06/21/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's NBA Draft saw a couple of big men, Blake Griffin and Hasheem Thabeet, go 1-2 before it became all about the backcourt, specifically the point guard position.

The league was infiltrated in 2009-10 by a whole host of quarterbacks with some serious upside. Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Minnesota's Jonny Flynn, along with the Hornets' Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday of the Sixers, all look like long-time starters. Denver's Ty Lawson also showed enough to suggest he may also be handling a team relatively soon.

Meanwhile, Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and Golden State's Stephen Curry proved to be upper-echelon combo guards in their rookie seasons, and perhaps the most ballyhooed backcourt prospect of them all, Spain's Ricky Rubio, never even made it over from Europe after being selected by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick.

The frontcourt was a different story. Griffin was last season's No. 1 overall pick by the Los Angles Clippers but missed his entire rookie season with a stress fracture in his left knee. Thabeet, the second pick by Memphis, showed little in his first season on Beale Street, while another lottery pick, Arizona forward Jordan Hill, ended up being a bust in New York and was shipped to Houston.

This year, things have taken a 180. The depth in the backcourt figures to fall off the table after Kentucky point guard John Wall and Ohio State swingman Evan Turner go 1-2. However, there are plenty of legitimate prospects up front, starting with Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins, Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors and Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson.

Let's take a look with The Sportsbook Betting Lines's 2010 NBA Mock Draft, version 2.0:

1. - Washington Wizards - John Wall (Kentucky), Point Guard (6-3, 195) - Wall combines rare speed with the ball, along with the size and athleticism to be an elite player very early in his career. He needs to improve his jumper but could be a quicker version of Derrick Rose.

2. - Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner (Ohio State), Combo Guard (6-7, 215) - The Sixers jumped up from six to No. 2 in the lottery and lucked out with a virtually mistake-proof pick in Turner, the college player of the year. Turner has a tremendous feel for the game and is an extremely efficient offensive player in the mold of Portland's Brandon Roy. He should team with Holiday to give the Sixers a top-tier backcourt for the next decade or so.

3. - New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech), Power Forward (6-9, 245) - The Nets will have the first real decision in the draft. I think Cousins has a bigger upside than either Favors or Johnson, but New Jersey already has an All-Star type center in Brook Lopez so look for them to go with Favors, a prototypical four in the mold of Kenyon Martin.

4. - Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson (Syracuse), Small Forward (6-7, 205) - The Wolves' annual hard luck in the lottery continued this year, as the team fell from the second spot to No. 4 and will have to make a decision between Cousins and Johnson. My guess is the Wolves take the safe bet and that's Johnson, a silky-smooth small forward with a big wingspan and a nice jumper.

5. - Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky), Center (6-11, 280) - Last year Sacramento fell from No. 1 to four in the lottery and lucked out by snaring Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, a player that should be the cornerstone of the franchise. The Kings reportedly asked Evans his opinion on who the pick should be this season and Tyreke wasn't shy about professing his desire to play with Cousins. The Sacramento brass reportedly thinks Georgetown big man Greg Monroe is a safer pick but in the end, I think Cousins' upside is the difference.

6. - Golden State Warriors - Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest), Combo Forward (6-8, 220) - There is a significant drop after the top five players on the board so Golden State ended up being the biggest loser in the lottery, falling from four to six. Aminu, however, has elite physical tools and a nice upside but he's a bit of a tweener and needs to add strength.

7. - Detroit Pistons - Cole Aldrich (Kansas), Center (6-11, 250) - Since Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown were the big men in the Motor City last year, you have to think Joe Dumars goes with Aldrich, a legitimate center with top-tier rebounding and defensive skills. He is limited offensively, however.

8. - Los Angeles Clippers - Luke Babbitt (Nevada), Combo Forward (6-8, 220) - The next grouping of players features more than a few power forwards and centers. Since the Clippers have Chris Kaman in the pivot and will have Griffin coming back next year at the four, they would probably like a small forward but Aminu will be off the board, so expect them to reach for Nevada's Luke Babbitt, a high-energy player with some offensive skill.

9. - Utah Jazz - Ed Davis (North Carolina), Power Forward (6-9, 225) - The rich get richer, as Utah uses the New York Knicks' pick to select the Tar Heels power forward as insurance for the injured Mehmet Okur and free agent power forward Carlos Boozer.

10. - Indiana Pacers - Greg Monroe (Georgetown), Power Forward/Center (6-10, 245) - The Pacers need a point guard badly and are reportedly shopping this pick with the intent of landing Lawson from Denver or Collison from New Orleans. Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe would be a reach here so if they are forced to stay put, getting Danny Granger a long, athletic running mate like Monroe, a lefty with the skills of a much smaller player, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for the Pacers.

11. - New Orleans Hornets - Ekpe Udoh (Baylor), Power Forward (6-10, 235) - Udoh has the wingspan of a 7-foot-4 player and should develop into an elite shot-blocker early in his career as well as an exceptional offensive rebounder, two attributes the Hornets desperately need.

12. - Memphis Grizzlies - Patrick Patterson (Kentucky), Combo Forward (6-8, 235) - Patterson seems like a good choice here. The Kentucky junior has the ability to move between the three and four, meaning he can play with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph as well as provide insurance in case Randolph is involved in more off-the-floor nonsense.

13. - Toronto Raptors - Daniel Orton (Kentucky), Power Forward (6-10, 255) - The Raptors figure to lose Chris Bosh in the offseason so they will need a big man and Orton has a significant upside. He's already got the NBA body and has impressive length but his offensive game needs a lot of work despite a very soft touch that is rare among young bigs today. If Orton ends up slipping from here, he won't get by Oklahoma City at 21.

14. - Houston Rockets - Hassan Whiteside (Marshall), Center (7-0, 240) - Houston has the final lottery pick and takes some insurance for the oft- injured Yao Ming. Whiteside is coming out after his freshman season so he needs some seasoning but will be an imposing physical presence once he grows into his body. Meanwhile, Whiteside has already been working out in Houston with former Rocket great Hakeem Olajuwon.

15. - Milwaukee Bucks - Larry Sanders (VCU), Power Forward (6-10, 235) - Sanders was scheduled to work out for the Blazers but his agent nixed it, and some think he got a guarantee from the Bucks that he will be selected here if available. The Bucks added an impressive quarterback last year in Jennings, and Sanders is the type of athlete that will fit right into what the team is trying to accomplish. Scott Skiles seems to be enamored with his length and ability to help on the defensive end and the boards.

16. - Minnesota Timberwolves - Xavier Henry (Kansas), Shooting Guard (6-6, 220) - Henry, the Kansas freshman, is a physical specimen that is tailor-made for the NBA game and a young team playing the Triangle Offense like Minnesota.

17. - Chicago Bulls - Damion James (Texas), Small Forward (6-7, 230) - The Bulls want to win now and may make the big push for LeBron James. I see them going the "best available" route and that might be "the other" James, the rare senior that figures as a first-round pick. James excels in transition and is an exceptional rebounder and defender for his size.

18. - Miami Heat - Gordon Hayward (Butler), Small Forward (6-8, 210) - Dwyane Wade is the first order of business in South Beach. If Miami gets its superstar back, they could use a weak-side shooter with a high basketball IQ like Hayward to take advantage of the double-teams Wade often gets.

19. - Boston Celtics - Avery Bradley (Texas), Shooting Guard (6-2, 175) - This is a pretty high pick for a team that made a serious run at the NBA title. Since Ray Allen will likely move on in the offseason, the C's can take a flyer on Bradley, an undersized freshman that is a pure shooter and scorer.

20. - San Antonio Spurs - Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky), Combo Guard (6-0, 195) - The tread is wearing thin on both Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. George Hill could be a difference-maker down the line but the Spurs could use another active body in the backcourt and Bledsoe, while not quite ready, can play both positions and has a solid upside.

21. - Oklahoma City Thunder - Solomon Alabi (Florida State), Center (7-1, 240) - The Thunder are very skilled on the wings and in the backcourt so they should be looking for another big body and the raw Nigerian big man with a defensive upside is a nice value pick here.

22. - Portland Trail Blazers - James Anderson (Oklahoma State), Shooting Guard (6-6, 195) - Anderson is slight but tough and could be the best pure shooter in this year's draft. Chad Buchanan, the Blazers' director of college scouting, recently said there would likely be "two really solid catch-and- shoot guys" that could help the team at 22 and that definition fits Anderson to a tee. A reach would be Jon Scheyer from Duke.

23. - Minnesota Timberwolves - Paul George (Fresno State), Combo Forward (6-8, 210) - George is a rangy guy that can handle the ball very well for a wing player and run the floor. Anybody who can put the ball in the basket should be considered by the Wolves.

24. - Atlanta Hawks - Armon Johnson (Nevada), Combo Guard (6-3, 190) - With Joe Johnson likely moving on and Mike Bibby getting a bit long in the tooth, Johnson, a lefty combo guard with decent size, seems like a nice fit. Johnson should be a 10-to-15 minute guy to give Bibby a blow early on with the ability to turn into a starter down the line. "Realistically, at that area in the draft, you are looking at the best available player," new Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

25. - Memphis Grizzlies - Elliott Williams (Memphis), Shooting Guard (6-4, 180) - The Grizz will have already selected at No. 12 and also have the 28th pick, so you can assume that there will be some wheeling and dealing at some point. But for this exercise, they stay put and take the local product, a versatile southpaw guard with upper-echelon athleticism.

26. - Oklahoma City Thunder - Devin Ebanks (West Virginia), Small Forward (6-7, 205) - Ebanks is an active wing player that can get after people defensively and has a nice touch around the basket.

27. - New Jersey Nets - Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati), Shooting Guard (6-5, 210) - A tough, athletic freshman with an NBA-ready body. His power and quickness could cause a lot of trouble on the blocks in a few years.

28. - Memphis Grizzlies - Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech), Power Forward (6-9, 235) - Lawal is a big guy with great length that can play minutes at both center and power forward.

29. - Orlando Magic - Stanley Robinson (UConn), Combo Forward (6-8, 220) - Normally, I would expect the Magic to take a European player and leave him overseas but a poor performance against Boston means they will take a talent. Robinson can run the floor and finish, but lacks a top-tier jumper.

30. - Washington Wizards - Dominique Jones (South Florida), Shooting Guard (6-4, 215) - The Wizards finish the first round by getting Wall a running mate in Jones. a powerfully-built combo guard with a nice offensive game.

54. - Los Angeles Clippers - Latavious Williams (NBADL), Combo Forward (6-8, 210)

59. - Orlando Magic - Tyren Johnson (Louisiana-Lafayette), Small Forward (6-8, 205)

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2007 online football betting Preview

My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."

The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.

To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.

However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.

Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.

Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.

Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.

2007 College Football Betting Preview

There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.

The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.

So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.

USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.

USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.

Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.

That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.

The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"

The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.

Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.

Las Vegas Sports Lines

The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.

It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."

The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.

The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.

Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.

After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.

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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

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Basketball Betting

Basketball Betting

NBA Basketball Betting

2010 NBA Mock Draft version 2.0

Basketball Betting Lines

2007 online football betting Preview

2007 College Football Betting Preview

Las Vegas Sports Lines