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The two preseason favorites in the ACC collide on Tuesday when the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils square off against the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

In the fall, Duke was voted the preseason favorite to win the ACC. Louisville finished second in the voting.

So far this season, the Blue Devils (13-1, 2-0 in ACC) have stumbled only once, a one-point loss to Texas Tech in New York City last month. Meanwhile, the Cardinals (11-3, 1-1) have lost two of their last four games while playing without star freshman point guard and future pro Mikel Brown Jr. (lower back injury). Brown already has been ruled out of Tuesday's game against Duke.

Tonight's game is a rematch of last season's ACC Tournament championship game, which the Blue Devils won 73-62. Duke has dominated the series recently, winning seven in a row, including three straight at the Yum! Center. Louisville hasn't beaten the team from Durham since February 2021. The Blue Devils are 1.5-point favorites over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

While Duke-Louisville is the marquee attraction on Tuesday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that also includes six NBA games and a full college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, Jan. 6. All times Eastern.

College basketball best bets, where to watch

No. 6 Duke at No. 20 Louisville

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Louisville | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Duke -107

The Cardinals own the fourth-best offense in the country (126.7 points per 100 possessions), but that offense has been built on the shoulders of Brown, a projected NBA lottery pick. His absence will make that end of the court more of a struggle. In addition, Louisville isn't built to defend a player like the Blue Devils' Cameron Boozer. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound future lottery pick ranks third in the nation in scoring (23.0 points per game) and 21st in rebounding (9.8). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Blue Devils have a 53% chance to win and assigns a 'C' grade to the Duke money line (-107).

No. 14 Texas Tech at No. 7 Houston

Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Houston -6.5

Just how loaded is the Big 12 this season? Of the top nine teams in the Top 25, four hail from the Big 12. One of those is the seventh-ranked Houston Cougars (13-1, 1-0 in Big 12), who were this close to winning the national championship last year. On Tuesday, they will host the surging and 14th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-3, 1-0), who have won four in a row and are the only team in the country to have beaten Duke this season. Under coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have continued to play stifling defense, ranking eighth in the nation in defensive rating (94.2 points per 100 possessions). They're capable of slowing down JT Toppin, Tech's reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, and a Red Raiders team that will be playing just its second true road game this season. The SportsLine Projection Model says Houston has a 57.0% chance to cover and gives a 'C' grade to Cougars -6.5.

TCU at No. 22 Kansas

Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Lawrence, Kan. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Kansas -8.5

Perhaps the best soap opera on television is "All My Jayhawks," starring Darryn Peterson. If you haven't been watching Peterson, he's a dynamic three-level scorer who's in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. He's been in and out of the lineup for Kansas (10-4, 0-1 in Big 12) with injuries that remain not entirely clear. Will he play? If he does play, how long will he play? On Saturday, Peterson was brilliant, scoring 26 points. But he strangely sat out the final 11 minutes of the Jayhawks' 81-75 loss to UCF. Based on Kansas coach Bill Self's comments on Monday, there's no reason to believe that Peterson will miss tonight's game against TCU (11-3, 1-0), but his workload is anyone's guess. The SportsLine Projection Model says the Jayhawks have a 73.0% chance to cover and assigns a 'B' grade to Kansas -8.5.

NBA best bets, where to watch

Heat at Timberwolves

Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Minneapolis | TV: NBC/Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Under 238.5

After ending 2025 losing three of four games, including at ugly 24-point blowout loss at Atlanta, the Timberwolves have kicked off 2026 with wins over the Heat and Wizards. On Tuesday, Minnesota (23-13) gets its second shot in four days at Miami (20-16) when the teams battle at the Target Center. Three days ago, the Timberwolves got 33 points from Anthony Edwards and 20 second-half points from Naz Reid for a 125-115 victory over the Heat. Tuesday's game features two of the top seven defensive teams in the NBA -- Miami ranks fourth (111.9), while Minnesota is seventh (112.7). The SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 55.9% chance the teams combine for 238 points or fewer and gives a 'B' grade to Under 238.5. 

Mavericks at Kings

Time: 11 p.m. | Location: Sacramento, Calif. | TV: NBC/Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Kings +5.5

Two teams looking to turn their season around will battle when the Sacramento Kings (8-28) host the Dallas Mavericks (13-23) at the Golden 1 Center. The Mavericks have lost six of their last eight games but are coming off a victory over Houston, though the Rockets played most of that game without Alperen Sengun. Meanwhile, the Kings have lost five in a row and 11 of 13. But one of those wins was a 113-107 decision over Dallas on Dec. 27. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has misfired over the last three games for the Mavericks, averaging just 12.3 points while shooting just 29.8% from the field. The SportsLine Projection Model says Sacramento has a 53.0% chance to cover and assigns a 'C' grade to Kings +5.5.