A variety of media outlets got a hold of Marcus Jordan’s twitter account and when stories were written about it in their newspapers, the authorities decided to look into the matter. Marcus Jordan is a 19 year old sophomore guard for the University of Central Florida. What’s more mind boggling, is that the young Jordan, supposedly spent a total of 50,000 dollars the entire day.

We scratch our heads at his two twitter posts, because at 19 we wonder two things, firstly how does he get all that money just to spend in Las Vegas Secondly, Las Vegas is known as one of the strictest places when it comes to minors and gambling, so how was it not discovered that he was 19 and not 21?

As a result of Marcus Jordan’s actions, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is investigating the Aria. Depending on the severity of the circumstances involved, the Aria could either be heavily fined or have their license suspended. Regardless of what occurs, the MGM Resorts Company’s reputation has been damaged because of underage drinking. They are lucky it was simply a tweet on twitter and not a serious injury to Marcus Jordan.

This week, Jordan told Fox Sports, that the tweet itself has since been removed, and that he may have exaggerated what he spent in Las Vegas. Nonetheless, the fact he was able to drink and party underage in Las Vegas has many questioning the integrity of the MGM Company.

1. Beware of Picking all the Favorites - In an ideal world, fans wagering on the tournament, could be correct in predicting all four number one seeds to make it to the final four. However, in the history of the tournament there has never been a year in which all four number one seeds have made it to the final four, the odds against all four number ones making it, are as small as all four number 17 schools making it. The March Madness tournament has made its reputation on being a tournament filled with upsets, so you should beware of picking all favorites.

2. Conference Affiliation - Teams associated with the SEC, Big 10, Pac 10 and are normally featured on television prior to the tournament, have a stronger chance of making it to the final four, due to the popularity of their programs. As a result, fans can be sure a team such as Duke or Michigan makes it to the final four over a team such as Utah State, because Duke is able to attract bigger name high school talent to fill their squad.

3. Bet Early - When creating your bracket for the tournament, it is important that when betting with a sportsbook, you get your bets in early, as you can bet higher odds on your teams as they progress through to the final four. Further, as the tournament progresses, the odds begin to decline and by betting early you will gain a larger profit.

With a possible expansion in the Pac-10 it will be a dream for online betting as fans would be able to bet on dream games during the regular season rather than simply just in the March Madness tournament. Further, the team that would benefit the most as noted earlier is Texas, as they have one of the top athletics programs in the world. Essentially, by joining the Pac-10 or another conference, the Longhorns, would be able to reap the biggest rewards. Texas would be the leader in the Pac-10 division which would also include Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas Tech. As well, by collaborating with the Pac-10 the teams led by Texas leaving the Big 12 would be able to gain more money on television deals previously noted. As well the biggest benefit of a change, at least for Texas, is that they would only have to make one West Coast trip a year instead of going multiple times.

E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson both decided to withdraw from the NBA draft next month, and with Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers had one of the best trios in the country.  Hummel’s late ACL tear pretty much ended the Boilermakers’ season, and Moore and Johnson couldn’t lift Purdue past Duke in the Sweet 16.  Hummel was obviously the straw that stirred the drink at Purdue, but Moore and Johnson did their part.  Moore led the team in scoring and assists, while Johnson paced the team in rebounds (Hummel was second on the team in all three categories).  Last year’s exit definitely left a bad taste in their mouths, and they didn’t get good feedback from scouts, which is why they decided to come back to campus.

This couldn’t have come at a better time for the Boilermakers, who have a lack of depth up front, and Moore is their only experienced guard.  Johnson and Hummel will be a handful on the boards for any team, and Moore will keep the guards in check.  The Boilermakers should be big betting favorites in the Big Ten, and a spot in the Final Four is now in their hands, barring injury.

After just one year of play for the University of Kentucky, 6-foot-4 guard John Wall announced at a news conference last week that he will be entering the NBA draft.

While expectations have fluctuated around the player since he arrived in Lexington, the John Wall phenomenon would eventually sweep the nation this year.

Fans of online sports betting expect the guard to be the number one pick overall in the draft, although Wall has stated he’s unconcerned with who he plays for. Wall did however, have a message for his UK brethren.

“I never thought college would be this fun for me… I’m always going to be a Kentucky Wildcat for the rest of my life.”

Wall isn’t the only Wildcat entering the draft. Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson has officially announced his intent to enter the NBA draft. Patterson put his name in the draft last year following the coaching shake up at Kentucky, but then returned to play for another year with the Wildcats.

In other draft news, Florida State’s 7-foot-1 center, Solomon Alabi, has announced he is entering the 2010 NBA draft. Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton stated that Alabi was on track to finish his academic work this semester, and would receive a degree in International Relations next year. While Alabi is a great free throw shooter at 7-feet-1, he can get pushed around in a physical game, and seems to take bad shots from outside the paint from time to time. Many fans of basketball betting have posited that Alabi is not ready for the NBA.

As Saturday’s Final Four draws closer, which teams are suffering from injuries may play an important part in determining which teams are most likely to
face off in the 2010 NCAA Championship.

Michigan State continues to be plagued by injuries. While the team has largely rallied around the difficulties, the latest blow dealt the team could
signal disaster. Junior guard Kalin Lucas ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left foot during the first half of Sunday’s game against Maryland. Many Final Four odds makers are positing whether or not the
Spartans can win without Lucas. While Lucas is expected to make a full recovery, the injury ends his tournament run, and his recovery time is expected
to be between four and six months.

The Spartans woes don’t end there. Chris Allen has an arch injury to his right foot, while Delvon Roe is still recovering from knee surgery and Raymar
Morgan reportedly played against the Terrapins with a broken tooth.

In terms of the other teams, West Virginia has also been dealt a blow in the form of injury. Point-guard Darryl Bryant, or “Tuck”, as he’s known, broke
his foot earlier last week, and is currently being fitted with a special shoe that relieves pressure. It is unclear whether or not he will play against
Duke, although sports book cappers expect him to sit out the game, despite optimism from teammates.

While many sportsbook and media pundits are surprised at how the Tournament has unfolded this year,
the teams themselves that make up the Final Four seem pretty comfortable in their roles.

Butler has surprised everyone but themselves. After finishing 2010 in their regular season unbeaten, Butler has gone on to extend that streak into the
Tournament. While many expected them to run roughshod over teams like UTEP, or Murray State, their wins over Syracuse and Kansas State showed Butler
isn’t playing around. Butler isn’t here to see how far they can make it. Butler is here to win.

Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo are more than comfortable in the Final Four. Making their sixth appearance in just 12 years, the Spartans from
Michigan State are more than comfortable in the underdog role, and Izzo has a history of upset-minded game planning. While many are picking Butler in
the match up between these two, many are looking to Izzo to be Michigan State’s x-factor, and provide Butler with their first loss of 2010.

On the other side of the bracket, the Duke Blue Devils are the least surprising of all the teams to make the 2010 Final Four. Duke’s dominating defense
(pardon the alliteration), has been stellar, both in the regular season as well as the Tournament. During regular season play, Duke held opponents to
fewer than 62 points per game, and they continue to be strong on the perimeter on both ends of the court.

Finally, the West Virginia Mountaineers are also unlikely semi-finalists. Full of confidence after their upset win over the Kentucky Wildcats last
Saturday, the Mountaineers will need that confidence to beat Duke. Even more importantly, they’ll need a similar defensive performance like the one
they displayed against the Wildcats if WVU hopes to chalk up another sports betting upset, and end Duke’s 2010
Tournament run.

When it comes to March Madness odds, most of the fun comes from trying to pick the darkhorses to get a big reward. Here is who you should take a chance on when it comes to the big dance.

Georgetown (+2250)

The Hoyas beat South Florida, Syracuse, Marquette in three straight days before losing a narrow one to West Virginia in the Big East final. Playing in a conference like that will make you a tough team, and the Hoyas are not to be counted out. They have a solid inside-outside duo in center Greg Monroe and guard Austin Freeman, but Monroe is the key with his ability to pass out of the post.

Maryland (+6550)

The Terrapins have Greivis Vazquez, a player that has the ability to win a game by himself with his scoring and penetration. Vazquez is the heart of the Terrapins, a group that shoots the ball well and plays tough defense when it has to. They were also good on the road, which will come in handy in neutral-court situations.

Texas (+8550)

The Longhorns were a March Madness favorite and the No.1 team in the country, but a second-half slide saw them fall to an eighth seed. The talent is there for the Longhorns, powered by Damion James, who is a stud at forward. The Longhorns also play defense well and they’re deep, but their hopes rest on a trio of freshman guards: Avery Bradley, J’Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton had a terrible time shooting the ball, especially the latter two, and there are rumors of discontent. If they can manage to put it together for six games, the Longhorns can be a problem.

A Crimson Tide is gaining some momentum at the ideal time.

The South East Conference tips off its 2010 title tournament on Thursday featuring four exciting match ups.

Perhaps none of the other three will be as intense as when Alabama battles South Carolina as the fourth and fifth seeds respectively in the SEC bracket. Both teams underachieved this season, going 6-10 in conference play.

However, Alabama wrapped up its season with consecutive wins including a 79-70 win at South Carolina, and a season finale 73-61 victory at home over Auburn. The Tide are hoping confidence from those wins carries over into Thursday’s opener.

The Gamecocks on the other hand drove a different path to the SEC opener. After winning five of their first nine games to open conference play, things fell apart for South Carolina down the stretch. Six straight losses including a winnable game at home to this Thursday’s opponent pushed the Gamecocks down the standings in the SEC, and now must win the SEC tournament for the first time in their history if they are to have any chance of competing in the March Madness betting tournament.

Devan Downey leads the SEC in average points per game with 22.6, and will need that kind of an effort in addition to increased support from his teammates if South Carolina is to have a chance to pull off the upset.

The winner will meet the nation’s second ranked team Kentucky in the second round.

1) Andy Rautins, Syracuse - Guard

Wesley Johnson, a dynamic wing player with jump-through-the-roof athleticism, is the best player on the Syracuse Orange, but sports betting fans know the most important player is Rautins, a 6-4 senior from Jamesville, N.Y. Rautins – the son of former Syracuse star Leo Rautins – is very comfortable within coach Jim Boeheim’s system. After all, his dad played for Boeheim roughly 30 years ago. When Andy is on his game and hitting a big 3-pointer in a key situation, the Orange feed off their spiritual leader with the sweet shooting stroke.

2) Raymar Morgan, Michigan State - Forward

One of the reasons Michigan State was a popular pick to get back to the Final Four was that Kalin Lucas – the team’s outstanding point guard – was going to be accompanied by Morgan, a long and rangy forward who can influence a game in many different ways. Morgan was slowed down by illness last season, but he still found the stamina to become a significant contributor on a team that reached the national championship game. This 2010 campaign has been very disappointing for the 6-8, 230-pound senior from Canton, Ohio. Morgan has scored in double figures only once in his past seven games. He’ll need to step up if the Spartans are to have a successful NCAA Tournament.

3) Roman Martinez, New Mexico - Forward

Teammate Darington Hobson is the most versatile and eye-popping player on coach Steve Alford’s Lobos, but without the gruntwork provided by Martinez, New Mexico simply wouldn’t be as strong as it currently is. Martinez has quietly – if that’s possible – averaged 14 points and six boards a game this season. For a 6-6, 185-pound forward to do that well in the paint is a sign of Martinez’s nose for the ball. His basketball IQ is very high, and that’s a big reason New Mexico has been so successful in 2010.