Indiana and Rutgers will fight to keep their season alive Thursday when they meet in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at 8:55 p.m. ET. The Hoosiers are listed as eight-point favorites, with the over-under for total points scored set at 125.

Before picking a side in this game, you should hear what SportsLine expert Micah Roberts has to say. The former Las Vegas sportsbook executive has turned into a reliable handicapper for SportsLine and he's getting hot at the right time.

Roberts has hit seven straight college basketball picks against the spread as we head into the thick of March Madness and knows there's a key x-factor that led him to pounce on one side of the Indiana-Rutgers thread.

In what was expected to be massive rebuilding year, it's fair to consider Indiana's first season under Archie Miller a success. The Hoosiers managed a winning overall record at 16-14 and finished 9-9 in the rugged Big Ten.

They fared well ATS against the upper tier of the Big Ten when getting points as massive underdog, covering at home against the likes of Purdue and Michigan State but falling short of an outright win.

However, Indiana held its own against fellow middling conference teams and went on a late four-game win streak against Rutgers, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa. The Hoosiers finished Big Ten play with tight losses to Nebraska and Ohio State.

They dominated from the outset in a 65-43 win at Rutgers on Feb. 5. Juwan Morgan had 24 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Robert Johnson added 19 points for Indiana, which held Rutgers to 24.1 percent from the field.

The Scarlet Knights (14-18, 3-15) ended up in familiar territory in the cellar of the Big 10, but they had a solid 10-3 start that included a win over NCAA Tournament-bound Seton Hall as a nine-point underdog.

They also had a handful of promising moments in conference play, with dominant home wins over Iowa and Northwestern.

Will the favored Hoosiers cover on Thursday, or will the stubborn Scarlet Knights put up a fight until the final buzzer? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of Rutgers-Indiana you should be all over on Thursday, all from an expert who has hit seven straight CBB picks.