Virginia Tech’s Ben Hammond has emerged as a difference-maker, and the freshman point guard will need another big performance when the Hokies host No. 9 North Carolina on Tuesday night in Blacksburg, Virginia. Hammond is coming off a career-best performance in an overtime win against Syracuse, posting 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to lead Virginia Tech (13-16, 8-10 ACC) to a much-needed victory. Meanwhile, North Carolina (19-11, 12-6 ACC) is riding a five-game winning streak, though all five wins have come against teams in the bottom half of the ACC standings. With a rivalry showdown against No. 5 Duke looming on Saturday, this matchup has the makings of a trap game for the Tar Heels. Virginia Tech head

No. 10 Iowa State and No. 23 BYU enter their Tuesday night showdown in Ames, Iowa, brimming with confidence as both teams jockey for positioning in the ultra-competitive Big 12 race. Both squads are tied for fourth place in the conference standings with identical 12-6 records, making this a critical matchup with postseason implications. Iowa State (22-7) is coming off a dominant 84-67 win over then-No. 22 Arizona, while BYU (21-8) is riding a six-game winning streak after routing West Virginia 77-56 on Saturday. With both teams playing their best basketball down the stretch, expect a high-energy, physical battle between two of the Big 12’s most well-rounded squads. Iowa State has built its national reputation on toughness, and head coach

No. 25 Mississippi State has a prime opportunity to close out its home schedule on a high note when it hosts a reeling Texas team Tuesday night in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs (20-9, 8-8 SEC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a convincing 81-69 victory over LSU on Saturday, bouncing back from a brutal 38-point loss at Alabama in their previous game. With the SEC Tournament approaching, head coach Chris Jans challenged his team to treat the LSU game as a must-win, and they responded with a dominant second half. Meanwhile, Texas (16-13, 5-11 SEC) finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing six of its last seven games, including a lifeless 83-67 home loss to Georgia on Saturday.

At 8:00 ET, the Timberwolves (-836) will host the 76ers (+571) in a non-conference matchup. The over/under line for the game is 223.5. Minnesota (-13.5) is currently 9th in the Western Conference, while Philadelphia (21-39) is 12th in the East. NBCS will broadcast the game from the Target Center in Minneapolis. Philadelphia dropped to 21-39 on the season after a 119-102 home loss to the Trail Blazers on Monday. The 76ers entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 221, falling short of the 228.5 O/U line. After leading 61-56 at halftime, the 76ers struggled in the second half. Portland went on a 10-0 run, turning an 87-81