The latest March Madness betting odds has North Carolina still the favorites to win the 2009 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. As overwhelming of a preseason favorite as seen in years, the Tar Heels are currently 5-2 to win the Big Dance.

Connecticut is next at 7-2. Two Big 12 teams have essentially switched spots from the preseason rankings. Texas, considered in the preseason as the third most likely team to capture the Final Four championship is now 50-1, while Oklahoma has skyrocketed to 12-1.

As far as expert March Madness predictions are concerned, most handicapping experts seem to agree the race is wide open.

“The Sooners have the best player in the country Blake Griffin and the top freshman in Willie Warren,” says Joe Bartelle of BetOnSports360.com, in predicting Oklahoma will emerge as champions.  

Few teams have plummeted as far as Georgetown, now at 100-1. Despite previous postseason early exits, Pittsburgh is the choice of Brian Gould of ScoresOddsPicks.com. “Sam Young, Levance Fields, and DeJuan Blair make the Panthers the team with the most true star go-to players,” insists Gould.

Other strong contenders including Louisville at 10-1, Duke at 15-1, and once top-ranked Wake Forest at 15-1. Gonzaga at 40-1 and Butler at 60-1 is the mid-major most likely to wear the glass slipper.

Mike Godsey of GodsTips, anchor of OffshoreInsiders.com projects the four top sees to be North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, and Connecticut.

Godsey says the best dark horses are the teams that will be the final Big East and ACC entrants. Villanova at 50-1 or even Florida State at 150-1 could certainly bust some March Madness bracket picks.

Get the updated live odds rundown for March Madness 2009.

The 2008-09 football season produced the widest gap ever between the sharp player and square player in sports betting history. All key indicators are that the Information Age will likely produce the same disparity in 2009 March Madness betting. However, it’s never been easier to choose to be on the elite side.

As previously discussed, the schism between those who win in sports betting and those who lose has never been wider. The quality of accurate information is widely available to the sportsbooks and gambler alike.

Most point spread players do not have the time or resources to exploit such Intel. The always improving and innovating OffshoreInsiders Network has streamlined and modernized everything a sharp gambler needs.

ScoresOddsPicks.com has the up-to-the minute scores and odds including game spread in college basketball and the betting line to win the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Also the same databases that the pro bettors use in their pregame picks are available directly off the home page.

Lines-Maker.com will have the exclusive news and notes that the world’s top handicappers use directly from their clipboards.

The best free picks for both the conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament, not to mention the NIT, continue to thrive at OffshoreInsiders.com

The sports betting blog JoeDuffy.net has the betting advice articles from the world’s premier experts, many on NCAA basketball Big Dance betting.

The newest entrant to the powerful nexus is BetOnSports360.com. This has the best “ezine” articles and many more will be added focusing on March Madness and Big Dance against the spread betting strategy. 

Stevie Vincent, GM of the OffshoreInsiders Network says, “Gamblers can opt to be winners or they can opt to keep the sportsbooks open for those of us who are. It’s simply a matter of making the right choice.”

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Tar Heels try to bounce back against the Yellow Jackets, the Rockets meet the Bulls, and the Devils host the Panthers.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

Yao Ming and company will be looking to grab a road win in Chicago on Saturday when the Rockets face the Bulls. Houston is coming off an impressive home victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night, holding LeBron James’ crew below 80 points in a 93-74 win. Ming was good for 28 points and eight boards that day, and Houston is now 37-21 straight-up and 27-30-1 against-the-spread this year.

Orlando will be in Philadelphia to meet the Sixers on Saturday, while Miami hosts New York, and Oklahoma City visits Memphis. As well, it’ll be Washington at Milwaukee, Sacramento at Utah, and Charlotte at the Clippers. The Bobcats took on Los Angeles at home on February 9, and came up with an easy 94-73 victory.

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The march toward Madness . . .

No. 4 North Carolina will be looking to avoid a two-game losing streak on Saturday when they play host to Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels were bounced 88-85 in overtime at Maryland last time out, with Tyler Hansbrough held to just 11 points (but pulling in 11 boards) in the loss. North Carolina is now at 24-3 SU and 11-15 ATS on the year. The Yellow Jackets are back at 10-16 SU and 7-15 ATS.

No. 1 Pittsburgh will be at the Prudential Center to play Seton Hall on Saturday, with No. 2 Connecticut hosting Notre Dame, No. 3 Oklahoma at Texas Tech, and No. 5 Memphis getting a visit from Southern Miss. As well, No. 7 Duke will be looking to grab a win at Virginia Tech, while No. 13 Clemson will be on the road in a battle of ranked teams against No. 23 Florida State. Also, No. 10 Villanova will be looking to secure their Top-10 ranking with a victory against Georgetown.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Martin Brodeur returned to the Devils’ crease in a big way on Thursday night, making 24 saves in a 4-0 shutout of the Avalanche. New Jersey will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at home against the Panthers, who are hoping to have Tomas Vokoun back between the pipes; he’s been out with an ear infection.

There are two other matinees on the NHL’s Saturday schedule, with Washington at Boston and Anaheim at Dallas. The Maple Leafs and Senators then renew hostilities in the Battle of Ontario to lead off the evening slate in Ottawa, and the Rangers and new coach John Tortorella play host to the Avs. As well, it’ll be Buffalo at the Islanders, San Jose at Montreal, Carolina at Atlanta, Detroit at Nashville, and St. Louis at Phoenix, with Minnesota at Edmonton to finish the day.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The Nationwide Series offers up the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, with Kyle Busch listed as the 7/5 favorite on the Vegas odds list. Busch won last week’s Nationwide event, the Stater Brothers 300 at Auto Club Speedway. Carl Edwards trails Busch at 3/1 odds to get the win on Saturday, with Denny Hamlin listed third at 7/2 odds to come out in top spot.

As well, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship will stage its quarterfinal and semifinal matchups on Saturday. Ernie Els will take on Stewart Cink on Saturday morning in the marquee pairing to decide the Ben Hogan bracket, while Rory McIlroy will take on Geoff Ogilvy in third-round action in the Bobby Jones bracket. In the Sam Snead bracket it’ll be Ross Fisher vs. Justin Leonard in the quarterfinals, while Paul Casey will meet Sean O’Hair in the Gary Player bracket.