The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, which also means that the trade deadline in your fantasy league has also probably passed and that means the waiver wire could be your route to the playoffs. Here are five players who are worth a look this week on the wire.

Greivis Vasquez, New Orleans

Vasquez backs up Jarrett Jack, but that can’t be set in stone and more than a few BetOnline players think that he should be the starter full-time, but he has to be more consistent. Vasquez is a taller point guard who can get to the hoop and plays with passion, and he can fill the stat sheet in a number of ways, and his consistency issues could be tied to his playing time.

Patrick Patterson, Houston

Patterson must be a little inspired right now as his Kentucky Wildcats are the March Madness betting favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, and he is playing some of his best basketball of the season. The Rockets have had a few injuries across the board, which means more touches for Patterson, who appears to be a clear part of Houston’s future plans. The Rockets almost got rid of Luis Scola in the offseason, and they could try to again if Patterson continues to play well.

C.J. Watson, Chicago

Watson is on this list because of more injuries to Derrick Rose, who is now dealing with a pulled groin and the Bulls are going to be cautious with the league’s reigning MVP. Rose may be the most important player to a team’s playoff chances, and those that work with price per head players know that the Bulls are cruising towards a top-two seed in the East anyway, so they’ll keep Rose out as long as they have to. Watson will have to share time with John Lucas, however.

Martell Webster, Minnesota

Webster is also the beneficiary of an injury as Ricky Rubio is out for the season, while J.J. Barea has been in and out of the lineup all year, which sets up well for Webster down the stretch. He is obviously no Rubio, but as long as Webster stays within himself, he gives the Timberwolves a chance to win. He just can’t try to be the second coming of Rubio, who was in the running for Rookie of the Year and should still get some consideration.

Kirk Hinrich, Atlanta

Hinrich has taken over the point-guard position with Willie Green on the injured list, and he has shown in the past that he can do a job for a team for a short period of time. On Atlanta’s team, Hinrich doesn’t have to do a lot except run the offense, hit open shots and play hard-nosed defense; some even think that with Hinrich starting, the Hawks improve their sports betting odds.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack weren’t the last team to make the NCAA Tournament in terms of seeding, but they were the last team announced. How will they respond?

North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. San Diego State Aztecs – Friday, March 16

Sports betting line: No line

Why North Carolina State Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you must immediately confront the possibility that the seedings in this game – North Carolina State as an 11 seed, San Diego State as a 6 – mean absolutely nothing. The NCAA Tournament is all about matchups, and in this case, the intangibles certainly seem to reside on North Carolina State’s side of the ledger.

North Carolina State is thrilled just to have the chance to play in this game. The Wolfpack lost by two points to North Carolina in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament this past Saturday. The Pack and head coach Mark Gottfried were upset about several calls that went against them down the stretch, especially a no-call on a charge by North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall in the final 15 seconds. North Carolina State then watched on Selection Sunday, as the teams were announced, one by one. The Wolfpack’s name had not been called heading into the final game on the board. Sixty-six teams had been called, and only two were left. The Wolfpack were feeling excluded from the tournament, but then came “N.C. State” on the CBS television feed. The Pack were shown dancing and hugging in the hotel ballroom where they were staying. One can’t begin to imagine the euphoria this team is feeling. The game is being played in Columbus, Ohio, and the Eastern time zone. San Diego State is the higher seed, but it will have to play an early game (12:40 p.m. Eastern time) that will feel like a 9:40 a.m. tip-off according to the Aztecs’ Southern California body clocks. This situation sets up well for North Carolina State; pick the Wolfpack in what would only be a slight upset.

Why San Diego State Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Mountain West Conference know that while North Carolina State possesses a number of advantages in this contest, San Diego State has overachieved all season long. The Aztecs lost a lot of top-quality talent from their 2011 team, which made the Sweet 16 for the first time in the history of the program. Yet, San Diego State coach Steve Fisher – in what was probably his single best coaching job in San Diego – guided the Aztecs to a share of the Mountain West regular-season championship alongside the New Mexico Lobos. San Diego State wasn’t expected to be this good in 2012, but here are the Aztecs, carrying a respectable seed into the NCAA Tournament and boasting a rugged defense that could give North Carolina State problems. San Diego State might not shoot the ball well, but its defense will always keep games competitive. If the Aztecs can get to the foul line, which is very possible against an N.C. State frontline that frequently struggles with foul trouble, the boys from Southern California will be in very good shape.

Who Will Win

This is not an easy game to pick, but the early tip time for a West Coast team traveling to an Eastern time zone city is hard to ignore. San Diego State wins this game if it’s played in other NCAA Tournament sites such as Albuquerque or Portland. In Columbus, Ohio, however, take North Carolina State.

College Basketball Betting Pick: North Carolina State

When it comes to locking up seeds for the annual March Madness betting tournament, Championship week is as much about the teams on the bubble locking up their spots as it is the teams at the top locking down the top seeds. With a current top-four that features Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, and North Carolina, there is a ton of talent at the top, with each of those teams deserved of representing a top seed in one of the four regions. Whether or not Championship week changes anything at the top only time will tell, but the bottom line is that right now there really is no need for change as those top teams look to clinch their conference titles.

Kentucky is currently holding down the No. 1 spot, and hasn’t moved from that position since late January, when the No. 2 Orange lost their first game. The Wildcats finished their regular season with 22 straight wins, including a 74-59 victory over the No. 13 Florida Gators in their season finale, sweeping their 16-game SEC schedule. The fact that the SEC may not be as strong as other conferences doesn’t take away from that accomplishment in the least, especially considering that Florida is a top-25 team, and Kentucky won each of the sports bet games between those programs by at least 15 points. The Wildcats also took down both the third-ranked Jayhawks and fourth-ranked Tar Heels before SEC play got underway earlier in the year, and are led by one of the most dangerous and complete players in college ball in freshman Anthony Davis.

With news breaking out of Syracuse that there will be another investigation concerning potential violations, the timing could not be worse for a school that could have a case to be 1-B to Kentucky this year. A tough road loss at Notre Dame was all that kept the Orange from a perfect season, but finishing atop the Big East with a 30-1 record to match the Wildcats isn’t all that bad either. Syracuse will be as dangerous as any other pay per head contender once the tournament gets underway, and it will be interesting to see how the program handles even more controversy.

An overtime win over Missouri down the stretch elevated Kansas to No. 3 as they survived the battle of the Big 12 giants, while UNC is ranked fourth after they knocked off Duke in the second meeting between those ACC rivals. Whether or not those teams meet eachother again in conference tournament play could have an effect on where they are seeded for the national title tournament, but at this point it is safe to say that those spots belong to the Jayhawks and Tar Heels. With potential rematches between Missouri and Kansas as well as North Carolina and Duke, Championship Week cannot be overlooked. The Madness is right around the corner and should be another exciting tournament, but first we will get to see the top Betonline contenders as they try to clinch their respective conference titles.

The Long Beach State 49ers are trying to do something special… no, not just make the NCAA Tournament, but go through a full regular season without losing a conference game.

Long Beach State 49ers @ Cal State Fullerton Titans – Saturday, March 3

Sports betting line: No line

Why Long Beach State Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you must immediately confront the possibility that Long Beach State will achieve something extremely significant in this contest at Titan Gym on the campus of Cal State University at Fullerton.

Mississippi Valley State (Southwestern Athletic Conference) and Kentucky (Southeastern Conference) are two teams in bid-eligible conferences who have not yet lost a league game in 2012. Long Beach State is the third team to claim such a prominent distinction through February 28. The Niners shut down UC Santa Barbara in a Wednesday night tilt last week before cruising past UC Riverside this past Saturday to move to 14-0 in the Big West, four full games ahead of both Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara. This is a team that has been resolute all season long, fueled by the memory of losses in each of the last two Big West Tournament championship games (to UC Santa Barbara). Coach Dan Monson’s team has been on a mission all season long, and its abundance of quick ballhandling guards has confounded opponents for a full two months. Big West foes have also been unable to solve Long Beach’s length at the defensive end of the floor. The 49ers have rangy defenders who make it hard for opposing guards and wings to get into the paint. This is a balanced team that can win defensive grinders or fast-paced 94-foot games. That’s why it hasn’t yet lost a Big West game this season… and doesn’t figure to do so on Saturday.

Why Cal State Fullerton Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Big West Conference know that while Long Beach State is a terrific team, Fullerton has a great chance to pull the upset. This has been a long journey for Long Beach, and just before the finish line, the 49ers could be mentally weary. They know they need to win the Big West Tournament to feel good about their NCAA chances, so this regular-season finale could involve a Long Beach letdown, a bit of a mental vacation before tournament play begins. Fullerton is also a very competent team. The Titans rank in the top 60 in the nation in rebounds per game, the top 40 in assists per game, and in the top 20 in both points and field goal shooting percentage. Long Beach drilled Fullerton in the first meeting between these two schools this season, but that game was on the Niners’ home floor. This game is in Fullerton’s back yard, so the Titans have an excellent chance of dictating tempo and shooting the ball well.

Who Will Win

This is truly not an easy game to pick. Fullerton has a very good shot at an upset. However, Long Beach State has not one, but many great guards. That’s probably the biggest reason why Long Beach State will probably be able to find a way to win this contest, but it’s likely to be decided by fewer than five points.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Long Beach State

Looking back at it now, the No. 3 Missouri Tigers may have been the most underrated team in the country heading in to conference play. With the Baylor Bears absolutely on fire following 17 straight wins to open their season, and the Kansas Jayhawks once again ranking among the top teams despite a couple of tough losses early on to Kentucky and Duke in non-conference play, the Tigers were somewhat overlooked in the Big 12. Fast-forward to the final couple of weeks of conference play and Missouri is now considered one of the pay head favorites to take home the Big 12 title, with just one major obstacle left standing in its way.

Missouri hosted the Kansas State Wildcats on Tuesday night in another tough conference battle, and considering that one of their two losses came on the road against Rodney McGruder and company there was no looking past the purple, even with their biggest game of the year coming up next. That game will be played this Saturday when the Tigers travel to Kansas to face the 10th-ranked Jayhawks in what amounts to a tiebreak for first place in the Big 12. Despite Missouri owning the better sports betting record overall, both teams are tied at 12-2 in conference play, with the Tigers taking the first meeting between these two programs 74-71 at home. Missouri finishes its Big 12 schedule at home against Iowa State and then with a trip to last-place Texas Tech, so the pressure is on for this upcoming battle against Kansas.

Led by senior guard Marcus Denmon, the Tigers rank seventh in the nation in scoring. Denmon is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds, while fellow senior Kim English has helped out on offense with an average of 14.2 points. Missouri is second in field goal percentage with a .503 mark, and one of the biggest per head reasons why they have been so successful from the field is their ability to move the ball around and create for one another. Surprisingly, Kansas has suffered three of its four losses this season at home, so they could very well be vulnerable at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse this Saturday even after a dominant win over Texas Tech.

The final couple of weeks in conference play could be hard to project for college basketball betting experts, as a lot can change before the Madness begins. Missouri is playing basketball at a really high level, and if they can overcome the impact that the crowd in Kansas will make on a game that is considered to be very close, they should have a good chance to come through and win. The Tigers were overlooked this year by many with Baylor and Kansas expected to be the favorites to take home the Big 12 title, but in the end it is Missouri with a perfect opportunity to close out strong and bring home a conference championship.

The Long Beach State 49ers and the Creighton Bluejays can both use a quality win to shore up their NCAA Tournament resumes. They meet each other with a lot on the line this weekend.

Long Beach State 49ers @ Creighton Bluejays – Saturday, February 18

Sports betting line: No line

Why Long Beach State Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, it’s clear that Creighton is headed in the wrong direction. The Bluejays were rolling along at 21-2, cruising to an easy NCAA Tournament berth, but they abruptly lost their last three games, folding the tent this past Saturday in an ugly and embarrassing 89-68 loss to Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State. Creighton coach Greg McDermott openly yelled at son Doug McDermott, the leading scorer on the Jays’ roster, during the Wichita State train wreck. A coach yelling at a player isn’t newsworthy, but there seemed to be an extra degree of anger in the father’s words toward his star player. Creighton is clearly feeling the pressure of the moment and hitting the wall that many college basketball teams encounter in the middle of February.

Long Beach State is not hitting that wall. Coach Dan Monson’s team has separated itself not just from the rest of the Big West Conference, but from much of the realm of Division I basketball, with its body of achievement in league play.

Mississippi Valley State (Southwestern Athletic Conference), Bucknell (Patriot League), and Kentucky (Southeastern Conference) are three teams in bid-eligible conferences who have not yet lost a league game in 2012. Long Beach State is the fourth team to wear such a banner of pride. Yes, while several teams (LIU-Brooklyn, Syracuse, Akron, Murray State, Saint Mary’s, Middle Tennessee, Nevada, UNC-Asheville, Harvard, Weber State, Montana, and Oral Roberts) have lost just one conference game this season, Long Beach State is one of only four to own an unblemished loss column through February 12. The Niners fended off Pacific in a tough Thursday night throwdown before easing past UC Davis on Saturday to move to 12-0 in the Big West, three and a half games ahead of second-place trailers Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara. Long Beach State is peaking while Creighton is slipping. This was always going to be a tough game for the 49ers, but they have to like their chances as game time approaches.

Why Creighton Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Missouri Valley Conference know that Creighton is immersed in a tailspin. Long Beach State is breathing confidence as it heads to Omaha. However, seasons are long and winding affairs. There are usually course corrections, regressions to the mean, and ample plot twists in a 30- to 35-game schedule. Creighton knows that even though it is playing horribly at the moment, it really needs this game to save its NCAA Tournament ticket, a ticket that looked like a sure thing two weeks ago. The Bluejays might not play a picture-perfect game, but they should display the energy and toughness that have been missing in recent weeks. That might be enough to disrupt Long Beach State’s offense and create a close contest that the Jays can capture in the final minutes.

Who Will Win

It’s true that Creighton is playing at home, but Long Beach State has already made road trips to North Carolina and Kansas this season, losing by narrow margins. The visiting 49ers will not be intimidated by the environment in Omaha, Nebraska. That’s probably the biggest reason why Long Beach State will probably be able to find a way to win this contest.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Long Beach State

When it comes to the college basketball betting season, it can be hard to point out the specific points in time that really made the difference at the end of a long season. Based solely on the prospect of making predictions, this Saturday could be one of those weekends where key conference matchups have a huge impact on the overall outcome of the season. A busy Saturday in college basketball will feature a Big 12 showdown between the No. 6 Baylor Bears and No. 4 Missouri Tigers, with a Big Ten showdown between the No. 12 Michigan State Spartans and No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes coming later on in the night. These two matchups represent absolutely crucial points in the seasons of each of the four teams, and the overall outcome of both the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences.

The per head option team with the most on the line of any this Saturday is Baylor, which despite being ranked second in the Big 12 and sixth in the country is in a “must-win” situation when they visit Missouri. The Bears have been one of the surprise contenders in the top-10 this season, but any chance at challenging for a conference title will come down to beating the Tigers in their second meeting of the season. Baylor dropped a 89-88 decision at home the first time these teams met, a loss that came on the heels of a blowout defeat at Kansas, and after losing their first two games against their top competition there is no way they can afford to lose any more. The fact that they play Kansas and Missouri back-to-back again doesn’t help, but that doesn’t mean they have an excuse not to execute. Meanwhile, the Tigers have already beaten both the Bears and Jayhawks and are all alone on top of the Big 12, so another win against a conference rival will go a long way in clinching that title.

Over in the Big Ten, Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes are preparing for their toughest remaining test in the first of two games against the Spartans. Michigan State is just one game behind them in the Big Ten standings, and Ohio State cannot afford to drop this crucial home contest with a trip to the Jack Breslin looming at the beginning of March. Sullinger continues to be a dominant force both in terms of scoring and on the boards, and with another big performance should be able to help keep the Spartans down with the Buckeyes listed as the obvious pay head bookie favorites.

The sites listed on the sportsbook reviews will have the odds for both of these games, and they should both be very entertaining, but just be sure to consider how big of an impact both of these games will have on the Big 12 and Big Ten this season before placing a bet. There is no such thing as a guarantee in college basketball, and when the stakes are the highest, that is usually when the most unpredictable things can happen.

The line of NBA players that have come out of Connecticut and Georgetown read like a who’s who…names like Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and many others. You never know if you’re watching a future great when these two programs get together, and there is usually a lot at stake; in this case, UConn is out to snap a three-game skid where they’ve lost all three by a combined eight points.

UConn Georgetown Odds – Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Huskies (14-6, 4-4 Big East) were knocked out of the rankings by a 50-48 loss to Notre Dame in Hartford, and some think that UConn’s preseason chances were some sort of BetOnline scam, but the defending national champions are just catching some tough breaks. Jeremy Lamb dropped 16 points, while Andre Drummond added 15 points, 11 boards and four blocks for the Huskies, who shot a miserable 3-of-13 from three-point land. Players that work with price per head bookie software should still have a little faith in UConn, who have a lot of top-end talent led by Lamb and Drummond, but the latter hasn’t lived up to the hype bestowed on him as a freshman, although some still think he could be the No.1 pick in the draft should he decide to leave.

The No.14 Hoyas (16-4, 6-3 Big East) fell 72-60 at Pittsburgh, but even though the Panthers are 2-7 in the Big East, they’re a much better team than that record and Georgetown ran into a team that is finally starting to get healthy. Superbowl betting players would tell you that one bad half can kill you in football, and the same holds true for basketball as the Hoyas were outscored 33-22 in the first half. Otto Porter came off the bench with 14 points and six boards, while Hollis Thompson netted 11 points for the Hoyas, who had a -11 deficit on the boards, they shot 7-of-12 at the foul line and allowed Pitt to shoot 52.1% from the floor, which is a recipe for disaster.

Look for Georgetown to be the home favorites in the nation’s capital, and even though the Hoyas are 3-2 SU in their last five meetings at home with UConn, they’re also 1-4 ATS, with the last three going over the posted total. The Huskies need a win to avoid falling further down the pecking order in the Big East, but they need Drummond to dominate the post as UConn is vulnerable down low. He is coming off a solid game against Notre Dame, and he’ll be the difference on Wednesday as the Huskies score a NCAA basketball betting upset on the road.

It didn’t take long for the Syracuse Orange to fall in the college basketball national rankings. Even after opening their season with 20 straight wins, the Orange fell from the top spot down to No. 3 after dropping a 67-58 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at South Bend on Saturday. The fact that the Orange had taken down ranked opponents in Florida and Marquette on the way to setting a new program record with 20 wins to open the season apparently wasn’t significant enough to warrant Syracuse remaining at the top after losing to an unranked conference opponent, but while their perfect season is over the Orange aren’t worried yet. Then again, considering they will five of their final seven sports betting contests against teams that are currently in the top-25, including two away from home, maybe there is reason to believe that Syracuse being dropped all the way to No. 3 is foreshadowing of what is to come.

Taking their spot at No. 1 is the Kentucky Wildcats, which managed to withstand a tough test from an Alabama Crimson Tide team that pushed them to the wire on Saturday night in an eventual 77-71 win. The Wildcats have now won 11 straight games, and more importantly they have already beaten both the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks and No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels this season. Kentucky was the top-ranked team in the country before losing a game at Indiana in mid-December, but with that standing as their only loss to this point it makes sense that the Wildcats are back at No. 1 after capitalizing as the pay head bookies’ favorite through 11-straight. The college basketball betting odds are against Kentucky remaining on top the rest of the way, but with the Orange facing such a tough stretch to close out their Big East schedule, perhaps it is another team that will bump the Wildcats out for top spot.

By keeping pace with Baylor in the Big 12 so far this year, the Missouri Tigers were rewarded with the No. 3 ranking in the latest updates. The Tigers took down the Baylor Bears last week to establish themselves as having the best chance in the conference at knocking off Kansas, with the first of two games between those teams scheduled for next week. Kansas comes in at No. 5 after taking down Baylor themselves, but with three losses already it makes sense that they haven’t moved any higher, even though they are a better team than the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes knocked off No. 8 Indiana on their own floor before blowing away Nebraska, and while they still have a lot to prove with Jared Sullinger leading the way, they may not have the depth for a deep run. There isn’t much in the way of these teams being listed as Betonline underdogs over the next couple of weeks so it is hard to envision a ton of change in the immediate future, but don’t expect this order to hold up long term.

Even NHL fans had to run across the scoreline for North Carolina’s last hoops game, as the Tar Heels were not only beaten at Florida State, but they were utterly embarrassed and it continues a disturbing trend on the road. North Carolina will get a chance to redeem themselves as they head to Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

North Carolina Virginia Tech Odds – Thursday, 9:00 PM ET

The No.8 Tar Heels (15-3, 2-1 ACC) were blasted 90-57 in Tallahassee, and even 5Dimes players had to be surprised at how thoroughly North Carolina was handled by Florida State, especially in a second half where they were outscored 54-29. Harrison Barnes was the high man with 15 points, while Tyler Zeller was next with 14 points and 14 boards for the Tar Heels, who shot a miserable 37.3% from the field (including 4-of-21 from three-point land), they were 9-of-20 at the foul line and the Tar Heels turned the ball over; Kendall Marshall had an uncharacteristic seven, and it was an all-around rough day at the office for a team that many think will win the national champion. Those betting on Super Bowl odds can attest to this as they watched Green Bay get ousted, and North Carolina has to improve away from the “Dean Dome”.

The Hokies (11-6, 0-3 ACC) are still looking for their first win in conference play after a 61-59 loss at Boston College, shooting just 36.2% from the field and posting six assists on their 17 field goals. Victor Davila hit 14 points, while Dorenzo Hudson netted 13 points for the Hokies, who got a pair of poor games from freshmen Dorian Finney-Smith (no points, eight boards, 0-of-4 from the field) and Marquis Rankin (0-of-8, four points, four assists). Players that work with price per head sports odds will tell you that freshmen are a risky wager because they can be inconsistent, and Virginia Tech’s starting frosh definitely struggled on the road.

North Carolina should still be the favorites on the road despite their woes, although they’re just 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five at Virginia Tech, with three of five games going under the posted total. The Tar Heels have now lost in a game that was basically a home affair for UNLV, they lost at Kentucky and then the fiasco at Florida State. They have to prove that they can win away from home and the Tar Heels should have little problem with a Virginia Tech team that doesn’t match up with them anywhere on the floor. It may be close for the first half, but look for North Carolina to pull away and eventually cover the NCAA basketball betting spread.