Tonight's College Basketball Picks

Indiana @ Boston College(-6): Take Indiana- Indiana coach Tom Crean takes his Hoosiers outside of Bloomington for the first time this year, and after coming off six 'morale booster' games, Boston College poses the first real threat to the Hoosiers unblemished record. Playing at Boston College is anything but a tough road game though, just ask Yale. Going against the spread is a always risky when taking the road team, but Indiana has three legitimate scorers in their big man Watford, along with Verdell Jones III and Maurice Creek on the wing. This game is the first benchmark game of sorts for Crean and the tradition-rich program that he's been trying to build for three years now. Expect Indiana to give the Eagles all they can handle, and more.

Maryland @ Penn State(-1): Take Maryland- Consecutive losses on the big stage in NYC has Maryland's stock down in the eyes of Vegas. While the Terrapins have taken nationally ranked Pittsburgh and Illinois to the wire, the Nittany Lions best win has been--take your pick (Fairfield, St. Joe's, Central Conn). Penn State is led by one of the quickest lead guards in the nation in senior Talor Battle, but he won't be enough to overcome Maryland's balanced attack. There isn't a big guy on PSU that has a prayer of stopping Maryland's Jordan Williams, who may be the best post player in the ACC. Even more telling, are the key offensive statistics (PPG, RPG, APG, FG%) where Maryland holds a clear advantage.

Michigan State @ Duke(-12): Take Duke- It's not a question of who will win...Coach K's Dukies have won 80 consecutive non-conference home games. The hard part is proving that this is a good bet to take! The Blue Devils showed in their lopsided victory over Kansas State that they are the most complete team in the country, at least in the early going. On the perimeter, the intriguing match-ups Kyrie Irving v. Kalin Lucas and Nolan Smith v. Durrell Summers are basically a push, but Duke's advantage should come down low. Mason Plumlee's emergence as a scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker along with the Ryan Kelly, Miles Plumlee, and Kyle Singler rotation, gives Duke a key edge. Finally, don't underestimate the energy that Duke gets from the Cameron Crazies... the advantage is undeniable (thank you Under Armour).

Last Night: 2-1 Overall: 2-1