I’m very excited for another season of college basketball and will be giving my thoughts on betting lines this season, if betting were legal (shout out to my personal friend Bill Simmons).

Starting off the season tonight with a couple lines that I feel pretty confident in:

Rhode Island at Pittsburgh (-11.5)

Rhode Island always plays well under Barron but Pitt is loaded and the difference in this one will be their physicality. The Panthers open this one up in the second half and cover.

UC-Irvine at Illinois (-21)

Illinois returns 7 of 8 top scorers and all five starters while the Anteaters deal with transition under a new coach. Expectations are high at Illinois  and I expect the Illini to rout Irvine.

Season: 0-0

St. Johns has been very competitive this season, while DePaul finds themselves finishing up another horrendous campaign. The Blue Demons don’t have much to play for, while St. Johns is fighting to get the 13th spot in the Big East Tournament and try to make a case for Norm Roberts job (he’s gone IMO).

The Pick: St. John’s by 7

Temple is off to a nice 6-2 start despite a struggling offense.

The Surprises

Richmond (7-1) taking down Mississippi State, Missouri and Old Dominion in a three game stretch. The Spiders were expected to be improved but I don’t know if anyone saw this coming.

Charlotte (6-1) pasting Louisville in Freedom Hall. I know Louisville had some injuries, but thats still a game they need to win. Is this the same Charlotte team that suited up and got clobbered in Cameron Indoor earlier this year?

Texas Tech (8-0) beating Washington!

Northwestern (6-1) staying afloat despite losing Kevin Coble.. The Wildcats have beaten Notre Dame, Iowa State and North Carolina State away from Evanston.

Temple (6-2) continuing to find ways to win despite a lack of scoring. The Owls have beaten Penn State, Virginia Tech and Siena with their two losses coming to Georgetown and St. Johns.

William & Mary (6-2) has won six in a row after opening the season with losses to Harvard and Uconn. Oh and the Tribe have beaten Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth and Wake Forest.

Missouri State (7-0) being undeafeated with a win over noteworthy Tulsa (7-1).

The Disappointments

UCLA (2-5) has fallen on some very hard times this season. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but the Bruins have been decimated. Their only wins have come against lowly Cal. St-Bakersfield and Pepperdine.

Oklahoma (5-3) has been very ordinary with the departure of Blake Griffin. They have lost to San Diego and Houston, although not pushovers, but teams they must beat.

Rutgers (5-2) continues to be a whipping boy. The Scarlet Knights has to rally in the second half on Sunday to beat winless Colgate. It’s going to be another long season in the Big East.

Michigan (4-3) was actually .500 before a recent victory over Arkansas- Pine Bluff. The Wolverines have lost all three contests against major opponents (Marquette, Alabama, Boston College).

The Patriot League as a whole! Army (6-2) is the only team currently above .500 and I don’t think that will last.

Favors and company will look to stop Siena on Wednesday night.

(5)Duke at Wisconsin

Duke (6-0) visits Wisconsin (4-1) tonight where Bo Ryan has made the Badgers nearly unbeatable at the Kohl Center. Duke’s last outing was a preseason- NIT Championship over Connecticut, 68-59, that was an early statement to the rest of the country by the Blue Devils. Nolan Smith, Kyle Singer and Jon Scheyer have been a three headed monster that is sure to cause problems for the Wisconsin defense. The Badgers own solid wins over Arizona and Maryland, with a lone loss to Gonzaga in Maui. Once again the Badgers win games with solid defense and just enough offense, which is not a recipe for success against Duke. Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohanon will attempt to neutralize Scheyer and Smith, while the Badgers will look to feed off a rowdy crowd.

The Pick: Duke

Siena at (23) Georgia Tech

Siena (4-2) has been a giant dissapointment early in the season with losses to Temple and St. John’s putting a damper on their national recognition. The Saint’s could use a big resume booster with a very quality win in Atlanta tonight. Tech (4-1) has coasted in its four wins, yet fell to Dayton 63-59 against their only quality opponent. The Yellow Jackets have a two headed monster in Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal, which gives them a definite advantage over Siena’s leaner forwards. I like Siena in a big situation on the road to bring this game to the wire.

The Pick: Siena

Yancy Gates was too much to handle for Vanderbilt and Maryland. How will Gonzaga slow him down?

- The BearCats are for real. Everyone knew they were loaded coming into this year, it was just if the pieces could fit together. Well, Mick Cronin has the Cats rolling as they knocked off their second consecutive ranked opponent last night in Maryland. Yancy Gates has another monster night (17 points, 13 rebounds), while Lance Stephenson put up a nice line (11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) in 29 minutes. Next test for Cincy comes against Gonzaga (4-1) tonight in Maui. The Zags beat up Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers last night 74-61.

- Texas Tech (6-0) barely survived Stephen F. Austin 63-61, while fellow Big XII team Colorado(3-2) lost in overtime to Arizona 91-87. The Buffs look improved, but unfortunately have lost two heartbreakers on consecutive nights (Arizona, Gonzaga).

- Cornell (2-2) missed their second consecutive opportunity to pick up a big out of conference win when they lost to Syracuse (5-0) at the Carrier Dome. The Orange avoided a huge letdown after their big wins over the weekend. The Cuse’ have really exceeded my expectations this season…

- Providence (4-1) destroyed Vermont 106-64.. this is the same Vermont team that knocked off hapless Rutgers. Needless to say it could be another long year at the RAC.

- NJIT (2-2) beat Division-1 Wagner (0-3). That was a rare feat for the Highlanders who only beat 1 Division-1 squad last season.

- Iowa State (5-0) is going to knock off a couple really good teams this year, I love the way the Cyclones are playing.

- Utah (2-2) has fallen far from last season’s #5 seed in the Tournament. They lost to Seattle last night!

LSU at (13) Connecticut

The Tigers head into the Garden for the Pre-season NIT in what will surely be a virtual home game for Uconn. Forwards Storm Warren (15.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Tasmin Mitchell (11.7 ppg, 9 rpg) will provide some stability against the Uconn bigs, while Bo Spencer (20.3 ppg) can light it up from anywhere. The Huskies have been fairly unimpressive against three overmatched opponents, but have a three headed monster with Jerome Dyson (20 ppg, 6 apg), Kemba Walker (14.7 ppg, 4 apg) and Stanley Robinson (16.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg). The Huskies should be favored, but I like the Tigers, who can really lock it down on defense.

The Pick: LSU 72  Connecticut 68

Cincinnati vs. Gonzaga — at Maui

The BearCats are rolling and are really looking like a team to be reckoned with in the Big East and nationally. Gonzaga is an awful tough team, but they always play better against less athletic teams. This Cincinnati team is full of athletes who can run the floor and an elite scorer in Deonta Vaughn. I think this one will be close, but Cincy pulls away in the final 8 minutes to win by double digits.

The Pick: Cincinnati 74  Gonzaga  63

Ryan Wittman will try to lead Cornell to a big upset over #9 Syracuse.

- The Longhorns (3-0) have added to the misery in Des Moines, Iowa  with their dominating win over the Hawkeyes (1-3) in Kansas City. Dexter Pittman had 15 points and 8 boards, while Damion James had 10 and 12. This Texas team is very scary, with a ton of depth.

- Wayne Chism had an enormous game (24 points, 5 rebounds), but his biggest shot of the night was no good and the Volunteers (4-1) fell to Purdue (4-0) in the Virgin Islands. E-Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel scored 22 and 20 respectively and Scotty Hopson was shut down by the Boilermakers. Hopson had his second straight poor shooting performance, after beginning the year on a tear.

- Clemson (4-0) is becoming unbeatable in non-conference games, as they won their 30th consecutive November contest.

- Cincinnati (3-0), another team I picked to surprise, beat #24 Vanderbilt (2-1) with a big effort from Yancy Gates (16 points, 10 rebounds). Cincy has some real star power and will go as far as Deonta Vaughn and Lance Stephenson can take them.

- Could it be possible that DePaul (3-1) has actually improved? The Blue Demons had a great showing against Tennessee and picked up a solid win over St. Joes last night in the Paradise Jam.

- Give credit to Virginia Tech (3-0) for going to Campbell (3-1). It is far too often that the big boys will refuse to give a mid-major a chance in their gym.

- Montana (4-1) increased the heat on Ernie Kent, whose Ducks fell in Eugene 68-55. Kent probably needs a solid season to save his job!

(3) Texas vs. Pittsburgh — in Kansas City

This game should be a good indication of where Pitts season is going. I know it’s still very early, but the Panthers are quite a mystery and this game should clear some of that up. Pitt’s bigs are pretty inexperienced, so I expect Pittman and James to feast on them down low.

The Pick: Texas 68  Pitt  59

Cornell at (9) Syracuse

The Big Red missed a huge opportunity against Seton Hall on Friday night, but they will try to regroup in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse has been on fire with impressive wins over California and North Carolina, so this one should be a cakewalk right? This could be a game that Syracuse doesn’t show up for, which would be a huge mistake. I like Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale to keep the Big Red around, but Wes Johnson and Arinze Onuaku will be too much.

The Pick: Syracuse 82  Cornell  71

Coble's loss has hurt the Wildcats aspirations for their first NCAA bid.

Just some thoughts from last nights games:

- Kansas barely survived their first test of the year, which shocked me. I did not expect Memphis to be up to the task, but maybe people have slept on the Tigers this year. Obviously Josh Pastner is keeping this program running at the level Calipari had (hopefully without the scandals).

- Michigan State showed a lot of guts by rallying against Gonzaga proving that they are worthy of their high-ranking. I knew this would be close because Gonzaga could keep up with Michigan State. Give the Zags a fast paced game and they struggle because they lack the athleticism of other top programs.

- Louisville’s win over Arkansas is meant almost nothing. The Hogs are bad and I still have a lot of questions about the Cards.

- St. John’s survived St. Bonaventure in Rochester. A loss would have made the heat on Norm Roberts unbearable. This is his make or break year.

- A highly touted Holy Cross team is now 0-2. This is not good for the Patriot League, as the Crusaders are expected to carry the conference banner this year.

- Nice win for LSU over Western Kentucky 71-60. The Hilltoppers are always tough, and I expect them to be there at the end for the Sun Belt.

- Iowa State beat down Drake last night in Des Moines. This is relevant since they had lost their previous three vs. the Bulldogs and means that the Cyclones should be 6-0 when they take on in-state rival Northern Iowa.

- Wow, Iowa is really bad! Todd Lickliter has some bigtime pressure on him and has to be regretting his decision to depart Butler. Take a look at what the Hawkeye fanbase feelings are on Lickliter.

(10) Butler at Northwestern

This is the game of the night, but one that has lost a lot of its luster with the loss of Kevin Coble for Northwestern. The Wildcats were poised to make a run at their first NCAA bid in school history this season, but that task has become that much harder. Butler on the other hand is loaded and ready to make a push for a Final Four. I had the Bulldogs as a sleeper Final Four contender and I like that pick more and more each day. They are so disciplined and committed to their system. Hayward, Veasley and Howard will pace the Bulldogs in this one, and I like Butler to win this one. If Northwestern still has NCAA aspirations, then they seriously need a strong non-conference win and this would be huge.

The Pick: Butler 69 Northwestern 62

John Wall celebrates his game winning shot against Miami (OH) on Monday night.

John Walls 15-foot jumper carried Kentucky past Miami (OH) last night at Rupp Arena, as Kentucky avoided a third straight November shocker. Wall, who was touted as the nation’s top player, took an inbounds pass coast to coast and pulled up for the 15-footer to send the Kentucky faithful into a frenzy. Miami (OH) led by 18 at one point couldnt deliver on another early season upset, of which they have become accustomed to delivering.

The 24-hour ESPN marathon is well under way and it began with a shocker as the Baby Bruins of UCLA fell to the Titans of Cal-St. Fullerton. UCLA was expected to be down this year, but this has to be a demoralizing loss for the Bruins and Ben Howland. Expect UCLA to go through some growing pains in the non-conference, but should be strong enough throughout the season to earn another NCAA berth.

Memphis at (1) Kansas

The Tigers roll into the Phog with the tough task of taking down the Jayhawks and their high-powered attack. Xavier Henry has had an impressive start to his collegiate career and could be poised to continue his scoring barrage against Memphis.

The Pick: Kansas 74 Memphis 58

Gonzaga at (2) Michigan State

The guard combination of Steven Gray and Matt Bouldin will try to make an early statement in East Lansing, while the Spartans look to work out any early season kinks against a quality opponent. I think the Zags will stay in this game because of the pace, but I think the Spartans have too many weapons for Gonzaga to stop. Lucas and Summers outduel the Bulldogs in their first legitimate test.

The Pick: Michigan State 66 Gonzaga 60