be the second best team in a balanced MVC. Picking up this win on the road will help to sway some of the pollsters currently on the fence when it comes to ranking UNI.

Other notable games

• 7:00 pm: Tennessee @ Alabama
• 7:00 pm: Longwood @ Maryland
• 8:00 pm: Oklahoma @ Texas A&M
• 9:00 pm: Boston College @ Miami FL
• 10:00 pm: San Diego State @ Utah