Are you ready for this?

At one end, we have the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils trying to reclaim their spot on top of college basketball. At the other end, we have the Butler Bulldogs who are looking to conclude their Cinderella run with the national title.

That is what we’re looking at heading to the 2010 NCAA college basketball national championship game between no.1 seed Duke and no.5 seed Butler. After the very exciting roller coaster ride we’ve been through this March, it all comes down to this one game for all the marbles.

As of this writing, the Duke Blue Devils are favored to win by seven points over the Butler Bulldogs. It’s not surprising really as Duke just cruised to a 78-57 win over no.2 seed West Virginia Mountaineers before punching in their ticket for the national championship game. Oh, the Eagles were just 2.5 – point favorites then.

The Blue Devils are in search for their fourth national championship in the history of their program while the Butler Bulldogs are looking for their very first title this Monday night.

And in case you haven’t noticed, yeah, Butler will have the odds stacked against them when they play Duke. Hell, they just barely edged the Michigan State Spartans, 52-50, to get to play for the 2010 national title and on Monday night, things won’t get any easier.

The good thing about all this is, the Bulldogs will get to play for the national title in their hometown in Indianapolis.

”We’ve been talking about the next game all year, and…”

Which of them will fall flat on their faces first?

The 2010 March Madness bracket tournament has been set and the top four No.1 seeds have been announced, that being the Kansas Jayhawks, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Duke Blue Devils and the Syracuse Orange. That being said, basketball aficionados looking to score some major winnings will wait which No.1 seed will falter first since these guys know how big underdogs pay off.

So who’ll get the boot first? Let’s start with the Duke Blue Devils. Among all of the no.1 seeds in this year’s tournament, many people are expecting Duke to have the easiest matchup, well, at least in the first round. Duke has all the materials to go deep in this tournament and since the Tar Heels won’t be playing this March, not many people think otherwise.

Next we have the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas has one of the best defenses in college basketball as they held opponents to 63.8 points, the best average in the Big 12, the very conference the Jayhawks dominated with a 15-1 record before claiming the conference tournament championship for the seventh time. Betting against these guys is pretty much, not a good idea.

We also have the Syracuse Orange. They will slug it out against the Vermont Catamounts in the first round of the 2010 NCAA tourney. Looking back at the history of these two teams, Vermont, champions of the America East Conference, beat Syracuse 60-57 in overtime in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament, a stinging loss the Orange have not forgotten. And if you’re looking for an upset in the first round, this matchup can very well give you one.

Syracuse had finished the 2004-05 regular season at 24-6 and…

Since it’s that obvious anyway.

Arguably the greatest three weeks in sports are upon us with the 2010 March madness bracket tournament tipping off. And of course Bodog will have everything a basketball bettor could ever need.

Yes, it’s that time of year when even the most amateur sports fan becomes an expert in basketball with the men’s NCAA tournament here. From the play-in game through the 2010 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, Bodog will have it all covered with basketball news, odds, contests and more.

That’s right, the road to the Final Four runs through Bodog and you won’t find any gaming site with as many basketball betting options on the NCAA tournament than those guys. They’ve been doing this for 15 years and they should already know what bettors want when it comes to the Big Dance. From odds to news to brackets, you’ll find it all at Bodog.

This year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament appears to be one of the most wide-open tourneys in recent year, and that could be good news for those basketball bettors. While the North Carolina Tar Heels were huge favorites going into last year’s Big Dance and came home with the title, the Heels are not even in the field this year.

The Kansas Jayhawks, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Syracuse Orange and the Duke Blue Devils are your four No.1 seeds in the bracket this year, but none of those four could be considered a lock Final Four team.

Last year’s tournament was very chalk, as for the first time since seeding began, all 12 teams seeded No.3 or better made it to the Sweet 16, and three No.1 seeds reached the Elite Eight for the third straight year.

There are probably about 20 or so teams that have a real shot at…

Which teams will play for a BCS bowl game?

We’ll know soon enough. But right now, we have games for you to bet on for Week 13 of the 2009 NCAA college football season.

First we have the Oklahoma State Cowboys looking for their fourth straight victory as they battle the Oklahoma Sooners. The 12th Cowboys are on a roll with three straight wins, getting a huge lift from quarterback Zac Robinson.

He set an Oklahoma State record last season by completing 65 percent of his passes and still has a shot at achieving that mark again, completing 158 of 249 passes for a .635 completion percentage in 2009. Also stepping up for the Cowboys is running back Keith Toston. Since taking over as Oklahoma State’s featured rusher, the guy has averaged 103.6 yards.

On the other hand, the Oklahoma Sooners will try to rebound from a 41-13 loss against Texas Tech. With the loss, Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3) now has its most losses since going 7-5 in 1999. It was just the fifth victory in 17 meetings for Texas Tech against the Sooners, and the Red Raiders had never won by more than 10 points in the series.

The huge win was a stunning reversal from last season, when the Sooners crushed Texas Tech 65-21 to end the Red Raiders’ national championship hopes. Oklahoma hadn’t lost this badly since falling to Texas 45-12 in 2005.

Expect the Sooners to bounce back against the…

Yeah, it’s still Florida.

As expected, the Florida Gators remain atop the BCS standings after Week 12 of the 2009 NCAA college football season.

The Florida Gators, which had to fight for a 10-point win at South Carolina, remain first with a BCS average of .9833, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at .9521 and the Texas Longhorns at .9261.

The nation’s three remaining unbeaten schools; TCU Horned Frogs, Cincinnati Bearcats and Boise State Broncos, are holding steady at fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

TCU, at no.4, is the highest ranked team that does not secure a BCS berth automatically by virtue of winning its league. This is the highest BCS ranking ever for any team without an automatic bid to any of the big money college bowl games.

There was no change in the top eight teams from Week 11 to Week 12.

Rounding out the BCS top 10 is Georgia Tech at No.7, followed by Louisiana State, Pittsburgh and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The top eight teams ranked in the 2009 BCS rankings in Week 11 did exactly what they needed to do to hold onto their positions as the week played out. Florida went on the road to Columbia S.C. and took care of business by defeating South Carolina.

The Alabama Crimson Tide ventured into hostile territory and manhandled Mississippi State while Texas stepped out of…

That’s this Saturday people.

In what should be the biggest fight of Anthony Rumble Johnson’s career, he’s taking on one of the true bona fide monsters inside the Octagon when he goes up against Josh Koscheck in UFC 106 this Saturday at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And in case you didn’t know, Johnson just got off from his fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida back in UFC 104 a month ago. Is taking on a guy like Josh Koscheck the right way to go?

”I knew it was time for me to step up my game and fight some guys that are straight up, hardcore fighters. Why not? If I want to get to the top I have to fight the best, and he’s one of the best so I’m taking that step,” Anthony Rumble Johnson said.

Johnson knows he has to step it up if he wants a title shot and he knows he has to go through Koscheck first.

Johnson has a professional record of 8-2 with six wins coming by way of knockout. This 25-year-old Georgia native has decided to take this opportunity for a big fight at UFC 106 to show that he is ready to compete with the elite in the welterweight division.

He is an exciting prospect at welterweight. In a fairly talent-rich division, he’s captured the attention of many observers because of his rare blend of size, athleticism and striking ability.

On the other hand, Josh Koscheck gained fame from…

It’s Week 11 and we have Florida trying to extend a nation-best 18-game winning streak.

Yep, it has been that crazy for the Florida Gators this 2009 NCAA college football season. Can they remain on top of the BCS after this weekend? They have the South Carolina Gamecocks next and I have a feeling the Gators will continue pounding on the rest of the field.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will be led by quarterback Stephen Garcia, who has thrown for 2,094 yards, including three 300-yard games. The 6-2, 219-pound sophomore has thrown 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Garcia ranks 10th in the SEC in passing efficiency and yet he squandered chances for signature moments, such as the final offensive snap at Georgia.

Don’t expect these guys to stop the Florida Gators from winning their 19th straight game.

We also have some other games that should prove to be profitable for ya’ll, like this one between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes are looking to improve their current BCS standing, a win over Ohio State will do just that.

The 4th seeded Iowa Hawkeyes will continue to rely on the services of quarterback Ricky Stanzi, despite throwing five interceptions in their last win against Indiana.

Iowa remains fourth in the BCS for the second straight week, their highest ranking in school history. The Hawkeyes are also the highest-rated Big Ten team in the BCS. Iowa is 78-43 in this decade (.644), one of the best winning percentages in school history. The Hawkeyes were 77-40-4 (.652) during the 1980s.

But will you pick them over Ohio State..?

Well, they have to win this weekend first.

Yes, the BCS rankings after Week 8 of the 2009 NCAA college football season was released and Boise State is right there with the Gators and the Crimson Tides of the world.

This could be the year that the Boise State Broncos get the invite to play for the national championship. With their solid play, the Broncos have finally reached the level of respectability only reserved for the likes of Florida and USC. The question now is, can they keep it?

The Boise State Broncos, ranked No.4 in the nation, will look to stay undefeated and keep the respect they have right now as far as ranking them this concerned. They take on the San Jose State Spartans this Saturday.

Boise State, despite being listed fourth in the current BCS rankings, still has a lot to work on as seen in their past two games against UC Davis and Tulsa. Boise State’s struggles? Five of the Broncos’ eight turnovers have come on unforced fumbles, thirteen times the offense has reached the red zone but has not found the end zone, six of those trips the Broncos haven’t scored at all.

On defense, they are as bad as five of the 12 touchdowns they have allowed this season have covered at least 50 yards and since the Broncos haven’t forced a turnover in two straight games, this could be the perfect opportunity for the San Jose State Spartans to steal a win.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, they are also struggling…

Seriously, do you really have to know?

We’re asking you that because the way the Florida Gators have been tearing it up this 2009 NCAA college football season, it’s clear who’ll be staying on top of the food chain until the BCS bowl games of January get here.

Yes, the BCS rankings after Week 8 are out and as expected the Florida Gators are still kings. Tim Tebow and the rest of the Gators are 7-0 and first in the SEC. Florida’s latest victim was Mississippi State, winning 29-19 to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 17.

Breathing down their necks are still the Alabama Crimson Tide. These guys have not allowed a touchdown in eight quarters, ranking fourth overall in defense, allowing just 11.6 points per game. In their last game, they got a huge lift from Terrence Cody as he blocked a 44-yard field-goal attempt on the final play, his second block of the fourth quarter, as ‘Bama escaped with a 12-10 victory over rival Tennessee.

Following at third are the Texas Longhorns with a 7-0 record. The third-ranked Longhorns, with three new starters, began strong, maintained their concentration and cruised to a 41-7 victory to spoil the Tigers’ homecoming in front of a sellout crowd of 71,004 at Faurot Field.

They’ll meet No.15 Oklahoma State in Stillwater next Saturday, a game that probably will decide which team represents the south division in the league championship.

The Boise State Broncos are now ranked at No.4 overall, meaning the Broncos haven’t been…

NBA Basketball Betting Tips

Welcome sports gamblers, sports bookies, handicappers and anyone who just wants to get rid of his or her hard-earned money. Welcome to Basketball Betting 101, this is your professor, Jeffdstuff, and I will teach you everything you need to know about betting in basketball.

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