The 2012 Maui Invitational field and schedule are set, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to be taking a look at all eight teams to determine which one is going to be the 2012 Maui Invitational winner. Don’t miss all of the hot college basketball odds for this tremendous preseason college basketball event!

North Carolina Tar Heels (1.50 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): The Tar Heels are the most talented team in this tournament, but that doesn’t necessarily mean much. Head Coach Roy Williams is going to be a man on a mission to get this team to the Final Four again this year, but save for James Michael McAdoo and Reggie Bullock, the rest of the team doesn’t feel cohesive quite yet. We do like the idea of G Dexter Strickland back running the point, and he should get his legs underneath him once again here in Maui after missing the end of last year injured.

Texas Longhorns (1.75 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): If the Longhorns’ 55-53 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs didn’t send up any smoke signals to you, perhaps it should have. Texas doesn’t have Myck Kabongo at this point, and that really leaves a massive scoring hole. Freshman Javan Felix is going to have to grow up in a hurry for the Longhorns to succeed here in Maui, because Sheldon McClellan isn’t going to be able to do everything himself.

Illinois Fighting Illini (3 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Head Coach John Groce knows that he has a team that has a lot of work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament this year. DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul could lead the way this year for a team that has a lot of promise, but not necessarily a heck of a lot of results. The Illini have played sloppy thus far this year and have to be concerned coming to Maui.

Marquette Golden Eagles (5 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Gone are both Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, but we still like the combination of what the Golden Eagles have to work with. Jamil Wilson had a big first game, and Davante Gardner and Vander Blue should take over as the faces of this program. If there’s a bust out coming soon, this is the time for it in Maui against some great clubs.

Butler Bulldogs (8 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Head Coach Brad Stevens knows that this is a team that has the potential to be quite special. In his first game with his new team, Rotnei Clarke went off for 21 points, and he is clearly going to be the scoring threat that this team needs to shine during the A-10 season. This is a dangerous club with a history of taking down some giants, so don’t count out the Dogs.

USC Trojans (8 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): USC has a relatively short travel schedule in comparison to a number of the other teams here in Maui, and it is going to try to prove that an injury riddled year last year is in the past, and the squad can work towards the NCAA Tournament in 2012. Aaron Fuller should lead the way for this team, which might be in for some surprising results, though we don’t think that the Men of Troy could seriously win the Maui Invitational.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (12 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): MSU knows that it is in trouble this year, and there is a good chance that it finishes last amongst the serious contenders here in Maui. An opening loss at Troy made the Bulldogs the only team in the SEC to not start off the campaign at 1-0. There just isn’t enough offense here to make this team a contender.

Chaminade Silverswords (500 to 1 @ WagerWeb Sportsbook): Of course, Chaminade has no chance whatsoever of winning this tournament, and just the fact that there are odds posted is comical. The Silverswords did win a game in the 2010 tournament, but that didn’t take place until the 7th place game. Aside from that, there aren’t any wins for the hosts since 2007, another seventh place game victory.

2012 Maui Invitational Odds @ WagerWeb Sportsbook (as of 11/11/12):
(Get Up To A HUGE 200% Bonus at WagerWeb.eu When Using This Link)
Butler Bulldogs 8 to 1
Chaminade Silverswords 500 to 1
Illinois Fighting Illini 3 to 1
Marquette Golden Eagles 5 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 12 to 1
North Carolina Tar Heels 1.50 to 1
Texas Longhorns 1.75 to 1
USC Trojans 8 to 1

Each and every year, the 24 hours of college basketball and the College Hoops Marathon is one of the most intriguing activities of the year. This is a chance to see some teams from all across the country showcasing their skills early in the regular season. Join us here at Bankroll Sports for all of the college basketball previews for all of the games that are on tap with the 24 hours of college hoops schedule!

12:00 AM: West Virginia Mountaineers @ Gonzaga Bulldogs
West Virginia vs. Gonzaga Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Bulldogs and the Mountaineers kick off the classic here at midnight, and it should be a raucous crowd at the Kennel. This is one of the toughest places to go play college basketball, and West Virginia is going to figure that out. This is going to be the first time that the Mountaineers play under the Big XII banner, and it is one of the tough games in a very difficult non-conference schedule. Meanwhile, the Zags hardly ever lose at home, and they just keep getting richer and richer. Elias Harris and Kevin Pangos are back to lead this club, but freshman Przemek Karnowski might become a huge threat off of the bench. This is a game that should go to the hosts.

2:00 AM: Davidson Wildcats @ New Mexico Lobos
Davidson vs. New Mexico Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Davidson and New Mexico both have ideas of making the NCAA Tournament this year, and this might prove to be a great game for the winner to stick on their resume come March Madness. Davidson is opening up with a ton of games on the road this year, and this is going to be one of the toughest ones to prepare for in The Pit. It’s especially tough knowing that this is the first game of the season for the Lobos. If the Mountain West really does have the capabilities of sending perhaps three teams into the Sweet 16 this year, this is a game that New Mexico should take.

4:00 AM: Houston Baptist Huskies @ Hawaii Warriors
Houston Baptist vs. Hawaii Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Warriors seemingly always have the 4:00 AM game in the 24 hours of college basketball schedule, and this year is no exception. They’ve got a couple cupcake victories under their belts already, and this should be yet another one before some of the real games come up. This is one of the many games that the Huskies have to play this year just to make a schedule come together. They only won 10 games last year, and this won’t be a game that they win either.

6:00 AM: Stony Brook Seawolves @ Rider Broncs
Stony Brook vs. Rider Picks, Predictions, and Preview: This has the potential to be one of the better games that you don’t see coming in the 2012 College Basketball Marathon. The Seawolves won 22 games last year and the regular season America East title. Rider wasn’t a fantastic club last year at 13-19, but what they do have now is a superstar in the making in Nurideen Lindsey, who scored 26 points in his debut with the Broncs against Robert Morris. This should be a great contrast of styles, and it will be interesting to see whether Lindsey and the Broncs can run against Stony Brook or not. Give the upset here to the host Broncs out of the Metro Atlantic, a team you might want to keep a close eye on as the season wears on.

8:00 AM: Northern Illinois Huskies @ Valparaiso Crusaders
Northern Illinois vs. Valparaiso Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Huskies haven’t been great in quite some time, and this year appears to be no exception after losing to Nebraska Omaha to start off the season. Valpo on the other hand, is getting some votes for the Top 25 already, and this should prove to be nothing more than another step in the right direction for a budding program out of the Horizon League. There’s a lot of hope that the Crusaders can be on the top half of the bracket this year, and this is a game that will help out and move them to 2-0.

10:00 AM: Harvard Crimson @ Massachusetts Minutemen
Harvard vs. UMass Picks, Predictions, and Preview: The Crimson finally won the Ivy League last year and got into the NCAA Tournament, and many think that they can get back this year as well. Of course, after the academic scandal that shocked the university, there is just one starter back from last year’s club. This is still a talented team for sure, but the Minutemen are the better team. UMass came on strong last year and won 25 games, and it should put away the Crimson in a tough, defensive showdown in the 10:00 AM hour.

12:00 PM: Temple Owls @ Kent State Golden Flashes
Temple vs. Kent State Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Temple figures to contend for the A-10 crown once again this year before heading off to the Big East, but the school has a lot of work to do in this one to take down the Golden Flashes. Kent State won 21 games last year and already has a win over Drexel to its credit this year, and it is going to hope to snare another big time scalp in this one. Unfortunately for the Flashes, they probably don’t have the goods to be able to hold off a very talented Temple side that has a lot of experience.

**Click Here for the Best Sports Betting System in the World**

2:00 PM: Detroit Titans @ St. John’s Red Storm
Detroit vs. St. John’s Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Head Coach Steve Lavin has referred to his Red Storm as “deep and balanced” this year, but we just don’t see it. Detroit would love to be able to come to Carnesecca Arena and log a victory for the Horizon League, and it just might be able to do it. Ray McCallum and Doug Anderson figure to lead the way for this team in scoring, and these two have the talent to stand up to a bottom of the barrel team from the Big East. The Titans could prove to pull off the “titanic” upset at the Johnnies’ house.

4:00 PM: Butler Bulldogs @ Xavier Musketeers
Butler vs. Xavier Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Picking up Rotnei Clarke from Arkansas might be just the thing to make Butler a contender once again this year. Xavier is going to be a tough place to go into for a 4:00 PM game, but the Cintas Center is beatable for the little guys. The Bulldogs are going to have to put together a yeoman’s effort. We think that they’ll come close, but in the end, the X-Men are probably going to have a little too much in this one to be beaten.

7:00 PM: Michigan State Spartans vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Michigan State vs. Kansas Picks, Predictions, and Preview: And now start the big time games! The Spartans were beaten in their first game of the season against Connecticut, and now, Head Coach Tom Izzo and the gang have to go to take on one of the best teams in America. Head Coach Bill Self has the Jayhawks ready for this date in Atlanta, and it should be a good one for sure. We’re going to give the nod to the Spartans with their veteran leadership to bounce back and prove that they belong over Kansas, a team that we still have a heck of a lot of respect for.

9:30 PM: Duke Blue Devils vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Duke vs. Kentucky Picks, Predictions, and Preview: Finally comes the biggest game of the 24 hours of college hoops, the clash of the titans, the Blue Devils and Wildcats. If you’ve made it this far without sleep, you’ll make it through, knowing that this very well could be a Final Four preview. Kentucky had its challenge from Maryland to start the year, but the club is still clearly ridiculously talented. Duke had a cohesive start to the season against Georgia State, and the Blue Devils might have the goods to take down a Kentucky team that clearly has some holes.

Bankroll Sports is back again, making your lives as sports bettors and basketball fans easier, with our list of Free NCAA Sweet 16 Contests. Just as we did at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, listing all of the free bracket contests on the web, we decided to put together a new list. This new list below lists all the second chance NCAA Tournament contests and Sweet 16 bracket contests for 2012. Make sure to be sure bookmark this list of free contests and make sure to check back often. We will be adding more contests to the list as we discover them. Again, take a look at our list below. If you know of any free NCAA sweet 16 contests or NCAA second chance contests, make sure to leave a comment and post a link to the contest so that we can add it to the list. Again, we at Bankroll Sports Handicapping, look after and take care of our visitors & clients. We make sure that our blog has the most useful content and information for our visitors. Our handicappers have had an outstanding streak of 10* releases in the first two full rounds of the NCAA Tournament. If you are struggling with your NCAA Tournament betting this year, and if you are looking for a good service that can help you turn things around, look no further. Thanks for visiting Bankroll Sports Picks!

Complete List of Free 2012 Sweet 16 Bracket Contests

Again, make sure to come back and check this list during week (updated often); Bookmark This Page (Internet Explorer Only) & Check back on Monday after the first weekend throughout the week up until the start of the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012!

Attention Bloggers & Other Site Owners: Please Do Not Copy & Paste This List. Do The Work Yourself!

• Yahoo! Sports
  1st Place: $5,000
  2nd Place Prizes: None
  Contest Grade: B
  2012 Sweet 16 Bracket Contest Link
• Cappersinfo.com
  1st Place: Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote
  2nd Place Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card
  Contest Grade: B+
  2012 Round Sweet 16 Contest Link
• CBS Sports Line
  1st Place: Chance To Win Trip To 2013 Final Four (Every round has a winner)
  2nd Place Prize: None
  Contest Grade: C-
  2012 Round By Round Bracket Contest Link
• Buffalo Trace Saloon
  1st Place: $3000 or Ultimate Trip to Kentucky Trace Distillary
  2nd Place Prize: None
  Contest Grade: B
  2012 Sweet 16 Bracket Contest Link

Have you spotted any free Sweet 16 contests or any second chance bracket contests latetly? If you have, then please reply to this post and give us a heads-up!

The NCAA Tournament continues into its second weekend starting on Thursday, and before you make your Sweet 16 picks, be sure to check out this March Madness trends and picks sheet to help you out through the big weekend on the collegiate hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:15 ET: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #2 San Diego State Aztecs
March Madness Odds: Connecticut -1
March Madness Trends of Note
The Huskies have covered four straight games as favorites
Connecticut is 6-0 ATS in its last six against teams with a winning percentage above .600
The Aztecs are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Huskies are putting on one of the more remarkable runs that we have ever seen a team go on in the postseason, as they won seven games and covered seven spreads in a span of just 12 days against some of the best teams in the land. Kemba Walker just seems to be unconscious right now, and the argument could be made that he is the most important player left in this tournament. The Aztecs have only won two NCAA Tournament games in their history, both of which happened to be here in this tournament. SDSU will have the decided home court advantage playing in Anaheim. These two teams have never met before on the hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:27 ET: #3 BYU Cougars vs. #2 Florida Gators
March Madness Odds: Florida -3
March Madness Trends of Note
BYU is just 30-62-2 ATS in its last 94 games as an underdog
The Gators are 6-0 ATS in their last six NCAA Tournament games as favorites
Florida is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games following an SU victory

NCAA Tournament Notes
Could it be sweet revenge in the Sweet 16 for the Gators? Head Coach Billy Donovan hopes so, as these Cougars knocked the Gators out of the dance last season the first round in a 99-92 game that was decided in overtime. Both of these teams look remarkably similar to their forms from last season, as the only real absence from last year is Brandon Davies, who was kicked off of the BYU roster a few weeks ago. Still, the Gators have a great history here in the Sweet 16, and they are trying to make it back to their fourth Final Four in the Donovan era. BYU is just trying to prove that it belongs and that it should have been the No. 2 seed of these two teams in this region.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:45 ET: #5 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
March Madness Odds: Duke -8.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the ACC
Duke has covered five in a row against the Pac-10
The Blue Devils are 6-2 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament games

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Blue Devils have all to play for right now, as they are just four steps away from retaining their National Championship, something that many didn’t give them that great of a chance to do just last week. The trick is going to be coping with the long trip out to Anaheim, as Arizona will have a decided home court edge, just as SDSU will against UConn earlier in the night. The Wildcats have now won two games thanks to the prowess of Derrick Williams in the post, and he is going to be the key, while the Dookies are going to hope that the good health of Kyrie Irving can set them apart in this one. These two last met in 2001 in the National Championship Game, and Duke knocked off the Wildcats 82-72 as short four point underdogs.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:57 ET: #8 Butler Bulldogs vs. #4 Wisconsin Badgers
March Madness Odds: Wisconsin -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
Butler has covered six straight March Madness betting battles
Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in its last six games played outside of the Big Ten
The Bulldogs are 21-5-2 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
Butler really has a great chance of pulling off the upset in this one if it can shoot the ball as well as it has in its first two games in this tournament against the Old Dominion Monarchs and Pittsburgh Panthers, especially late in games from long range. This is largely the same team that was in the finale last season that lost by a whisker, save for the fact that sharpshooter Gordon Hayward is now in the NBA. The Badgers haven’t had a great history once they reach this point in the dance, but they do have a tremendous defensive team and one that can really shoot free throws in clutch spots. If it’s a close game, Wisconsin will have the huge upper hand. Back in January 2001, Butler went into the Kohl Center and knocked off the Badgers 58-44 in the most recent meeting of these two Midwest schools.

Friday, March 25th, 7:15 ET: #11 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels
March Madness Odds: North Carolina -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Golden Eagles are 23-11 ATS in their last 34 games against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600.
North Carolina is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games overall

NCAA Tournament Notes
UNC really has had the look of an incredibly dominating team of late, as it really hasn’t played a truly remarkable game since the regular season finale against the Duke Blue Devils. Still, the Heels have a great set of bigs to work with that can get the job done on the inside (John Henson and Tyler Zeller) and on the outside (Harrison Barnes). Marquette is quickly developing into the sweetheart of this tournament, especially knowing that it has 14 losses to its credit already this season. Still, of all of the Big East teams that were in this field, this is clearly the least likely one to do any further damage and would be the most surprising team to reach the Final Four.

Friday, March 25th, 7:27 ET: #12 Richmond Spiders vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks
March Madness Odds: Kansas -10.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Spiders are 10-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall
Kansas is 4-0 ATS in its last four games against the Atlantic 10
The Jayhawks are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 NCAA Tournament tussles as favorites of 7.0-12.5 points

NCAA Tournament Notes
These two teams do have a history with one another, and you can bet that the Spiders will not be intimidated by going against the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Bracket. Richmond won at Allen Fieldhouse back in 2004, scoring a 69-68 triumph. Little did we know that Kansas was going to eventually roll off 69 straight wins there through this season. Still, these two teams are built totally differently, as the Spiders really need to play this game in the 60s to have success, while the Jayhawks are content to run and gun into the 70s or even into the 80s. Kansas, of course, is still working to try to erase the memory of that brutal loss in the second round last year to the Northern Iowa Panthers, and you can bet that Head Coach Bill Self will have this team ready even though Richmond is another “mid major” team.

Friday, March 25th, 9:45 ET: #4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes
March Madness Odds: Ohio State -5.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Big Ten
Ohio State is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games following an SU win of 20 or more points
The Buckeyes are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 March Madness matches as favorites

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is one of the most intriguing games of the entire tournament to date, as this one pits one of the No. 1 seeds from last year’s tournament in Kentucky, against the No. 1 overall seed in the dance in Ohio State. The talent is there for these two to really put on a tremendous show, as both teams definitely have the full complement of big guys and sharpshooters. Either one could win a game in the 50s just as easily as it could win one in the 90s. One thing is for sure, and that’s that there certainly will be no lack of talent on display. Both of these teams have played some absolutely fantastic basketball to reach this point, and you can bet that both will want to put their best foot forward to get into the Elite 8.

Friday, March 25th, 9:57 ET: #11 VCU Rams vs. #10 Florida State Seminoles
March Madness Odds: Florida State -3.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Rams are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games in the NCAA Tournament
VCU is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against ACC opponents
Florida State is 2-6 ATS in its last eight neutral site games as a favorite

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is certainly the most unlikely of the eight matchups in the Sweet 16, as it isn’t all that often that we see a pair of double digit seeds pitted against each other, especially this late on. The Rams are the Cinderella stories for sure, as they had to come out of the First Four to reach this point. They’ve done so with great shooting from the outside and a tenacious full court defense, and the Georgetown Hoyas and Purdue Boilermakers haven’t even stayed remotely close to them. As a result, Head Coach Shaka Smart, who is suddenly the hottest young coaching commodity out there, has his team in the Sweet 16 for the first time Florida State had never won an NCAA Tournament game under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton before this year. This is its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1998 when it was ironically also a double digit seed. Chris Singleton is hoping to be able to make full contributions for the Seminoles this week after playing limited minutes in the first two rounds of the dance. FSU’s defense has been second to none in this tournament, as the Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish just had no chance of getting around this very athletic team.

March Madness picks kick off on Tuesday with the first round of games in Dayton, OH. Today, we analyze the odds to win the Southwest Region and all of the March Madness betting lines for the big event!

The team that maybe should have been the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament was the Kansas Jayhawks (2 to 1 Odds to Win Southwest Region at BetUS Sportsbook). This is an NCAA Tournament about redemption for Rock Chalk after last year’s debacle and embarrassment of getting knocked out in the second round of the dance. Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris are arguably the best duo of inside players in the entire nation, and in a bracket that could be very shallow and narrow, this is a dangerous, dangerous team.

There really aren’t many teams outside of the box of the top seeds that can probably win this bracket. Before this season started, the Purdue Boilermakers (5 to 1 NCAA Tournament Odds at BetUS Sportsbook) would have been one of the favorites for the Final Four. We know that Robbie Hummel isn’t here anymore after tearing his ACL, but JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore are still two of the best players in this entire bracket. Don’t be surprised if one of the preseason favorites turns out to ultimately be one of the last teams standing in the Elite 8, or maybe even the Final Four.

If there’s a team that can go on a roll, it is the Georgetown Hoyas (30 to 1 March Madness odds at BetUS Sportsbook). The Hoyas would be in great shape this season if they had Chris Wright, but he has been out of the lineup for the last few weeks. Georgetown’s issue here though, is that it limps into the NCAA Tournament off of four straight losses. Still, Julian Wright, Austin Freeman, and company have the complete package of players, and this crew really can catch fire in a hurry and do a ton of damage.

2011 Southwest Region Odds @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/13/11):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at BetUS.com When Using This Link)
Kansas Jayhawks 2 to 1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4 to 1
Purdue Boilermakers 5 to 1
Louisville Cardinals 5 to 1
Vanderbilt Commodores 35 to 1
Georgetown Hoyas 30 to 1
Texas A&M Aggies 80 to 1
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 30 to 1
Illinois Fighting Illini 30 to 1
Florida State Seminoles 80 to 1
USC Trojans 100 to 1
VCU Rams 150 to 1
Richmond Spiders 100 to 1
Morehead State Eagles 150 to 1
St. Peter’s Peacocks 150 to 1
Akron Zips 200 to 1
Boston U Terriers 200 to 1

Exclusive 100% Sportsbook Bonus @ BetUS Courtesy of Bankroll Sports!
New BetUS Players Only: Must Mention Bankroll Sports at BetUS & Use This Link!
(Must Use Above Links – $100 Min. / $500 Max. – 50% Additional Bonus For Deposits Over $500)

March Madness picks kick off on Tuesday with the first round of games in Dayton, OH. Today, we analyze the odds to win the Southeast Region and all of the March Madness betting lines for the big event!

Haven’t we seen this story somewhere before? The Pittsburgh Panthers (2.50 to 1 Odds to Win Southeast Region at BetUS Sportsbook) end up as a really high seed in the NCAA Tournament, they rough it through a few early games, and then get beaten in a squeaker by another fantastic team. Get used to that story. That’s probably how this one will end up playing out again this season.

If you’re looking for the team with all of the experience in the Southeast Region, you go with the Florida Gators (4 to 1 NCAA Tournament Odds at BetUS Sportsbook). The blue and orange have all five of their starters back from last year’s team. There are a lot of past demons for this team to conquer in this bracket, including the team that beat it last year (BYU), the one that it beat for the National Championship a few years back (UCLA), and the one that once beat it for a title (Michigan State) though, so this is going to be a harsh road to Houston.

Ah, those tricky BYU Cougars (8 to 1 March Madness odds at BetUS Sportsbook)… Almost for certain, in the exact same season without getting Brandon Davies kicked off the team, the Cougs would have been a No. 2 seed (and Florida probably would’ve been the 3). However, the Selection Committee just didn’t buy into how good this team is. Well excuse us! All the Cougars have done this year is getting beaten by another No. 2 seed (San Diego State) and twice by the New Mexico Lobos, a solid team in their own right. Jimmer Fredette is the nation’s leading scorer, and he could easily end up dropping 40, or heck, even 50 on a team if the opponents aren’t careful.

The Kansas State Wildcats (12 to 1 Southeast Region Odds at BetUS Sportsbook) could be sneaky if Jacob Pullen gets going, though. Sure, the Cats are in that dreaded No. 5 hole, but this is a team that has already proven it can play with the best teams in the land, and Pullen can shoot the rock from just about anywhere on the court.

2011 Southeast Region Odds @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/13/11):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at BetUS.com When Using This Link)
Pittsburgh Panthers 2.50 to 1
Florida Gators 4 to 1
BYU Cougars 8 to 1
Wisconsin Badgers 9 to 1
Kansas State Wildcats 12 to 1
St. John’s Red Storm 14 to 1
UCLA Bruins 40 to 1
Butler Bulldogs 70 to 1
Old Dominion Monarchs 45 to 1
Michigan State Spartans 28 to 1
Gonzaga Bulldogs 20 to 1
Utah State Aggies 20 to 1
Belmont Bruins 60 to 1
Wofford Terriers 150 to 1
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 150 to 1
UNC Asheville Bulldogs 300 to 1
Arkansas Little Rock Trojans 300 to 1

(Printable March Madness Brackets; PDF – GIF) If you’re looking for the best March Madness bracket tips, you’ve certainly come to the right place! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’ve got all of the ins and outs covered for the hot tips that you need to look out for to make your bracket a winning one.

**Click Here For Free March Madness Bracket Contests**

The first and most obvious thing to remember when you are filling out your brackets is that there are going to be upsets. There will be at least one No. 12 beat a No. 5, and there will probably be at least one No. 13 or higher that takes down a Top 25 foe. Tens knocking off sevens are commonplace, and they’re even favored from time to time on the March Madness odds. Simply just trying to fill in chalk along the way probably isn’t going to win you too many NCAA Tournament bracket contests.

But how do you pick out those upsets? Look for some teams that have legitimate stars. The Wofford Terriers, the winners of the Southern Conference have a huge man in the paint they rely on named Noah Dahlman. Sure, Dahlman wouldn’t be expected to average 20.0 points per game over a 30 game schedule in the Big East, but players like this find ways to lead their teams in single games. Seeing a man like Dahlman going up against an undersized team could be just the mismatch that you’re looking for.

You also have to consider home court advantage. The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels are most likely going to be playing their first two games in Charlotte, NC. Needless to say, the Cameron Crazies are going to be out en masse, and any potential “neutral court advantage” that the little guys could be getting would be swallowed up by the ACC fans on Tobacco Road. This will happen all across the country, so be sure to look out.

In events where there is no home court advantage, fans generally want to see upsets. That means that No. 13 seeds that are on runs are going to sway the crowd on their side until they are finally squashed… unless they can withstand that pressure from the big boys… the deeper into the game the mid majors hang around, the more and more dangerous that they become.

Also, you have to remember that three point field goals are incredibly important. They’re the great equalizer for a lack of talent. Teams that can stroke three balls like none other tend to stick around longer in this tournament than most. Just look at the Cornell Big Red last season, as the Ivy League champs shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc for the season. Other times, it doesn’t take a full team, just a player or two. Case in point, Ali Farokhmanesh from last season with the Northern Iowa Panthers. He single handedly dragged down the top team in the country, the Kansas Jayhawks.

Though we all love Cinderella stories, we know that more often than not, when it comes down to the Final Four, you’re going to see the big time teams floating around. The way you pick those teams out is really simple. You need to find deep teams with at least 1-2 superstars that can take over games. However, be forewarned that a man like Kemba Walker for the Connecticut Huskies probably isn’t dominating the entire NCAA Tournament. A game or two, ok. But not the whole way. Well rounded teams with a star or two tend to do a heck of a lot better, just like the Duke Blue Devils did last season with Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Jon Scheyer.

And that brings us to our final March Madness tip. We absolutely love teams with experience in this tournament. The Florida Gators have five returning starters. The Blue Devils have back two of their three studs from last year’s title team. The Butler Bulldogs are bringing back most of the team that was in the finale last season. The Michigan State Spartans, even though they have had a terrible year, have a ton of pieces from the puzzle from the Final Four team of two years ago…

Just keep these NCAA Tournament bracket tips in mind, and you’ll be sure to clean up in your 2011 NCAA Tournament free bracket contests this year!