March Madness betting players have a big weekend lined up as the top 25 will be shaken in Monday’s new rankings. This weekend is headlined by another Big East brawl, a BracketBuster matchup, and the leaders in the Pac-10 who are coming off an upset loss.

Syracuse Georgetown Betting – Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

The No.11 Hoyas should be favored at home in this Big East clash, and they’re 8-7 ATS in the nation’s capital, while the No.17 Orangemen are 4-5 ATS away from the Carrier Dome. These two have split their last four meetings at Georgetown, both SU and ATS, and the Orangemen will be looking to avenge a 64-56 loss at home on February 9^th.

BYU San Diego State Betting – Saturday, 2:00 PM ET

In the biggest game of the weekend, the No.6 Aztecs should be the home favorites against the No.7 Cougars, who are 2-3 SU and ATS in their last five trips to San Diego State, but they’ve won on both counts in the last two seasons. The Cougars are 6-6 ATS on the road, while the Aztecs are 7-6 ATS at home, where they have won 18 consecutive games SU.

Arizona UCLA Betting – Saturday, 4:00 PM ET

The No.10 Wildcats could be underdogs away from home this weekend as they were upset at USC on Thursday, and they don’t have a good record at Pauley Pavilion, going 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five trips to UCLA. The Bruins are 8-9-1 ATS at home, while the Wildcats are 5-4-1 ATS on the road, so don’t expect a large online sports betting line either way.

It’s a big weekend for NCAA basketball betting players as Rivalry Week comes to an end, and here are the three games that should pique your interest.

Ohio State Wisconsin Betting – Saturday, 2:00 PM ET

The top-ranked Buckeyes are undefeated, but they’ll be underdogs on the road against the No.13 Badgers as they’ve never won at the Kohl Center. The Buckeyes haven’t won at Wisconsin since New Years Eve 2000, but they’re 5-3 ATS on the road. However, Wisconsin is 8-3 ATS at home.

Tennessee Florida Betting – Saturday, 6:00 PM ET

The No.17 Gators will be favored at home against the Volunteers, who are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five trips to the O’Dome. Tennessee is 5-3 ATS on the road this season, while Florida is only 3-7 ATS at home, and this will be a close game as Bruce Pearl is one of the best coaches in the country at getting his team ready for a tough game. After losing at Kentucky in his return to the bench, Pearl knows his team needs a win on Saturday.

Pitt Villanova Betting – Saturday, 9:00 PM ET

In the nightcap, the No.9 Wildcats should be home favorites against the No.4 Panthers, who are 2-3 SU in their last five at Villanova, but a solid 3-2 ATS, although they may be without scoring leader Ashton Gibbs. The Panthers are 4-2 ATS away from home, while the Wildcats are 8-5 ATS at home, but anything can happen in the Big East, so be careful where you lay your sports bet

While Super Bowl betting is about to take over, college hoops is about to get exciting as the conference portion of the season starts, and here are a few tips to help you on your way.

Head-To-Head

The head-to-head factor is so important in conference play, as teams usually play each other twice a year. It’s a little more difficult in this era of the “one-and-one” players, but coaches usually stay the same, which means team philosophy usually stays the same (for example, Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense).

Homecourt Advantage

Homecourt advantage means so much in the NCAA, as these aren’t professional players and they can be affected by a crowd. No matter how much a player has played AAU and top-level high-school ball, nothing can prepare them for going into a place like Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, or Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, better known as “The Phog”. This also goes for big rivalry games.

Injuries

This should be a no-brainer, but the games pick up in intensity when it comes to the conference portion of the schedule, because the better your conference record is, the better your chances are at making the NCAA Tournament in March. Therefore, watch out for important injuries. For example, Purdue’s chances took a knock when Robbie Hummel went down for the season, and while Duke is still the best team in the nation, they’d be even better with Kyrie Irving back in the lineup. Check the injury report before heading to your best online sportsbook.

NCAA football betting players don’t have to worry about the one-and-done era permeating their sport as it has on the hardwood, as the top five picks slated to go in next year’s draft are all freshmen.

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina – The much-hyped rookie is still working on his rhythm, but he already has an NBA body and word is he has a great attitude, which is different from most freshmen of his pedigree.

Perry Jones, Baylor – Jones is 6’11″ with the handles of a guard, and as he goes, he’ll learn that he doesn’t have to do it all by himself as Jones has a tendency to try and take on a team on his own.

Kyrie Irving, Duke – Some say Irving has the potential to be the best point guard to come out of Duke, and that is high praise. His aggressiveness is perfect for the Duke system, and unlike most freshmen, Irving makes some good decisions.

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State – Sullinger is the next big man to come out of Columbus, and while he’s not that athletic, Sullinger can pound it in the paint, which wears on opposing defenses and gets them in foul trouble.

Brandon Knight, Kentucky – The next one in the John Calipari School of Points Guards, Knight is more Derrick Rose than John Wall in that he is a very strong guard, and he’s probably a better outside shooter than either Rose or Wall were as freshmen. This bodes very well if you’re going to lay on bet on Kentucky next March.

While you wait for tonight’s games to start, here are your March Madness betting picks for tomorrow night’s games in the Midwest and South regions.

Arizona vs Louisville (Midwest) – 7:07 PM ET

The No.1 Cardinals are 9-point favorites in this contest, and with Arizona’s Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill going up against Louisville’s Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, NBA scouts should be drooling. The No.12 Wildcats won’t be able to keep up with Louisville’s pressure defense for 40 minutes and Williams played out of his mind in the last game. Take Louisville to cover the March Madness betting spread.

Syracuse vs Oklahoma (South) – 7:27 PM ET

The No.2 Sooners are a 1-point favorite against the No.3 Orangemen, who beat Oklahoma in the Elite Eight en route to the ’03 championship. Syracuse’s 2-3 zone will cause problems for Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, but freshman Willie Warren can burn the Orangemen from outside. The Sooners’ supporting cast don’t get a lot of credit, so expect them to come up big as Oklahoma covers the March Madness betting spread.

Kansas vs Michigan State (Midwest) – 9:37 PM ET

The No.3 Jayhawks are a 1.5-point underdog against the No.2 Spartans, who beat Kansas at home in January. These young Jayhawks are much better now, and in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, they have one of the top inside/outside duos in the country. Go with the defending national champs in a March Madness betting upset.

Gonzaga vs North Carolina (South) – 9:57 PM ET

The No.1 Tar Heels are 8.5-point favorites as they try to hold off the No.4 Bulldogs, and this should be a high-scoring game for sportsbook players to take the over on. Ty Lawson should be ready to go for UNC, and when he’s on, there aren’t many teams that can run with the Tar Heels. Bet on North Carolina in this March Madness betting shootout, but they won’t cover.

March Madness betting players know the importance of team play, but most champions have at least one player that can take over a game when they need to. Here is a look at the top stars of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and they should already be familiar to sportsbook players.

C- Cole Aldrich, Kansas

The sophomore put up the first triple-double since Dwayne Wade did it in 2003 for Marquette, as he ripped Dayton for 13 points, 20 boards and 10 blocks in a 17-point romp. Of course, there may have been some motivation for Aldrich, who is from Minnesota, where the Jayhawks played their first two games. Aldrich put up 18.0 points, 16.5 boards and 6.0 blocks over the first weekend, and he’ll be need to be just as good in the Sweet 16, where Kansas will face Michigan State.

F- Terrence Williams, Louisville

Everyone talks about Earl Clark as an NBA player, but it’s Williams who makes the No.1 overall seeds go. Williams had 18.5 points, 12.0 boards and 3.5 assists over the first weekend, and his 24-point, 15-rebound performance against Siena in the second round was brilliant. The Cardinals will meet Arizona next, and if Williams has a big game against the Wildcats’ Chase Budinger, who is being touted as a lottery pick, March Madness betting players will have to look for Williams in the NBA next year.

F- Sam Young/DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh

Rather than waste time picking one, both of Pitt’s forwards deserve a spot here for the struggling Panthers, who barely avoided a pair of March Madness betting upsets. Blair, the Big East co-Player of the Year, was the star in the first round, powering his way to 27 points and 16 boards against East Tennessee State, and then it was Young who lit up Oklahoma State for 32 points in the second round. The Panthers aren’t playing their best ahead of their Sweet 16 matchup with Xavier, but with these two in the lineup (along with point guard Levance Fields), Pitt is never out of a game.

G – Ty Lawson, North Carolina

You saw just how important Lawson, the ACC Player of the Year, who missed a first-round blowout of Radford, is to the March Madness betting favorites, as they struggled to play with LSU in the second round. But Lawson shook off the pain in his jammed toe and scored 21 of his 23 points after halftime, and the Tar Heels cruised to a 14-point win. When Lawson is in the lineup, the Tar Heels play more freely, and it’s doubtful that anyone can stop that offense if he’s even close to full strength. With Gonzaga looming in the Sweet 16, the Tar Heels need Lawson as much as any team needs an individual player.

G- A.J. Price, Connecticut

The Huskies were the dominant team of the first weekend, beating Chattanooga and Texas A&M by an average of 41 points. Price is trying to make up for lost time, as he was injured early in last year’s first-round loss to San Diego, which many people say was the reason UConn was bounced. Price has put up 24.5 points and 5.5 assists over the first two games, and he’s had to assume an even bigger role since Jerome Dyson went down in February. UConn will face a tough Purdue defense in the Sweet 16, but having a healthy and motivated Price is a huge boost to the Huskies’ March Madness betting chances.

Well, what a first March Madness betting weekend….my pick to win is still in it (Memphis), while my pick to bow out early (Duke) ruined a perfect online betting day on Saturday. Here is a look at the top team over the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, as well as the biggest disappointment.

UConn had no problems with Chattanooga in a 103-47 romp, outrebounding the No.16 seed 57-33 as three of their players scored 20 points or more. Then the Huskies shot 57.9% and outrebounded Texas A&M 36-22 in a 92-66 thumping on Saturday. UConn covered the March Madness betting spreads easily, dominating their opponents on both ends of the floor, but the road will get tougher in the Sweet 16, where they’ll meet a tough Purdue team, and March Madness odds are giving the Huskies a 6.5-point spread in this contest.

Pittsburgh has been known as one of the great underachievers among March Madness betting players, and they proved why in wins over East Tennessee State and Oklahoma State. The Panthers had a 20.5-point line against ETSU, and had to overcome 18 turnovers to win by 10, then they just missed the 8.5-point spread against the Cowboys, winning by eight points. Next up is Xavier, and the Huskies are favored by seven points according to sportsbook odds, but they’ll have their hands full with the Muskateers, who are just as physical as the Panthers and have a great Tournament pedigree, so don’t be surprised by a March Madness betting upset.

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.

Just when you thought you couldn’t get any more March Madness betting….think again. The NIT is going on right now, and there will surely be a couple teams to watch for who were bitter about not getting an invite to the “Big Dance”.

All eyes will be on Davidson and Stephon Curry in one of the brackets, and it’s a bit strange not to see the sharpshooting guard in the NCAA, where he and the Wildcats made their name last year. Not only that, but they’re a No.6 seed? I’m not entirely sure how the NIT seeding process works, but surely Davidson is better than Illinois State? Davidson pips No.2 Saint Mary’s in this bracket.

No.3 Baylor and No.6 Georgetown should battle it out in their bracket, but No.2 Virginia Tech also had a solid season in the ACC. The Hokies’ double-overtime thriller over Duquesne could be the spark needed to push them through.

No.2 Notre Dame and No.4 Kentucky should be the favorites in their region, and on paper, the Fighting Irish should walk, but they fell in love with the three-point shot this year and decided to stop playing defense, which led to their March Madness odds plummeting like the NASDAQ. Barring an upset, Kentucky should go through.

No.1 Florida should be the only one of the top seeds to make it to the NIT’s Final Four, but they’ll have to go through rival and No.4 seed Miami to do so. Billy Donovan could be the best coach in the field, which is a huge sportsbook boost for the Gators.

So it should be Davidson, Virginia Tech, Kentucky and Florida at Madison Square Garden at the end of March, and while they could be disappointed about being left out of the March Madness betting action, this would still be a solid Final Four to watch. Look for a Florida-Kentucky final, providing the brackets work out.

And now, back to my March Madness betting dance card….

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.