Murray St. at Cal (-13.5)

Murray St. (+13.5) over Cal 2 Units

The college basketball season officially tips off tonight with the 2K Sports Classic, which feature three lopsided matchups and one intriguing game between the Cal Golden Bears and the Murray State Racers.

The Bears open the season ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll with four starters returning and are one of the favorites to win the Pac 10. They are led by guards Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle, who helped lead Cal to the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Racers are co-favorites to win the Ohio Valley Conference and also have four starters returning led by senior guard Danero Thomas. The Racers are driven to return to the NCAA Tournament after an uncharacteristic three-year hiatus and a road win over a ranked team would be a big resume builder.

The key to this game will be the guard play as both teams have experience and their leading scorers in the backcourt. Cal has a propensity to live by the outside shot, which can prove detrimental, especially against a Murray State team that gave up the fewest points in the OVC last season (63.2), were third in field-goal percentage allowed (.432) and were second in rebounding margin (+ 3.1).

If Murray State can limit Cal's outside shooting, it should be able to keep it within the 13.5-point line. Take the Racers for 2 Units to open the season.