After watching the Alabama Crimson Tide clinch the BCS Championship with a win over the LSU Tigers on Monday night, there is no doubt which conference is the most dominant in college football. The SEC has dominated the sport at the college level for the better part of the last decade, but while they have flexed their muscle on a consistent basis on the gridiron, the Kentucky Wildcats appear to be all alone at the top of the chart as the conference’s only hope in college basketball. There is not a single conference that has been as dominant on the hard court as the SEC has been on the gridiron, but if we are going to have a sports betting debate about which grouping is the strongest, it makes sense to start with the Big East.

One year after sending more teams to the NCAA national title tournament than any other conference, the Big East looks to be just as strong again this year. Any talk about that group begins and ends with the top-ranked Syracuse Orange, which have somehow managed to overcome all of the controversy surrounding the program in order to open the year with 17 straight wins. Syracuse has executed at both ends of the floor, and even in cases where they have been pushed to the limit this season, the Orange have come through with big wins under Jim Boeheim.

While they may not have the same overall strength and depth that the Orange boast the No. 11 Georgetown Hoyas have managed to keep pace behind Syracuse at the top of the conference. The Hoyas were exposed at their own end of the floor in consecutive losses to West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati, but if they can stop their slide and get back on track as betonline favorites against Saint John’s they should be fine. Consistency and keeping a level outlook will be among the biggest factors in the outcome of Georgetown’s season, and if they are going to have any chance at making this season one to remember they will need to be able to win in tough environments.

While the Mountaineers’ win over the Hoyas exposed their opposition, it also strengthened their outlook in the Big East. West Virginia followed that win up with a tough loss at Connecticut, but that will be part of navigating through such a tough conference. Home games against Rutgers and Marshall should help the Mountaineers get back on track regardless of their status according to the pay head bookies.

Rounding out the contenders from the Big East, one of the most interesting stories has to be Seton Hall, as the Pirates have won three straight since their loss to Syracuse. Seton Hall has the type of underdog feel that can make them serious threats when it counts the most, and unlike last year where the Big East was so dominant during the regular season, this year it seems as though they have teams that are better built for when the college basketball betting madness begins in March, beginning at the top with the Orange.

Even NHL fans know how powerful the Big East is when it comes to the college basketball landscape with five teams in the AP top 25, including four in the top 11. One of those teams is Georgetown, who wasn’t in the preseason rankings, while Marquette has fallen down the list and these two will get it on the nation’s capital on Wednesday night.

Marquette Georgetown Odds – Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

The No.20 Golden Eagles (12-2, 1-0 Big East) bounced back from a disappointing blowout at home to Vanderbilt (another team that has fallen far down the Bet Online ranks) by holding on for an 81-77 win at home over Villanova on New Year’s Day. Darius Johnson-Odom poured in 24 points and grabbed six boards, while Davonte Gardner came off the bench with 13 points, 10 boards and three steals for the Golden Eagles, who forced 16 turnovers on the day. Marquette is one of the best in the country at creating turnovers (22nd in steals), and players that use a price per head service know that will keep you in games, especially in the hard-nosed Big East. After losses at LSU and to Vanderbilt, the Golden Eagles need to get back on track.

The No.9 Hoyas (12-1, 2-0 Big East) have now won 10 in a row after a scrappy 49-40 win over Providence at home on New Year’s Eve, and even though they shot a miserable 30.5% from the field, they held Providence to 25.3%. Jason Clark showed his veteran leadership by stepping up when the rest of the team was struggling, notching 16 points and eight boards, while Henry Sims added 11 points, seven boards and four swats for the Hoyas, who were also added by Providence shooting 11-of-20 from the foul line. A number of players that uses pay head services didn’t have Georgetown in their top 25 at the beginning the season, but the Hoyas have lost only to Kansas (on a neutral court), they beat Memphis and have won at Alabama and Louisville. This is a team to watch in the Big East.

Look for Georgetown to be the home favorites in this contest as they’re 2-1 SU and ATS in their last three in Washington, D.C. against the Golden Eagles, with two games going over the posted total. This will be a matchup of tempo and the Golden Eagles will want to get it up and down the floor, while the Hoyas will want to slow it down and that is where Clark comes into play. The Hoyas also have to win the battle on the boards because Marquette hits the glass as a team, but Georgetown will have enough in the tank to post an NCAA basketball betting victory.

While the college basketball season has just got underway, there may be enough already that we can get a small sample size of what is to come going forward this year. While the North Carolina Tar Heels, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Kentucky Wildcats have all faltered early on, there remains one undefeated team at the top of the national rankings that few would have projected would be there this far in. The Syracuse Orange have opened their season with 13 straight wins, and there is little doubt that they deserve to be the top seed at this time with the NCAA football bowl season already underway.

Faced with their first true road test of the season as they visited the North Carolina State Wolfpack this past Saturday, the Orange rallied as a team to fight through some early adversity before pulling away for another big win by the time that it was over. Head coach Jim Boeheim has to appreciate how well that his team has performed in the midst of the controversy surrounding the program, and while North Carolina State isn’t the toughest test they will face this season, you cannot depreciate a team based on a relatively weak schedule this early on. Winning on the road is something that isn’t easy to do as a couple of other teams in the top-10 have already shown, and Syracuse deserves credit for being at the top of the college basketball betting pyramid.

Perhaps the toughest team behind Syracuse right now is Ohio State, as their loss does have an asterisk beside it considering it came with superstar Jared Sullinger out of the lineup. While the Buckeyes do have other star players in the form of William Buford and Aaron Craft, Sullinger’s presence in the lineup is crucial to the space and time that both of those players need to be successful, which they proved with three straight wins once he returned to the lineup this past week. Unlike in Kentucky where there best player is a freshman, Sullinger has a ton of experience and will not be rattled in high pressure situations. The Wildcats were exactly that when they lost to Indiana last Saturday, and even though they breezed through a relatively weak schedule this week they have not proved that they can stand the pressure of big games and playing on the road. Kentucky will get another tough test when they face the Louisville Cardinals on New Year’s Eve, and if they can handle the pressure of that game then we will back off of our sports betting position that they are not ready to be a top-five team.

The rest of the current top-five in the rankings is rounded out by the North Carolina Tar Heels and Baylor Bears, and while the latter deserves to be there based on their perfect record, we are more impressed with the Tar Heels. North Carolina has a wealth of talent and a strong balance of both veterans and freshman, and after watching them breeze past Texas this past week, they could have the best chance at pushing Syracuse for that No. 1 spot as the favorites according to the pay head bookies.

NCAA football fans will be preoccupied with the bowl season, hoops fans should turn their attention to North Carolina on Wednesday as the Tar Heels get ready to host Texas in a matchup of two teams that can fill the net with anyone in the country. But who will get the final stop?

Texas North Carolina Odds – Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Longhorns (9-2) aren’t among the top teams in the country in terms of Bet Online odds for the national title, but Texas has enough talent to give them all trouble and they’re coming off a 77-65 win at home over Temple, pulling away with a 15-point edge in the second half. J’Covan Brown poured in 23 points, while Myck Kabongo hit 18 points for the Longhorns, who had a massive 46-20 edge on the boards and went 23-of-35 from the foul line, while Temple hit half of their 20 free-throw attempts. This is a Texas team that has been more efficient than recent teams, they are athletic and can be a handful to keep off the glass. Don’t be surprised to see the Longhorns earn some respect among those that use price per head services.

The No.6 Tar Heels (10-2) went to 7-0 at home with a 99-49 romp over Nicholls State, but North Carolina should have won by even more and that may be worrying for the team that is favored to win it all by those who put bookie software to use, and “experts” of the game. Dexter Strickland and James McAdoo had 14 points each for North Carolina, who outrebounded their small opponents 69-33 (including 30-9 on the offensive glass), but they shot just 43.5% from the field and hit 21 of their 41 free-throw attempts. Head coach Roy Williams also wasn’t happy about a lack of defensive intensity and benched his starters for a spell in the second half. If the Tar Heels don’t learn that their offense can’t carry them throughout the season, they’re going to wind up with an embarrassingly early exit in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina should be the favorites at home in this non-conference affair, but Texas has owned this series as of late, going 4-0 SU and ATS against the Tar Heels since 1995, and three of those meetings have taken place since 2004. North Carolina ranks third in the country in points scored, while Texas is ranked 18th, so there will be no shortage of points, but the Tar Heels have to impose themselves defensively on this game, which is something they should be able to do with John Henson and Tyler Zeller inside. We just don’t know if they can do that, which is why North Carolina is a good play for an outright win, but the online betting spread is risky.

Alright so while the Madness of March is still months away, we have to admit that this past weekend in college hoops was a lot of fun, from the brawl between Xavier and Cincinnati, to a couple of top teams getting knocked off at the top of the national rankings, there was no shortage of action and upsets according to the sports betting lines. So let’s take a quick look at where we are right now as we reach the midway mark of the month of December.

As far as Xavier and Cincinnati go, Athletic 10 coordinator of officials Reggie Greenwood has endorsed the way that the referees held the game, even though both coaches have argued that technical fouls for trash-talking could have prevented the fallout from what happened. However, with the animosity that had already built up between these two programs before the game even got underway, there were those that felt that this was an inevitable next step, with one blogger that covers the two teams even projecting that the heated rivalry would ignite to blows with the light of a single match. That match was lit with Xavier leading 76-53 with the time clock ticking down late in the fourth, and the fact of the matter is that it could be seen coming from a mile away. The behavior by the players involved, particularly the one that landed that pathetic cheap shot on the guy trying to break up the fight, was absolutely appalling and should merit suspension. The fact that it has gotten to this level with these players calling themselves “gangsters” is an absolute joke and embarrassment to both programs, and it was refreshing to see the coaches address it the way they did after the game. From the perspective of the pay head bookies, this will change a few things in the outlook for both teams following the suspensions, and the truth is that Xavier and Cincinnati should be avoided if possible based on the fact that it is hard to project how both teams will react.

Meanwhile, there were fans that were shocked this past weekend when both the No. 1 and 2 teams listed at the top of the college basketball betting rankings both lost, with the Kentucky Wildcats dropping its first loss to fall two spots to No. 3, while the Ohio State Buckeyes remained at No. 2 despite a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. While some were surprised, it’s easy to forget that it is still early on in the year, and really anything can happen when you think about how easily the momentum of a game can sway under the right circumstances. Look for both Ohio State and Kentucky to bounce back with big wins in their next games as both should be listed as big favorites, and looking to prove that this past weekend’s loss was simply an aberration as basketball begins to steal the spotlight before going back under the radar this NCAA football bowl season.

It’s no BetOnline scam if you see Florida as an intriguing darkhorse for the NCAA basketball championship, and even though the Gators have two losses, they’ve been on the road against teams that were ranked in the top three when Florida played them. On Wednesday, the Gators will welcome Arizona to town.

Arizona Florida Odds – Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Wildcats (6-2) didn’t play their best game, but they still came away with a win after a 53-39 victory at home over Northern Arizona and Wagerweb reviews of this game would tell you that it was an ugly encounter. Solomon Hill dropped 15 points and added seven boards for the Wildcats, who shot just 42.2% from the field, but they held the Lumberjacks to 37.2% and Northern Arizona were just 2-of-5 from the foul line, while Arizona was 6-of-10. The Wildcats have a different identity this year and those who use bookie software may not know what to think about them now that Derrick Williams is in the NBA, but Hill is a solid forward for the college hoops game. However, Arizona is hitting just 42.5% of their shots.

The No.15 Gators (5-2) fell 72-68 at then-No.3 Syracuse, and you could say that they lost it at the foul line, where they were only 7-of-11, while the Orangemen were 17-of-21. Kenny Boynton poured in 22 points, while Erving Walker hit 17 points for the Gators, who actually shot a better percentage from the floor than Syracuse, a huge achievement against the 2-3 zone, but Florida was outrebounded 34-27 and they committed 20 turnovers to 14 for the Orangemen. Florida has now lost at Ohio State and Syracuse, two extremely tough places to play, and it can only help them in the long run, according to bookies that use price per head companies.

Florida should be favored at home against the Wildcats, who are 1-1 SU and ATS against the Gators, with both games going under the posted total. Florida lost by four points at home in 2001, but they won by a point in Tucson in 2003, so the home team has had troubles in this series. We expect Florida to break that trend on Wednesday night as they have one of the best backcourts in the country in Boynton and Walker, although they will have to deal with Hill in the post, where Arizona has the biggest advantage. But the Wildcats just aren’t as dangerous without Williams and that means the Gators should be able to press the Arizona guards into making mistakes. You should take the Florida Gators to cover in your college basketball betting picks.

When the former No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels fell to the unranked UNLV Rebels on Saturday night, it was labeled a shocking loss for the favorites for obvious reasons. After all, it marked the first time since 2006 that the top-seeded team had lost a game in November, something that few would have projected given the endorsements that coach Roy Williams’ team had been getting leading in to this year. Then there is the fact that UNLV had not gotten nearly the same hype or acclaim heading in to the year as an unranked team, and that for whatever reason the sports betting experts never seem to concentrate on the meaning of games for certain teams in comparison with their opponents.

Considering that the Rebels were playing a game that to them was as much about proving they belonged as it was getting the final result in front of their home fans, while for North Carolina this was a stop in Las Vegas that could easily be full of distractions, it becomes a little easier to figure out what happened along the way. The Tar Heels were that team a year ago when they got the chance to beat the conference rival Duke Blue Devils for the chance to move ahead of them late in the ACC season. But now as the favorites with an absolutely loaded team, they allowed themselves to become the hunted rather than remain hunters. UNLV approached this game as though it was the last they would play this year, while the Tar Heels took it as just another insignificant pay head trip.

While the 5 dimes reviews game was significant in terms of the overall rankings, which pushed UNC back to fifth overall while allowing the Kentucky Wildcats to rise up as the undisputed No. 1. However, the Tar Heels won’t have to wait long for their shot at redemption, as they prepare for a showdown at Kentucky this Saturday that will have major implications on their early season outlook. Unlike their loss to UNLV when UNC was caught as the less focused and less prepared team, the Tar Heels can now regroup and get into the mindset of the hunters rather than the hunted.

With Harrison Barnes and John Henson leading the way, North Carolina has the talent to put up points with the best of them, but they need to play focused basketball to have a chance against the top teams in the nation. The Tar Heels rank third in assists per game and fifth in average points, and if they can work hard down low in their own end they should be able to handle the Kentucky offense. This Saturday’s matchup will be one of the early marquee contests, so it will be important for Williams’ squad to get back to the way they were performing when they swept their first five games, if not better as all NCAA basketball betting eyes will be on the Rupp Arena this weekend.

Fans of the Toronto Raptors might as well get used to watching college hoops as the NBA doesn’t appear to be any closer to a lockout resolution, and one of the teams that Toronto fans should be watching is Syracuse as the Orangemen aim to reach the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech Syracuse Odds – Wednesday, 9:30 PM ET

The Hokies (3-0) got a huge night from Dorenzo Hudson in a 78-63 win over Florida International, and a Bodog review may tell you that they’ll need a similar performance if they want a chance to upset the Orangemen. Hudson poured in 31 points as the Hokies shot 51.9% from the field, and they outrebounded the Golden Panthers 33-23. Dorian Finney-Smith posted 14 points, 10 boards and five assists for the Hokies, who are aiming to get back to the Tournament for the first time since 2007, and only the third time since 1996. Pay per head odds aren’t giving them much of a chance, but a win over the Orangemen would be a huge boost for Virginia Tech, who are a scrappy defensive team.

The No.5 Orangemen (4-0) rolled to a 92-47 dismantling of Colgate, and they didn’t look like a team distracted by recent allegations against assistant Bernie Fine. Dion Waiters came off the bench to score 16 points, while another sub, James Sutherland, added 14 points and four steals for the Orangemen, who shot 49.2% from the field while holding Colgate to 34%. They also went 20-of-30 from the foul line, while Colgate was only 3-of-6 as Syracuse took care of business heading into this game against the Hokies, and they need a performance to show they’ll be a force to reckoned with this season.

Syracuse should be the favored team with your price per head bookie, as they’re 3-0 SU in their three meetings with the Hokies. However, Virginia Tech has covered the spread in all three meetings and any spread over 15 points should be a concern. The Hokies have the defense to give the Orangemen problems, but Syracuse’s matchup 2-3 zone is difficult for anyone to break down and the Hokies may not have the athletes to keep up. Virginia Tech needs Hudson to be at his very best and someone else to step up; that someone could be Finney-Smith. The Hokies also aren’t a great shooting team from the perimeter, and if you can’t hit the outside shot against the zone, you’re in for a very long day. It may be close for a half, but with a homecourt advantage given that the preseason NIT is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, go with Syracuse to cover the NCAA basketball betting spread.

For those that love the game, there really isn’t anything like the college basketball season, a unique blend of emotional highs and lows with the rise and falls of the biggest stars and biggest programs culminating in one final month of absolute madness after which only one team stands champion. The college basketball season kicked off in style this past week with the incredible Carrier Classic on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, a true tribute to everything that is incredible about the patriotism and appreciation for what those that fight for freedom have provided. That atmosphere and presentation will be hard to top as the season gets underway, and as we look ahead to everything that the coming sports betting year will bring for the game.

It seems as though in college basketball there are always a ton of those moments that people will never forget. One of those this season will likely happen this coming weekend, with Duke Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski set to move ahead of the legendary Bobby Knight for the most all-time 5 dimes reviews wins. The two are currently tied at 902, and adding to the atmosphere for the possibility of the historic achievement this weekend will be the presence of Knight at courtside to call Duke’s game against the Michigan State Spartans in the first game of the Champions Classic. There may not be a better setting for coach K to get it done than at Madison Square Gardens, coming off of an ACC championship, and right in front of his former head coach and the man he will pass.

While coach K will undoubtedly be in the coaching spotlight, the Ohio State Buckeyes and North Carolina Tar Heels will get a ton of attention through the first few weeks as potential national champions. The Buckeyes will bring back superstar Jared Sullinger, along with William Buford and Aaron Craft, who are expected to form one of the better trios in the sport this pay head season. Those three are a big reason why the Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in the country to open the season, and some feel that Sullinger alone has the potential to be the type of game-changer that can make the difference. While Ohio State will rely heavily on Sullinger, the Tar Heels will look to the trio of Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, and John Henson. Those three combined for 64 points and almost outscored Ashville on their own in their second win of the season, and while they won’t face many tough tests in the early going, these next two months will be used by Roy Williams to build the chemistry and confidence that a true champion needs.

It is still early on and anything can happen the rest of the way, one of the great things about the college basketball season. Coach K, the Tar Heels, and Buckeyes, are just three things to look forward to in a year that should be full of excitement, and with it looking more and more like there won’t be an NBA 5 dimes review season, at least basketball fans will have something they can rely on.

It’s no Bet Online scam if you read a preview of Friday’s NCAA hoops contest between North Carolina and Michigan State and find out it’s on an aircraft carrier: it really is on the flight deck on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in honor of the military on Veteran’s Day. It is also a rematch of the 2009 national-title game, where the Tar Heels rolled to a championship and they come into this game as the No.1 team in the preseason rankings.

Michigan State North Carolina Odds – Friday, 7:00 PM ET

A Bodog review of last season will show that the Spartans weren’t the powerhouse you usually expect from Tom Izzo’s teams, and they stumbled into the NCAA Tournament where they lost to UCLA in the “second” round (the play-in rounds are now considered the first round). The Spartans may be more inclined to go inside to Draymond Green and Derrick Nix as Kalin Lucas has graduated, but forward Brandon Wood is a highly-touted freshman that gives the Spartans some flash. Keith Appling and Travis Trice will share the point-guard position, but they’re no Lucas and that is going to be the major hurdle. There isn’t much expected of the Spartans this season, and maybe that is a good thing.

The No.1 Tar Heels are the price per head favorites for the national title, and for good reason. All five starters from the team that lost to Kentucky in the Elite Eight are back, including forward Harrison Barnes and guard Kendall Marshall, two sophomores who may go into the lottery (Barnes would have been a lottery pick if he had come out after last year). North Carolina also has John Henson and Tyler Zeller, giving the Tar Heels a huge edge in the post. A group of freshmen gives the team depth, and watch out for P.J. Hairston, who will push Dexter Strickland at the shooting-guard position.

Expect North Carolina to be the pay head favorites in this contest, and they’ve won five in a row over Michigan State, including four straight in the Tournament. It’s going to be a tough hill to climb for the Spartans, who have to play No.6 Duke in their next match, and while Izzo knows it’s going to be a struggle, his team will be better for it. As for Roy Williams and North Carolina, they’re looking to come out and make an early statement on a nationally-televised game on an aircraft carrier. All eyes are on the Tar Heels and they should be able to roll if they play like they did in the second half of last season, especially Marshall and Barnes. Take North Carolina in your sports betting picks.