March Madness betting is here! Selection Sunday has passed and, while for the next few days we’ll be discussing who got in and who didn’t, soon our attention will finally turn to the games tournament itself. Louisville, Pittsburgh, UConn and North Carolina each earned No. 1 seeds, with Louisville getting the biggest “home court” advantage. The Cardinals play in the Midwest region, which is within driving distance for their fans, a luxury the other schools won’t enjoy. Keep that in mind when you’re choosing March Madness odds, because it could give Louisville a big boost.

North Carolina still leads the way in terms of odds. Here’s how it breaks down for the top five teams:

North Carolina: 2-1
Pitt: 4-1
Louisville: 9-2
Connecticut: 5-1
Memphis: 10-1

The action gets underway on Thursday at 12:20 p.m. ET, when No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Butler square off. That game will be followed by 15 more, making for an incredible basketball blowout. If you can’t wait until Thursday, you can always catch the play-in game between Morehead State and Alabama State, which takes place Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Yes, there are actually sporting events happening other than March Madness right now. In NBA betting, Dwight Howard had an absolute monster game for the Magic on Sunday, posting 28 points and 20 rebounds. It carried Orlando to a 105-87 win over the Jazz and was Howard’s 21^st game with 20 or more points and rebounds since 2004-2005, the most in the NBA (Kevin Garnett is second with eight).

Speaking of Garnett, he was out of action again this weekend because of injury. Boston dropped an 86-77 decision to the pitiful Milwaukee bucks, and it was the Celtics’ third loss in their past four games. Boston turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.

Of course, you can’t mention the NBA without LeBron James. He chipped in 19 points in a 98-93 victory over the Knicks. Not only did it improve Cleveland to 29-1 at home, but it clinched the Central Division for the Cavaliers. LeBron also added 10 assists and eight boards.

In World Baseball Classic betting, the Netherlands‘ magical run finally came to an end, as the Dutch fell 9-3 to Team USA.  Jimmy Rollins led the way for the Americans, hitting a homer, triple, and driving in four runs. Starter Roy Oswalt pitched four scoreless innings. The Americans are one loss away from elimination, and they’ll face either Puerto Rico or Venezuela on Tuesday night, with lefty Ted Lilly expected to go to the mound. Expect some tight sportsbook odds in that one.

Get all the March Madness betting winners at OffshoreInsiders.com   

The NIT brackets are out and OffshoreInsiders.com presents betting previews for the NIT Tournament. The college basketball odds are updated live. All records are against the spread unless spread records are specified.

Davidson-South Carolina

The Wildcats are 54-20-3 off ATS loss and a very impressive 42-18 on the road versus teams with home winning percentage of .600 or better. They enter though on a 1-6-1 overall skid.

The Gamecocks are 8-20 at home versus an opponent with a winning road record. They are 6-0 off a double digit home loss.

Rhode Island-Niagara

The Rams are 13-4 in nonconference games, while the Purple Eagles are 38-17 under the same circumstances.

Morehead State-Alabama State

This is of course the NCAA Tournament play-in game. The Eagles of Morehead are 16-5 against teams with a winning record but yet 5-25-4 in nonconference action. Alabama State enters on a 6-1 streak.

George Mason-Penn State

The Patriots are 1-6 overall their last seven. The Nittany Lions are 9-3 off an straight up loss.

Northeastern-Wyoming

The Cowboys have covered 8-of-10 at home.

UAB-Notre Dame

Notre Dame is 3-11 against teams with a winning record.

UNLV-Kentucky

UNLV 8-1 off double digit home loss but are on an 0-6 skid entering the NIT.

Weber State-San Diego State

Weber State is 8-0 road versus teams with a winning home record and they are 7-0 off a ATS loss.

Nebraska-New Mexico

The Cornhuskers are 12-26 on the road.

UTEP-Nevada

UTEP is 9-2 in the WAC. Nevada is 8-20 opponent winning percentage of .600 or greater. The Wolf Pack are 3-13 at home versus opponent with a losing road record.

Washington State-St. Mary’s

The Gaels are 7-2 off an ATS loss. All the winning March Madness picks and predictions against the spread for the 2009 NIT Tournament, CBI, and College Insider Tournament will be at OffshoreInsiders.com   

The 2009 NIT brackets have been announced and the Vegas odds will be up shortly. Auburn and Florida headline the top seeds.  The big March Madness betting line though is up for the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. To get NCAA Tournament tickets, FatHeads or team gear check out the Guy Store.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Rockets look to blast past the Hornets, the Caps meet the Thrashers, and college hoops fans start filling out brackets.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

Both the Rockets and the Hornets will be looking to get back into the win column on Monday night when the two teams meet in New Orleans in one of five games on the NBA schedule. Houston was upended 88-85 by the Spurs on Saturday despite a 21-point performance from Ron Artest. New Orleans was blasted 97-79 by the Bulls on Saturday, with Chris Paul leading the team’s attack with 29 points.

Also on the NBA‘s schedule for Monday: Toronto at Charlotte, Portland at Memphis, New Jersey at Denver, and San Antonio at Oklahoma City. The Spurs got 28 points and eight assists from Tony Parker in that win over the rival Rockets, and they beat the Thunder 109-104 at home in their first-ever meeting in December. The Thunder fell 106-95 to the Suns in their game Saturday night.

Monday sports picks

No need to wait until the NIT Tournament picks and predictions or even Big Dance betting odds as there are several big sports picks for Monday. On a 22-4 run with NBA totals, Kongpop Sukhibomrong, head of the famed Pan-Asian Syndicate which dominated Asian and European soccer for years has now taken over the North American sports scene. Pop’s syndicate is the most requested source of winners in the history of the SuperLockLine and MasterLockLine. Today get three NBA totals

Sports service out of New York is No. 9 this year in the NBA and No. 11 all-time. (Stats are out of 620 services and syndicates monitored, rankings based on total net units won based on one-unit per play). They go for their sixth straight NBA Game of the Year winner tonight on Portland/Memphis. Click now to purchase sports betting picks from the top sports services or you can get more information and a free sports pick

The march toward Madness . . .

College hoops gets a night off on Monday before action resumes again on Tuesday with the Play-In Game between Alabama State and Morehead State. The field for this year’s Big Dance was announced on Sunday night’s Selection Show, with Louisville, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Connecticut earning the top seeds for the tournament. Those teams will see their first tournament action on Thursday and Friday when March Madness finally gets underway in earnest.

There are actually three other postseason tournaments vying for your attention this year, most notably the Postseason NIT which will stage first-round matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday and eventually wrap up at Madison Square Garden on April 2. As well, there’s the College Basketball Invitational, which also has first-round games Tuesday and Wednesday and concludes March 30-April 3 with a  three-game Championship Series. Finally, there’s the new CollegeInsider.com tourney, with games starting Tuesday/Wednesday and a championship March 31.

Sharp players will check out ScoresOddsPicks.com for exclusive and free sports handicapping databases for March Madness picks and predictions.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Capitals will be gunning for their fourth straight victory on Monday night when they play on the road in Atlanta in one of just two games on the National Hockey League schedule. Washington made it three straight wins on Saturday, holding off the Hurricanes for a 5-4 victory. The Thrashers have been red hot as well; they knocked off the Sabres 4-3 on Saturday for their fifth consecutive win.

The other game on the slate will take place on the west coast, with the Kings playing host to the Predators. Los Angeles fell 2-1 to the Sharks in a shootout on Saturday, with Erik Ersberg stopping 38 of 39 San Jose shots on the night. Nashville is coming off a 2-0 win over the Coyotes on Saturday night, as Pekka Rinne stopped all 18 shots he faced and J.P. Dumont had the game-winning goal.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The World Baseball Classic continues on Monday with a game between Venezuela and Puerto Rico at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Venezuelans toppled the Cinderella team from the Netherlands 3-1 on Saturday, while the Puerto Ricans blasted the United States 11-1 in their first game of the second round. The winner of that Monday matchup advances to Wednesday’s pool final. The other WBC game on Monday will take place at San Diego‘s PETCO Park, and will be an elimination game between the losers of the late Sunday contests.

The world’s top March Madness picks and predictions site OffshoreInsiders.com presents a look at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament from the standpoint of beating the bookmakers.

All quoted records are against the spread unless over/under records are specified. For the latest Big Dance Vegas odds and betting line check out the college basketball odds.

Radford-North Carolina

North Carolina is 26-6 off an straight up loss and 40-18 in nonconference games. They are 0-7 against teams with a winning record.

USC-Boston College

USC is 5-0 overall. Boston College is 22-8 on neutral courts and they’ve covered five straight NCAA Tournament games.

Butler-LSU

Butler is 37-15 in nonconference games. The Tigers are 5-0 off a double digit home loss, but 1-7 on neutral courts.

Michigan-Clemson

Michigan is 3-7 their last 10 on neutral courts.

Morgan State-Oklahoma

Morgan State is 3-9 nonconference games. Oklahoma is 0-5 against teams with a winning record.

Akron-Gonzaga

Gonzaga is 2-6 in the NCAA Tournament.

Western Kentucky-Illinois

The Hilltoppers are 16-5 on neutral courts and 40-17 their last 57 nonconference games according to the sportsbooks. Illinois

Binghamton-Duke

The Blue Devils have dropped four straight Big Dance games.

Minnesota-Texas

The Golden Gophers come in on a 4-11 slump. Texas is 3-7 against teams with a winning record.

Cal State Northridge-Memphis

Memphis is 11-2 their last 13 against teams with a winning record. The Matadors are 7-2 off straight up win.

Maryland-California

California 1-5 overall run.

Mississippi State-Washington

Mississippi State is 6-0 overall. Washington is 7-0 off a loss.

Northern Iowa-Purdue

Northern Iowa is 7-2 to the Big 10 yet 2-10 their last 12 nonconference overall. Purdue is 0-6 to the Missouri Valley.

Texas A&M-BYU

Texas A&M is 10-1 off a ATS loss and 46-22 opponent winning percentage of .600 or greater. BYU 1-6 off ATS loss.

Chattanooga-Connecticut

Connecticut has dropped seven straight NCAA Tournament games.

Robert Morris-Michigan State

The Spartans are 9-0 off straight up loss.

For March Madness 2009 picks, predictions and spread winners, it’s always OffshoreInsiders.com   

President Barack Obama has announced a stimulus plan for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Under the proposal, the most successful teams will have wins removed from them and redistributed to the most inept squads.

At a rally to promote his plan, Obama told a citizen merely identified as “Joe the Face Painter” that the successful teams must “share the victories.”

The 2009 Big Dance brackets see Yeshiva College as the top seed in the Eastern Regional. The Reverend Jesse Jackson immediately demanded a boycott of all Yeshiva games noting that the school has no black rabbis on their staff.

The surprising top seed in the Western Regional is Trinity Washington University. When conservative commentator Laura Ingraham pointed out that Trinity Washington does not even have a men’s basketball team and that they may have been given top seed because it’s the alma mater of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Joe Biden was quick to respond.

Biden retorted, “When the stock market crashed, I recall President Franklin Pierce going on ESPN and reassuring America that their bracket office pools would get a New Deal.”

Obama also announced creation of the Gerrymandered grouping, the “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Pacific Ocean Region” in which Sacramento State was given top seed. When posed as to why the Hornets are going to the Big Dance with a 2-27 record, Obama commented that head coach Brian Katz should not be help accountable for the fact the team has only deteriorated under his leadership because the program he inherited had problems “wrapped in a big red bow when he got there”.

Hence Sacramento State will be granted a free pass for four years and possibly eight if the New York Times plan succeeds. Wright State was given the top seed in the Midwest because Obama likes the name.

In a related note, President Obama’s choice for Selection Committee Chair, Dave Bliss has come under fire. Apparently unknown to the White House vetting committee is the fact that Bliss was fired as Baylor head coach when he tried to cover up circumstances surrounding the death of player Patrick Dennehy. Selection Sunday Spokesperson Jim Harrick called it “a minor transgression” and blamed the controversy on Rush Limbaugh.

This year’s NCAA Tournament will be broadcast exclusively by MSNBC with radio play-by-play being handled by Air America.

Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews will handle objective commentary on television while Arianna Huffington of the Huff and Puffington Post does the radio chores.