Oh yes, it’s this Thursday.

The 2010 NBA Draft is this Thursday and the great amount of talent and depth this year could make the NBA Draft surprising and unpredictable.

We all know John Wall SHOULD go no.1 overall. After he gets drafted, everybody else can either go no.2. On that note, here are just some of the bright young talents out there who can make an impact for any NBA team once the season gets going again.

First we have Evan Turner, a 6-7 junior swingman from Ohio State. The scout who is skeptical of Wall believes Turner should be ranked as his peer. “Wall and Turner are Nos. 1 and 1a. Turner is going to be an All-Star. I have great faith in that. His size, his approach, his style of game — all are suited to the pros.”

“You can see he’s a guy who enjoys playing,” the scout continued. “His ability to improve his shooting will control his greatness. He’s like Oscar Robertson. He can have that type of impact. Oscar wasn’t a guy people worried about when he went behind the pick and launched the bomb — you almost preferred him to do that — and that’s how it is with Turner.”

Next we have Wesley Johnson, the 6-7 junior forward from Syracuse. “Wesley Johnson has been the surprise of the year,” one scout said. “He has a lot going for him — size, skills — and he’s the reason behind Syracuse’s 18-1 season. He has the potential to be very special, and I’m told he has a good basketball mind. At the end of the day, he can be a 20-point scorer, a good rebounder and a passer.”

“He’s probably the best athlete in the draft,” a team executive…

And as far as looking ahead is concerned, we have one college standout looking forward to build his legacy and someday play for the NBA championship.

In case you didn’t know, the 2010 NBA Draft is just around the corner and we have this one guy who can very well be the overall no.1 draft pick and make an impact for any team in the league desperate for a lift.

The guy we’re referring to is John Wall, 6-4 freshman point guard from Kentucky. Three of the scouts thinks the world of Wall. “The only true star I’ve seen,” said the No. 2 executive of an NBA team. “I thought he was very special when I saw him in person and the way he took command of the game. I didn’t expect anything like that. He’s a better version of Derrick Rose because his hands are so quick.”

Another second-in-command NBA executive agrees that Wall could be superior to Derrick Rose. “He’s a better shooter than Rose, a better defender than Rose. He doesn’t quite have that strength and body that Rose had, but give him a couple of years and he might even be quicker and faster than Rose.

He has such unbelievable speed and quickness and length and intensity at both ends of the floor. Let me say he’s far from being a perfect player and he has a lot to learn, but he’s one of those guys who will be better served to play in the NBA than in college, because the open floor space and the way the NBA is designed will suit him better.

“He has to improve his shot, but he has the makings of a floor general: tough, aggressive, willing to put his neck out and be a leader. He is far from being organized and establishing a rhythm on the court, but he looks like he will be able to do that eventually. At the very worst case, he should become a starting point guard on a top team.”

The same scout adds that Wall may define himself most at…

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…

Heeere we go.

An intriguing game in the 2010 March Madness bracket tournament will be played on Thursday as 11^th seed Washington faces 6^th seed Marquette. This is the third straight year Marquette has been a number six seed in the NCAA tournament. Two years ago they beat 11^th seed Kentucky in the first round before losing to third-seeded Stanford in overtime in the second round. Last year, Marquette beat 11^th seed Utah State and lost to third-seeded Missouri in the second round. It is the fifth straight year the Eagles have made the tournament.

The Marquette Golden Eagles are 2-point favorites at SBG Global.

Not much was expected of Marquette this season since they lost three starters, but the Eagles really came together late in the season, winning 11 of their last 14 games. The Eagles don’t have much of a bench so the starters are a big key. Marquette had some nice wins this year over Villanova, Georgetown and Xavier so they are capable of making a little run in the NCAA tournament.

Lazar Hayward is their big scorer. He was named second team All-Big East this season. Marquette is a good shooting team, especially from long range. The Eagles averaged 72.9 points per game this season while they allowed 64.2 points per game.

The Washington Huskies, on the other hand, had what could be considered a disappointing regular season but they made up for it by winning the Pac-10 Tournament. Washington has some players who can make an impact including Quincy Pondexter who leads the team in scoring.

Marquette and Washington have met twice in history but it was a long time ago. Marquette won 75-74 in 1966 and 71-63 in 1978.

The Huskies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall but…

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…

You ready?

As we move deep into the month of March, we inch ever closer to the 2010 March Madness bracket tournament and the madness that ensues each and every spring in college basketball. With just one week remaining in conference play, the right to automatic bids are already up for grabs.

On that note, here are the top five teams lording over the college basketball right now, starting with the best of ‘em all, the Syracuse Orange. Syracuse’s rise to the top of the national polls produced an Orange infusion in the college basketball power rankings.

The Orange’s 95-77 victory Saturday over Villanova helped Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim regain his position as the no.1 coach in the power rankings too, them rankings that measure the nation’s top performers at each position. Picked before the season to finish sixth in the Big East, Syracuse already has clinched at least a share of the conference title. With a 27-2 overall record and an incredibly effective two-three zone defensive scheme, Syracuse should be the team to beat once the brackets are here.

Following at the second spot are the Kansas Jayhawks. After suffering their first conference loss, the Jayhawks are determined to bounce back. Coach Bill Self said, ”I am believing we can get something out of (the OSU loss). I don’t think the thing is broken. I do think we need to evaluate our things. We need to take great pride in the things that help us win, especially this time of year.”

The loss at Oklahoma State could be a sign of fate for Kansas as the last time the Jayhawks visited Stillwater back in 2008, they suffered a one-point defeat. Then they went on to win out, capturing the NCAA title. The defeat also meant that the only team to ever go undefeated in Big 12 play remains the 2001-02 Jayhawks squad coached by…

Luckily, these guys know exactly what to do with him.

With the overall no.2 draft pick, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Hasheem Thabeet for the 2010 NBA basketball season. Unfortunately for him, things are not doing so well as far as his rookie year in Memphis is concerned.

You read it, Hasheem Thabeet has been, well, a letdown if you will considering that he was the overall no.2 draft pick in last year’s draft. You know who else was selected that high and turned out to be a disappointment? Darko Milicic. Only God knows where this dude is playing in now.

As for the Memphis Grizzlies, they don’t want to waste a talent like Thabeet. That’s why they’re sending him over to the NBA D-League in hopes of polishing his talents further for a brighter NBA career ahead.

If only Darko was given the same second lease in life.

Thabeet, 23, is averaging just 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game for the Grizzlies. With this move, the Grizzlies will most likely add a late-season free agent. Several players are rumored to be negotiating buyouts, for instance Larry Hughes that could fill a gap for the Grizzlies until Ronnie Brewer’s return.

Hopefully going to the NBA D-League will teach Thabeet that if you can touch the top of the backboard, there’s no need to try to block a shot at the other player’s hands below the rim. Hopefully he’ll learn how to cut through the back-door, and, more importantly, defend against cutters.

Hopefully, and more importantly at that, it will teach him how to…

You ready to rake in some cash on March?

What’s the biggest betting event of the year in North America? Not so fast if you guessed the Super Bowl. While the Super Bowl lays claim to being the largest wagered event of the year, March Madness surpasses the NFL’s crown jewel in total wagering volume, probably because the tourney stretches over three weeks.

There is still a little more than a month of college basketball to be played this 2010 NCAA college basketball season before Selection Sunday, but the talk of ”Bubble” teams and tournament seeds is starting to heat up as we hit the most exciting part of the NCAA hoops schedule.

One of the marquee games of every college b-ball schedule, Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, tipped off already. It was the spotlight game for sports bettors as well, as it attracted the most action on the board. The sports betting public scored a solid win as the Tar Heels took it on the chin.

Online sportsbooks had Duke as a -5.5-point favorite, a number they easily covered and with approximately 75 percent of all the betting volume on the Blue Devils, it was a winner for the players. While NC won the NCAA basketball championship last season, they lost power forward Tyler Hansbrough to the NBA and have been a shadow of their former selves this season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are near the bottom of the…

We know the starters, now it’s time to find out who got snubbed and who should be there in Dallas.

Every year, the NBA’s midseason extravaganza snubs a few players who fans feel should be in the league’s annual celebration of the brightest stars in the NBA. The 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas is no different.

Let’s start with this one guy who probably got snubbed from the All-Star game this year because of a mug you can’t market ANYWHERE. And in case you didn’t get that, I’m referring to Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman.

This will be the second time the Los Angeles Clippers star got snubbed for the All-Star game. For a guy who looks like a child molester, Kaman is quickly becoming one of the brightest stars in Hollywood. The guy is averaging 20.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He is arguably having the best season of any traditional center in the West and that is why the Clippers, despite all their struggles, are still hanging on for a playoff spot.

Another guy who definitely should be in the All-Star game in Dallas is Chauncey Billups. Having the All-Star game this year without Mr. Big Shot is a travesty, to say the least. He is probably the best point guard in the Western Conference at this point of the season. Hell, he should be there starting for the West instead of Steve Nash in my opinion.

But probably because of the injury that forced him to miss eight games this season, Billups failed to get the fans’ and the coaches’ votes.

”I’m sure it played a role,” Billups said, who just recently broke his career high when he led the Denver Nuggets to a win over the Lakers in Los Angeles…