Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football Preview

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Dec 22, 2020
The Tuesday sports card has the debut of the 2020-21 NBA season along with a full slate in college basketball and two college football bowl games.

A double-header on TNT tips off the new NBA season. At 7 PM ET, Brooklyn hosts Golden State in the debut of Kevin Durant playing in a Nets uniform against his former team in the Warriors. The Nets are 7.5-point favorites with the total set at 230 (all odds from BetOnline).

The nightcap on TNT is at 10 PM ET, with LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers being the technical home team at the Staples Center against Kawhi Leonard's Clippers. And what would an NBA season be without drama?  The latest soap opera concerns Leonard, who recently announced he will likely decline his player option next summer.  The new reigning NBA champion Lakers are 3-point favorites with an over/under of 220.5.

The college football bowl schedule starts at 3:30 PM ET with Tulane playing Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on ESPN. Tulane raised their record to a 6-5 mark on December 5th with a 35-21 win over Memphis. The Green Wave have won four of their last five games.

Nevada has lost two of their last three after they were upset in their most recent game at San Jose State by a 30-20 score as a 2.5-point favorite on December 11th. The Green Wave are 2.5-point favorites, with the total at 57.

The Boca Raton Bowl features an 11th ranked BYU playing Central Florida on Tuesday night on ESPN. FAU Stadium is the site. BYU rebounded from their 22-17 loss at Coastal Carolina in that rescheduled on-the-fly “bracket buster” showdown on December 5th to defeat San Diego State at home the next Saturday, 28-14, as a 16.5-point favorite.

Central Florida returns to action for the first time since November 27th when they defeated South Florida on the road, 58-46. The Knights are 6-3 this season, with their losses to Tulsa, Memphis, and Cincinnati being by a combined 12 points. UCF enjoyed a 25-game winning streak from the opening of the 2017 season, where they won all five of their games decided by one possession. Yet their three losses last year in a 10-3 campaign were by seven combined points before their tough luck in close games continued this season. The Knights have lost seven of their last eight games decided by one scoring possession.

BYU is a 6-point favorite with the total set at 75.5. The ESPN broadcast starts at 7 PM ET.

The college basketball card starts at noon ET with Boston College hosting Maine as a 23-point favorite with an over/under of 136.

The nationally televised college basketball card starts at 7 PM ET, with Wisconsin hosting Nebraska on FS1. The ninth-ranked Badgers in the latest Associated Press poll are 17.5-point favorites with a total of 141.5. Texas Tech plays at Oklahoma on ESPN2 with the 15th ranked Red Raiders a 1.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 136. Western Kentucky plays at home against Tennessee Tech on ESPNU as a 21.5-point favorite with the total at 141.5. 

The highest-profile contest is at 9 PM ET on ESPN2, with the 7th ranked West Virginia playing at the 3rd ranked Kansas. The Jayhawks are a 2-point favorite with an over/under of 140.5. Saint Mary’s plays at San Diego State on the CBS Sports Network with the Gaels a 3-point road favorite with a total of 126. TCU hosts North Dakota State on ESPNU as a 14-point favorite with an over/under of 128.5.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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