The college basketball betting season for 2011 – 12 is upon us and fans and handicappers alike, already have plenty to talk about. For the first time we can remember, the NCAA schedule, has allowed fans to watch several games that they otherwise wouldn’t have seen until the March Madness tournament. As we enter tonight’s action, bookie software agents and fans alike are both pondering if the games can get any better? Here are some picks for tonight’s action.

Long Beach State 49ers At Pitt Panthers (-13.5) – Pitt have been an interesting team over the last couple of seasons in the NCAA. On the one hand, they seem to always dominate during the regular season, but fail to get things done in the playoffs. Take last season for instance, as they ran rampant on the Big East, only to fall to Butler in the second round of the March Madness Tournament.

Tonight, NBA fans will get to watch their favorite Big East squad battle the Long Beach State 49ers. The 49ers are supposed to be better then Pitt’s first two games, which featured a devouring of Albany and then a nail biting victory over Rider. In theory, the Panthers defense, which has been suspect at best early this season, could make a statement against the 49ers tonight. If the defensive holes continue though, it won’t be much of a surprise if Long State covers the spread.

Colgate At Wisconsin (-15) – It really is a shame that Colgate does not put as much emphasis on recruiting for basketball as they do for hockey. If they did, they wouldn’t be that one team circled on every AP 25 team’s calendar annually. Last season, Syracuse and Duke killed Colgate by over 100 points, while barely reaching the half-century mark. Tonight’s game against Wisconsin should be no different.