March Madness betting players everywhere were preparing to rip up their brackets on two separate occasions yesterday, as Memphis and Villanova were almost sportsbook casualities on the first day of the “Big Dance”.

Roburt Sallie? Who? That’s right, a player who averaged 5.4 points during the regular season and never scored more than 13 all year made a name for himself in Memphis’ 81-70 win over Cal.St.-Northridge, scoring 35 points in 36 minutes, including ten from beyond the arc. His shooting was all that kept the Tigers in it, as the first half may have been their worst defensive 20 minutes of the season. The game was pretty much up in the air until Cal State ran out of gas at the end, and the Tigers will need to be much better on Saturday, when they meet Maryland, who upset California on Thursday. March Madness odds have the Tigers as a 9-point favorite, and they’ll cover, but it won’t be easy.

Villanova were down by as many as 14 in the second half against American on Thursday, but a late surge powered them to an 80-67 victory to avoid a huge March Madness betting upset. Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson had 25 each for the Wildcats, who must get a better performance out of Scottie Reynolds. The junior guard was only 2-of-7 for eight points, and more importantly, he had only two assists and four turnovers. The Wildcats are 1.5-point March Madness betting favorites in their Saturday meeting with UCLA, and Darren Collison is one of the top defensive point guards in the country, so Reynolds will have his hands full. Cunningham should have his way inside to power Villanova to a close victory, and they should cover their March Madness odds, but barely.

I wonder if Barack Obama has ever done any March Madness betting? I’d be willing to bet that he has, you know, before this whole political career and being the President-type thing got in the way. But President Obama is still a big fan, and we all know the dude can probably ball better than any leader on the world stage:

Obama filled out a bracket on ESPN.com, and his Final Four includes three No.1s (Louisville, North Carolina and Pittsburgh) and a No.2 (Memphis, who I’m backing to win it all). In the final, the President has the March Madness betting favorites, North Carolina, taking down the top overall seed, Louisville. Surely, he knows that Ty Lawson will miss the first game of the Tournament and may not be 100% at any point. Sportsbook players (and probably Obama as well) are watching the March Madness odds on North Carolina very closely to see if they fall, as they should if Lawson misses the Tournament.

Now, Obama: Get on that BCS playoff.

After getting through the first day of March Madness betting on Thursday, online betting players should be all warmed up and ready to go on Friday. Here’s what you should take in your sportsbook:

No.9 Oklahoma State vs No.8 Tennessee (East, 12:25 PM ET)

The Volunteers are 2-point sportsbook favorites after reaching the SEC tourney final, but Oklahoma State’s high-powered offense will give them a run. Go with Tennessee.

No.11 Utah State vs No.6 Marquette (West, 12:30 PM ET)

The Aggies are 4.5-point underdogs according to March Madness odds, but the Golden Eagles have been terrible since losing Dominic James. Take Utah State in an online betting upset.

No.11 Dayton vs No.6 West Virginia (Midwest, 3:00 PM ET)

The Flyers, who are a 8.5-point underdog, were a sweet Cinderella pick before slipping down the stretch. West Virginia also happens to be playing very well right now, so go with the Mountaineers.

No.12 Arizona vs No.5 Utah (Midwest, 7:10 PM ET)

The Wildcats were just brutal in the homestretch, but March Madness odds are still making this game a PICK. Arizona is really streaky, while the Utes won the Moutain West. The Wildcats also have motivation as they just barely made the Tournament. Take Arizona in another upset.

No.10 USC vs No.7 Boston College (Midwest, 7:20 PM ET)

No knock on the Eagles, who are 2-point underdogs despite being a No.7 seed with wins over UNC, Duke and Florida State, but the Trojans have won five in a row en route to the Pac-10 title. Freshman DeMar DeRozan is coming into his own, and he’ll be the difference in a USC victory.

No.12 Wisconsin vs No.5 Florida State (East, 9:55 PM ET)

The Seminoles are 2.5-point favorites in their first Tournament game since 1998, and in Toney Douglas, they have one of the most explosive scorers in the region. Wisconsin is another team that barely made it in, and the Seminoles will have to much for them. Make Florida State your March Madness betting pick on Friday night.

March Madness betting players, get on your marks. The most wonderful time of the online betting season is finally here, and after a rough go in the conference tournaments, I’m here to try and guide you through the sportsbook Madness. Here are a few of the games to watch out for on Thursday:

No.4 Washington-No.13 Mississippi State (West, 5:00 PM ET)

-State are ride the wave of an unlikely SEC tourney win, but the Huskies should edge them.

No.7 California-No.10 Maryland (West, 2:55 PM ET)

-The Terrapins have one of the best all-around players in the country in junior guard Greivis Vasquez, who will power Maryland to an upset.

No.7 Clemson-No.10 Michigan (South, 7:10 PM ET)

-The Tigers started fast and stumbled late, while the Wolverines pulled it together late in the season. Momentum is huge for online sports betting players, so go with the Wolverines.

No.5 Illinois-No.12 Western Kentucky (South, 9:55 PM ET)

5-12 matchups always cause March Madness betting players some stress during the Tournament, and here is your upset special. The Hilltoppers rolled to the Sweet 16 last year, and have won 11 of their last 12 games.

No.7 Texas-No.10 Minnesota (East, 7:10 PM ET)

The Longhorns and Golden Gophers have been inconsistent all season, but Minnesota’s offense is atrocious. Go with Texas in your March Madness betting picks.

If this is a prelude to my March Madness betting picks, then I’m in trouble. Then again, who knew Syracuse would take UConn to SIX overtimes? The Orangemen were 5.5-point sportsbook underdogs against the Huskies, who had already beaten Syracuse 63-49 at home this year. But in the longest game in the history of the Big East, the Orangemen outlasted the Huskies 127-117 in one of the most enthralling games I’ve ever seen. There are a number of stats that I can throw out there, but here are the most important:

Turnovers – UConn 27…..Syracuse 16

Free-throw percentage – UConn 57.1%…..Syracuse 78.4%

Ask last year’s NCAA finalists from Memphis. Teams who can’t shoot foul shots late in the game usually don’t pan out well on the March Madness betting front. And 27 turnovers? Ouch. If the Huskies want to remain near the top of the March Madness betting pile, they MUST take better care of the ball.

March Madness betting has my head all in the clouds, and I’m so anxious to get to my sportsbook that I don’t know what to do with myself. Here’s a quick run-through of the rest of the tournaments, and I know I went more in-depth with the ACC, but the beginning of the tournaments snuck up on me, so here goes:

Big East: I wanna see UConn-Pitt 3, because I don’t think there’s any way in college basketball betting hell that the Panthers can beat the Huskies three times this season. Problem is, they’ll probably wear themselves out before meeting top-seeded Louisville in the final, where the Cardinals will be victorious and earn an inside track on a No.1 seed.

Pac-10: Online betting odds still favor UCLA, even though Washington won the regular-season title. The Huskies have flown under the radar all season, but look for this tournament to be their coming-out party, especially freshman guard Isaiah Thomas. Don’t sleep on Washington, March Madness betting players.

Big-10: Michigan State. Seriously, bet on anyone else in this tournament, and you’re setting yourself up for a loss. Tom Izzo’s squad got this.

SEC: This will be closer than people think, although LSU has been the league’s best all year. Tennessee, however, has a very good coach in Bruce Pearl, and underachieving Florida can say the same about Billy Donovan. LSU stumbled into the tournament with a pair of losses, so I’m taking the Vols, because they haven’t played up to their potential yet this year.

NEVER underestimate the coaches, folks. They’re pretty much the difference around this time of year when it comes to March Madness betting.

North Carolina have been the March Madness betting favorites all season, and sportsbook odds didn’t panic when the Tar Heels dropped their first two games of the ACC schedule. It’s hard to see past UNC as they go for their third straight conference title after winning the regular-season crown.

The Tar Heels beat their opponents by an average margin of 18.6 points, the best in the nation. Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson steer the country’s best offense, but North Carolina tends to slack off on defense occasionally. They can’t do that anymore, or else there’ll be a massive online betting upset.

They could be in for a semifinal date with Florida State, one of the biggest surprises of the season. Toney Douglas is one of the best scorers in the country, and if he’s hot, the Seminoles can beat anyone in the country. Duke will also be there, where they should meet Wake Forest, led by one of the nation’s most explosive players, Jeff Teague. It will be a highly competitive tournament, and all three of these teams will pose a difficult challenge, but look for North Carolina to continue as the March Madness betting favorite with a win in the ACC Tournament.

If there is a better time of year than March Madness betting time, I’d love to see it. The conference tournaments are up and ready to go, so that will be the running theme of this week’s sportsbook help. First off: The Big East Tournament, sponsored by Rick Pitino’s white suit, which he rocked when Louisville beat Marquette on March 1st.

Most of the Big East online betting attention focused on UConn and Pittsburgh, but lo and behold, Louisville won the regular-season title and claimed the No.1 seed. This means we’re headed for UConn-Pitt 3 in the semifinals, but don’t count out West Virginia or even Notre Dame, who need to win this tournament to reach the “Big Dance”. The Cardinals should reach the final, and they’ve got an easier road than either UConn or Pitt. Villanova should pose the biggest obstacle to Louisville, who will then drop the exhausted winner of UConn-Pitt 3 in Saturday’s final. This should clinch the Cardinals a No.1 seed in the Tournament, which would be a boost to their March Madness betting chances.

March Madness betting has me so excited for the “Big Dance”, I can barely contain myself. There are so many games in my sportsbook this weekend, it’s insane. Saturday, No.1 UConn and No.3 Pitt go at it, and later that night, No.6 Louisville and West Virginia will battle, and the Huskies, Panthers and Cardinals all have a shot at the Big East crown. But the grandaddy of them all comes on Sunday, when No.2 North Carolina and No.7 Duke throw down.

The Tar Heels should be the online betting favorites in this contest, and they’ll be going for a season sweep of the Blue Devils, who can earn a split of the title with a win. The Tar Heels rolled to a 101-87 win at Duke on February 11th, powered by Lawson’s 25 points. Look for more of the same on Sunday, as the Blue Devils don’t have anyone who can keep Lawson from getting in the lane.  Tyler Hansbrough will also have a big game as it’s his last game at the “Dean Dome”. Bet on North Carolina to claim the ACC regular-season title as they head into the conference tournament, and cement their status as the March Madness betting favorites.

If an NBA betting player would have told me that the Miami Heat would be above .500 almost 60 games into the season back before the Beijing Olympics, I would have ordered them to seek therapy.  But that was before I watched Dwayne Wade, finally healthy, absolutely tear apart the competition and help lead the United States to a gold medal as the sportsbook favorites.

Sportsbook odds would have to consider D-Wade as one of the top MVP candidates, along with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. As of March 3, D-Wade is leading the league in scoring with 29.2 points, along with 7.4 assists, 5.0 boards, 2.22 steals and 1.42 blocks, which is phenomenal for a guard. But the big thing is that he has his explosiveness back. When he led the Heat to the title in 2006, Wade got to the hoop any time he wanted (the foul calls are another post), and he also had this when he made many March Madness betting players angry by carrying underdog Marquette to the Final Four in 2003. After battling various injuries from 2006 to 2008, it appears as though the Heat are players again, and they can thank their captain. However, Pat Riley will have to show D-Wade that he’s willing to improve the team before the 2010 sweepstakes, in which Wade will be a major figure. If so, the Heat will automatically become one of the NBA betting favorites.