Packing for Vegas: College Basketball Picks Dec. 3

Playing more than two or three games on any given day is not typically a recipe for success. Many smart bettors will simply try to win two out of three, making a small profit for the day, but earning money over the long-run.

That's usually my approach, but today is different. There are five different bets that I like. Perhaps it's not so strange, given that this Wednesday is more like a Saturday, with over 40 college games on the card. In any event, on to the plays!

North Carolina is head and shoulders above the rest of the country, so I certainly like the Heels giving ten tonight against a grossly overrated Michigan State squad. The game is being played in Spartan territory—Ford Field in Detroit—but that shouldn't affect Carolina. MSU's starting center Goran Suton is out, so even if Tyler Hansbrough doesn't play, I see no advantages for the Spartans. Since the Heels have typically run up the score in the first half so far this season, I'll also be taking the first half spread.

I also like Wake Forest, even though they are giving 23.5 to a Big Ten school. The reason? The Big Ten school is Indiana. The Hoosiers let me down by beating Cornell this past weekend, but against a quality ACC team I don't see how they can compete. IU lost by 26 to St. Joe's, so I expect the Deacs to win tonight by roughly the same margin as they did in their last meeting with Indiana, a 100-67 rout in 2003.

The other games I'm taking tonight are West Virginia (-1) at Mississippi and Arkansas-Little Rock (+3.5) at Missouri State. The former is because I like WVU's freshmen and think they will bounce back from a disappointing loss to Kentucky. The latter is because my Missouri Valley Conference expert says Missouri State is going down tonight.

Good luck to anyone betting tonight and feel free to comment. Feedback is appreciated!

Today's picks:UNC first half -5.5; 2 units                   

                     UNC -10; 1 unit

                     Wake Forest -23.5; 1 unit

                     West Virgina -1; 1 unit

                     Arkansas-LR +3.5; 1 unit

Season Record: 10-5 (67%); + 8.5 units