Indiana at Penn State (+4.5) - 9:15am Pacific - Game #727-728
Penn State has covered two straight ATS since the start of Big 10 play but remain an undervalued team. They blew out Northwestern here two games back and then went on the road and lost by just four to Purdue. In that game they were limited by foul trouble as leading scorer Geary Claxton was forced to play a significant part of the second half with four fouls and starting center Brandon Hassell was limited to just 19 minutes. Purdue also shot 16 more free throws than Penn State. All in all it was a good showing. Penn State has now had a full week off from both games and class to prepare for Indiana. I mentioned earlier that it is important for Penn State to get off to a good start in conference play due to a favorable January schedule. This is clearly a bigger game for the Nittany Lions than it is for Indiana.

The Hoosiers are overvalued a bit right now as they are coming off two impressive home wins over Michigan State and Purdue. However, the Hoosiers are 0-3 on the road this season and are just 2-8 in their last 10 conference road games dating back to last season. Indiana's road losses this year have been against top notch teams but they still have to prove they can win on the road before giving points to a quality opponent. Both meetings last year were decided by four points or less with each team defending their home court. Expect another close game with Penn State having a fair chance at the outright upset win. Take the points.

RAS Official Play: Penn State +4.5 1 UNIT

Colorado State at San Diego State (-4) - 1:00pm Pacific - Game #777-778
The Aztecs are the defending MWC champions and started the season off 8-0, but are just 3-5 since and find themselves at 0-2 in the conference standings. They were unlucky two games back as Wyoming hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer after SDSU failed to convert free throws but they then were hammered at BYU last time out. It was later revealed that two key players were battling the flu and another a sore ankle. Junior guard Matt Thomas just returned to action two games ago, and started vs BYU despite still recovering from a back injury that has plagued him since last season. His return does give the team some much needed added depth. SDSU is another team that has had a full week off from both games and class. The team had a week of very productive two a day practices. Coach Fisher announced at the start of the week that no starting job was safe and the players really got after it. They are looking forward to this game to get their season back on track.

Colorado State has won 11 of 12 games but that is mostly due to a very favorable schedule. The Rams are a notoriously poor road team going 4-19 overall and 2-13 in conference the past two years coming into this season. They are 4-0 so far this year but three of those wins have come vs teams (Denver, Colorado, Chattanooga) ranked 220 or worse in the Sagarin ratings, and the fourth came at New Mexico when the Lobos played without injured leading scorer J.R. Giddens. Despite their favorable schedule, the Rams lead the MWC in turnovers per game while SDSU is adept at forcing turnovers. I am expecting a big effort from the Aztecs. Look for them to restore some order to the MWC standings with a solid win here. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: San Diego State -4 1 UNIT


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