I’m always on the fence about which I prefer, college or pro basketball. The NBA is obviously better, for quality of basketball, but the passion of college hoops is unrivaled. There are rivalries all across the college hoops landscape, and here is a look at five of the rivalries who should keep an eye this year, as these games will receive action in your online sportsbook.

1) North Carolina vs Duke

You obviously can’t have a college hoops discussion about rivalries without beginning with the greatest one. These schools are eight miles apart, and both are usually ranked in the top ten schools, which ratchets up the intensity in a rivalry that quite frankly, doesn’t need it. The Tar Heels are the NCAA basketball betting favorites to win the title this year, but they’ll first need to take the ACC, and that road will clearly go through the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels head to Duke on February 11, and then host Duke in the season finale on March 8. Carolina leads the all-time series 128-97.

2) Louisville vs Kentucky

“The Battle for the Bluegrass” was fiercely contested before, but when ex-Kentucky coach Rick Pitino joined Louisville in 2001, well……let’s just say Kentucky fans were not impressed to say the least. The Cardinals ended a three-game skid against the Wildcats last season, but Kentucky still leads the all-time series 26-13. Louisville is one of the NCAA basketball betting favorites this season to win the national title, but their fans would be almost as happy if they beat Kentucky when the Wildcats come to town on January 4th.

3) Cincinnati vs Xavier

While not one of the more publicized rivalries, the “Crosstown Shootout” between these two schools in the city of Cincinnati is still very heated. The last six meetings have been decided by no more than 11 points, with Xavier winning four times. Cincinnati still leads the all-time series 47-28, but Xavier is catching up quickly, and the Muskateers opened the season in the top 20 rankings. These two will meet on December 13th at a neutral location.

4) UCLA vs USC

The Bruins still dominate the Pac-10 and have great NCAA basketball odds for the national title, but the Trojans have been improving recently, and they could challenge for the conference crown this season. The Bruins have taken seven of the last ten meetings between the two, and head to USC on January 11th before returning the favor on February 4th.

5) The Big 12

Pick one: Kansas and Missouri, or Texas and Texas A&M, and then there is Oklahoma, who is nudging their way into the NCAA basketball betting picture. The Kansas-Missouri hoops rivalry is an extension of the football battles these two stage, and the students in both schools will have February 9th (at Missouri) and March 1 (at Kansas) already circled. Texas and A&M have also been battling for decades, and the improved Aggies would love to put a dent in the Longhorns’ national-title hopes. These two do battle on January 24th (at Texas) and February 21st (at A&M). Then there’s Oklahoma, who may be the most talented team of the bunch. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching the Big 12 this year.

July 1, 2010 is not coming quickly enough for NBA general managers. Just look at this free-agent class that will on the market: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson and Yao Ming lead the way, while veteran stars suck as Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen could also be looking for work. Very exciting stuff.

My problem is that…..it’s 2008. Yes, the New York Knicks made some moves that was obviously a ploy to free cap space for 2010, and many other teams will be doing so (unless some GMs haven’t done their homework). And we all know that having a player like James on your team will boost your championship hopes, as well as your NBA betting odds. But the stars sound like they are getting tired of hearing the questions already, as James’ interview with Stephen A. Smith a couple nights ago showed. It’s going to be a long 19 months.

Oh, and this video is a 3-minute compilation of James’ work so far this season. Is it just me or is he looking more physically dominant that ever before? Like, “dunking on three people is just what I do” dominant.

This weekend’s big matchup that should have you scrambling for your online sportsbooks will take place in Toronto, where the Raptors will host the Boston Celtics in a Sunday matinee matchup. Things got a little heated last time these two met (see video below), and culminated with Sam Mitchell (Garnett’s mentor) essentially calling Kevin Garnett a fake thug for getting in the face of a much-smaller, but feisty, Jose Calderon. Sunday should have something for everyone, whether you are just a fan of the league or you like to bet online.

The Celtics have split their last ten visits to Toronto with the Raptors, but have won on two straight trips up north. Paul Pierce was the difference in a 94-87 win last month in Boston, lighting up the Raptors for 36 points, including 22 in the final stanza. If the Raptors want revenge, they will have to focus on “The Truth” and not let Garnett get into their heads. Chris Bosh was held to only nine points in 40 minutes: you can bet that he will be better this time out. Celtics vs Raptors odds will be up in the air for this one, as the Celtics were favored by a point in their last trip to Toronto, while the Raptors were favored by 1.5 points before that.

Boston Celtics star and future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett does not know when to let up. 11 games into the season, and the “Big Ticket” has picked up a one-game suspension for swinging on Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut during a road overtime win last weekend. This will surely affect the NBA betting lines for tonight’s game, when the Celtics host the New York Knicks. But the bigger question is, what’s bothering KG?
Last week, Garnett went at Toronto point guard Jose Calderon and starting yelling and wagging his finger, to which Calderon responded likewise.

Garnett is a great player, but this type of play is reminiscent of Sean Avery of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, the ultimate agitator. Remember when Avery, while with the New York Rangers, spent the entire playoff series against New Jersey last season waving his stick in front of the face of of New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur? That is what Garnett reminded me of, and he’s better than that. Stick to the game, KG.

Even though you really had no reason to pay attention to the Seattle Supersonics over the last couple of years, while betting online or otherwise, their move to Oklahoma is still mind-boggling. Oklahoma does not strike me as much as a basketball city, and I wonder how likely Kevin Durant is to bolt as soon as possible (My bet: pretty bloody likely). Plus, they had Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, easily the best best alley-oop duo of all time:

Got more exciting duos that that? I’d love to see it.

C – Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are the NBA betting favorites to win the championship after losing to Boston last year in the Finals, and they have raced out to win their first six games of the season. The return of Bynum, who has 9.5 points, 9.0 boards and is second in the league with 2.8 blocks, has been immense for the Lakers’ interior game, which opens the floor up.

F- LeBron James, Cleveland

We’ll just get this out of the way now: you will probably see this man’s name here more often than not. “King James” leads the NBA with 29.8 points (including back-to-back 41-point efforts against Chicago and Milwaukee), and he also adds 8.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and two or three plays per night that make you jones for the second it will be up on Youtube.

F- Amare Stoudamire, Phoenix

Stoudamire is shooting an outlandish 62% from the field, and he went 17-of-21 from the field for 49 points in a win over Indiana. Stoudamire is also making 88% of his free throws, which means teams cannot afford to afford to foul him down the stretch as they do with his teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.

G- Tony Parker, San Antonio

Parker was carrying the Spurs until he sprained his ankle against Miami last week, coming in second in the league in points with 27.4, including a monster 55-point performance in an overtime win over Minnesota. With Parker gone and Manu Ginobili still out, it could be a tough stretch for Tim Duncan.

G- Dwayne Wade, Miami

He’s back. After lighting up the Olympics, D-Wade is back to his explosive self as he is third in the league with 27.1 points, and he is also fifth in assists with 7.6, along with 2.9 steals and 1.6 blocks. He looks like the player that led the Heat to the championship in 2006, and once Michael Beasley gets used to pro life, Miami’s NBA futures will increase.

Sixth Man – Joe Johnson, Atlanta

Quick raise of hands of people who thought the Hawks would win their first six games. Yeah, just like I thought. While the entire team is playing well, Johnson continues to go about his business as the quietest 20-25 point scorer in the league, putting up 23.8 points from inside and out.

The NBA season is ready to tip off on Tuesday, which means it is time to consult your sportsbook odds and pick your champion for the upcoming hoops season. So, if you are looking for more tips before you bet online, here are Roy’s Bi-Weekly Power Rankings, starting with the defending champions from Boston.

Boston – Online sports betting odds have given the Celtics solid odds to repeat, and the question will be desire: will Boston still be hungry after winning last year? With Kevin Garnett on board, desire should not be an issue.

Los Angeles Lakers – Andrew Bynum is back and healthy, and could form, with Pau Gasol, the best frontcourt duo in the league. Online betting has the Lakers as the favorites to win the title, and this could be the best chance Kobe Bryant ever has to win a championship post-Shaq.

New Orleans – The Hornets are another year older, but they have to deal with lofty expectations from fans, analysts and online betting enthusiasts alike. If the Hornets win the West, Chris Paul will win the Most Valuable Player award.

Houston – Call this a gut decision, although the Rockets still have good NBA odds entering the season. Ron Artest will take a lot of pressure off Tracy McGrady, who simply must stay healthy. However, having Rafer Alston as your starting point guard is troubling.

Cleveland – LeBron James finally has a bonafide No.2 scoring threat in Mo Williams. We know the Cavaliers will play defense, and if they can coax another decent season out of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, expect their sportsbook stock to rise.

San Antonio – God, I hate the Spurs. Why won’t they decline already? Expect more tough (and borderline dirty, as long as Bruce Bowen is around) defense, bank shots and double-doubles from Tim Duncan, and more sideline pictures of Eva Longoria-Parker.

Toronto – If Jermaine O’Neal can stay healthy, he will combine with Chris Bosh for a Twin Towers-esque duo. Jose Calderon will have to deal with more minutes at the point position. The improvement of Andrea Bargnani will be essential for Toronto.

Philadelphia – The 76ers could be the most improved team of the season with their pickup of Elton Brand and the re-signing of Andre Igoudala. However, their bench leaves a lot to be desired.

Detroit – Like the Spurs, these guys just won’t die. With a new coach (Michael Curry) at the helm, it will be interesting to see how this veteran group, particularly Rasheed Wallace, takes to new instructions.

Phoenix – The Suns may start slowly, but you watch: by midseason, they will be right in the thick of the West race. Keep an eye on first-round pick Robin Lopez, who will bring energy and rebounding off the bench for the aging Suns.

And the rest …………

Orlando – If D-12 doesn’t get at least 40 touches a game, someone needs to be fired.

Utah – Deron Williams better not miss too much time; he is the catalyst of the whole team.

Portland – Greg Oden’s numbers: 11 points, 12 boards, 2.5 blocks and a slew of “he looks old” jokes.

Dallas – I love Jason Kidd to death, but why can’t he hit an open jumper?

Chicago – Derrick Rose for Rookie of the Year. Bet on it.

Los Angeles Clippers – The pickup of Baron Davis is excellent, and the Clippers may actually be decent. Of course, I’m setting the OVER/UNDER for a Ricky Davis distraction at 30 games, and taking the UNDER.

Miami – For some reason, I have a feeling D-Wade is going to beast this year.

Golden State – Without B-Diddy, the Warriors are going to find themselves on the wrong end of the shootouts they used to win.

Atlanta – Joe Johnson really deserves better than this. But Marvin Williams is going to break out this year.

Denver – They were awful defensively with Marcus Camby in the middle. With no Camby, the Nuggets will be lucky to keep the opposition under 120 points a night.

Washington – Showed they were snakebitten by resigning Gilbert Arenas, who is injured (AGAIN). Then they lose Brandon Haywood for six months. Have fun, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler.

Milwaukee – Scott Skiles’ coaching style will rub some of the young Bucks the wrong way, and I’m guessing Charlie Villeneuva will be the first in line.

Minnesota – Kevin Love’s interior passing should open up the lane for Al Jefferson, but the rest of the ‘Wolves will have to hit their outside shots.

Indiana – The Pacers could sneak into the final East playoff spot, and you should keep an eye on Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert, two rookies with top-notch college pedigrees.

New Jersey – Vince Carter as your team leader? Ugh. Wake me in ’10 when the Nets are in Brooklyn and going after Bron Bron.

Sacramento – Kevin Martin and John Salmons will get theirs, but the rest of the Sacramento team is either old or just plain bad.

New York – If the Knicks can get rid of Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph’s massive contracts, the season will be a success.

Oklahoma City – This team is going to be so much fun to watch. Kevin Durant will drop 25 points a game, and the Thunder (that looks weird) will play no defense. Enjoy.

Charlotte – This franchise rivals the Knicks for being a hot mess. The point-guard battle between D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton should be the only thing worth talking about all year.

Memphis – Loads of young point-guard talent and Rudy Gay. Like the Super….I mean, Thunder, they will be fun to watch, but it will not translate into success.