The big online betting news out of the NBA this weekend was Hedo Turkoglu’s change of heart. Sources had him all but gone to Portland as of Friday, but over the weekend, Turkey-doo (shout out to Fiyastarter) reneged and signed with Toronto, of all teams, for over $10 mil a season.

So how does this impact the NBA landscape? Well, first of all, the Raptors getting Turkey-doo is similar to Frank Mir pulling out the UFC betting upset over Brock Lesnar this weekend. The Raptors were awful last year, but a lot of that was due to injury, and they needed a player who could create for himself and his teammates off the dribble. However, you have to wonder how smart it is to give a 30-year-old a five year contract when his best days are surely behind him. On the defensive end, he doesn’t help the Raptors that much, but they play in the low-scoring East. Turkey-doo also said he wanted to play in Toronto because of the Turkish population, and that could rise the price per head of tickets at the ACC.

All in all, though, this was done to show Chris Bosh that the Raptors are serious about being a contender, as he can leave in next year’s free-agent bonanza. How much of a difference can Turkey-doo make for the Raptors to those who make sports picks? Stay tuned.

Before we get to Final Four betting, here’s a look back at what happened during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Poor Pitt….they left the Tournament without ever playing their best game. However, Sam Young probably played himself into the NBA lottery, and DeJuan Blair will probably give it a shot as well, seeing as how he’ll be a marked man without Young and Levance Fields around.

UConn’s been the team of the Tournament thus far, and never panicked when Missouri pushed them. Even with all the off-court stuff going on, the Huskies will be one of the Final Four betting favorites.

North Carolina showed they could play defense in their win over Oklahoma, but Tyler Hansbrough hasn’t done his draft stock any favors in this Tournament. Still, the Tar Heels have to be considered the Final Four betting favorites this weekend.

Cheers to Michigan State, who’ll be playing UConn in what will be a glorified home game, with the Final Four being held in Detroit. Their tough defense paved the way to Detroit, and this team of Spartans will be looking for a Final Four betting upset against the powerful Huskies.

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.

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.

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.

UFC 96 betting and NBA betting players will see a common theme in a pair of sportsbook matchups coming up. On Saturday, “Rampage” Jackson looks to continue his road of redemption after a crazy couple of years (winning titles, then losing them, then getting arrested and sent to a mental hospital) when he takes on Keith Jardine. Tonight, Dallas will try to do the same when they head to New Orleans to face the Hornets. On Monday, the Mavericks were beaten handily by an Oklahoma team that didn’t have Kevin Durant or Jeff Green in the lineup. Owner Mark Cuban promised changes after watching that game, saying his team had no passion or emotion. Well, they rebounded for a tough win over San Antonio, and they were inspired by their best players, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, as well as a great game from the inconsistent Josh Howard.

The Mavericks should be online betting underdogs in this contest, given that they’ve lost to the Hornets at home this season, and New Orleans beat Dallas 4-2 in the playoffs last season. While the Mavericks should come up short tonight, if they show some heart, that will be a big improvement from some of their recent outings.