Online Belmont betting players will be going over the field of thoroughbreds for the final jewel in the Triple Crown on Saturday, but in the upcoming NCAA hoops season, it looks like North Carolina is the team with the leading thoroughbreds. The Tar Heels were boosted when their big trio decided to come back to school, and that should make North Carolina the team the beat for the 2011-12 campaign.

Harrison Barnes would have likely been a top-five pick if he decided to jump ship after his freshman season, but the talented forward led the charge to return to Chapel Hill, and he was followed by big men Tyler Zeller and John Henson, who were both flirting with the idea of leaving school. These three will be joined by Kendall Marshall, who really sparked the team when Larry Drew II left abruptly, and he made North Carolina a more efficient team. Coach Roy Williams will also have some depth as eight of his top 10 players are back from last season, and you shouldn’t even count Drew as he left after 21 games.

Kentucky, who beat the Tar Heels in the Elite Eight, is slated to be a threat for the NCAA title, along with Ohio State, Louisville, and of course North Carolina’s bitter rivals from down the road, Duke. But top to bottom, the Tar Heels may have the best combination of skill and experience in the country, and they’re going to be a popular pick at most sports betting sites.

Underachieving: Harrison Barnes, Forward, North Carolina

Things have not gone as planned for Harrison Barnes. The 6’8 freshman out of Indiana was tabbed to be North Carolina’s next great player, following in a long line that includes names like Worthy, Carter, Hansborough and Jordan. Coach Roy Williams gushed about the young man’s athleticism, his astounding skill, his attention to detail. Barnes was slotted at the top of every NBA mock draft for 2011, and surprisingly, was named a preseason All-American – as a freshman. Well, 12 games into the season and Barnes looks nothing like the next Dr. J. The forward is averaging just over 12 points per game, not 20, is shooting a ghastly %36 from the field averages as many turnovers as he does assists. The Heels have stumbled as a whole, falling out of their top 25 ranking in the NCAA basketball standings with an 8-4 record. In losses against Minnesota, Vanderbilit and Illinois, Barnes shot a horrendous 6 of 33 before finally hitting %50 in a 16 point effort against Texas in a loss last Saturday. For many, Barnes’ underachievement is confounding, but when you watch the frosh play, it is easy to see why he has struggled. Barnes often forces his own shot, which is difficult for a player with limited ball handling ability. If Barnes limited his dribbles and allowed the game to come to him instead, he would find himself in position for easy scores on a regular basis. Being unable to create space for himself, Barnes often goes up awkwardly in traffic or with a hand in his face on the perimeter. Especially troubling is Barnes’ proclivity for shooting the three, which he only converts at a %28 clip. Barnes has taken no less than three three-pointers in every game this season, which proves that he isn’t learning much. If Williams and the Heels have any chance of salvaging the season, they will need Barnes to ignore the hype that surrounded his arrival in Chapel Hill and start putting in the work that made the Tar Heels greats truly successful.

Overachieving: Kemba Walker, Guard, Connecticut

It’s hard to claim Walker as an overachiever, considering he was a highly touted recruit coming in three years ago and has played well in his Husky career. Still, no one expected Walker and Connecticut as a team to be ranked in the top 10 and be undefeated thus far in theNCAA basketball schedule . The 6’1 guard currently leads the nation in scoring at 26.5 per game and while he has slowed down from his 30 and 40 point outings earlier in the season, he shows no signs of letting up on the opposition. Walker added a spark as a freshman, playing as the team’s third guard behind A.J. Price and Jerome Dyson. Now, Walker is the centerpiece; the focal point of the offense and the team’s leader. The Bronx-born guard has brilliant speed and handle, which allows him to penetrate at will, getting to the line and creating open shots for his teammates. In addition to this, Walker has vastly improved his jump shot and is now shooting over %50 from the floor and %42 from the three-point line. Flanked mostly by underclassmen, Walker has been given the keys by Coach Jim Calhoun and he has responded in leading the Huskies to a 10-0 record to start the year. Walker’s electric scoring ability and his energetic presence have Connecticut ready for Big East Conference battles in the winter and a deep run in the tournament in March.

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.

So I wrote last week that North Carolina’s loss to Boston College to open up the ACC portion of their schedule was no reason to get up in arms. The Tar Heels followed with a 38-point beating of Charleston College, which figured to give them momentum heading into their meeting with then-No.4 Wake Forest.

Needless to say, it didn’t work out so well. The Tar Heels fell by 3, but it’s not quite panic time yet for you Tar Heel fans. Sportsbook odds still give North Carolina a big betting edge to win the national championship at -150, as they don’t even need to win the ACC. They just need to get to the Tournament, and NO ONE will want to face North Carolina. I have a feeling that the scene of Wake Forest fans storming the court will be incentive enough to send the Tar Heels on a big run through the ACC.

The sports world was stunned when No.1 North Carolina fell in their ACC opener on Sunday, losing 85-78 at home to Boston College. Now, this does nothing to hurt the Tar Heels’ NCAA basketball betting odds for the title, or even their chances at the ACC title. All this has done is remove the pressure of trying to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana squad to go through the season without losing. Ask last year’s New England team about the pressure of an undefeated season, and you’ll get this reaction:

This Carolina team is far too good to lose many more games this season, and with “Pyscho T” at the helm, you can bet that the Heels will not lack for focus.

Man, the beating that the College of Charleston will take when they head to Carolina on Wednesday could be epic.