After the NHL trade deadline wraps up for NHL betting players at 3:00 PM ET, college basketball betting players will be in for a treat on Wednesday, when Kansas State heads to Kansas for a clash of top-five teams, and Kansas hasn’t lost at home in 58 straight games. The Wildcats would love to snap this streak, as well as avenge an overtime loss at home earlier this year.

Kansas State vs Kansas odds – Wednesday, March 3, 8:00 PM ET

The No.5 Wildcats (24-4, 11-3) sunk Missouri 63-53, and it looked like they were looking ahead to the Jayhawks before they stepped up their game. Jamar Samuels came off the bench to score 14 points, while Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente had 11 apiece.

The No.2 Jayhawks (27-2, 13-1) lost their first Big 12 game of the season, falling 85-77 at Oklahoma State in a game where the Cowboys shot 60.4% from the floor. Sherron Collins had 22 points for the Jayhawks, while Xavier Henry hit 17.

The Jayhawks will be favored in this contest, and they’ve won eight of their last 10 meetings with Kansas State, including their 81-79 overtime win on January 30^th. Kansas can clinch the Big 12 regular-season outright with a win, while the Wildcats’ slim chances of sharing the crown with Kansas will stay alive with a victory. Look for an emotional game from Collins and Cole Aldrich, who will be playing their final game at Allen Fieldhouse, and Aldrich will be ready to go after being benched for a lot of the Oklahoma State game.

Bet college basketball: Kansas

March is nearly upon us, and as the bracket shakeups and breakups continue, things begin to (sort of) settle down. If you’ll pardon the alliteration, sweet sixteen sleepers are tough to pick this year, because it seems as soon as a team seems to present itself as being poised to perhaps surprise some folks, they hit a rough patch and it seems all that much more unlikely.

One such team is Florida State. FSU looks like it might just be a potential sweet 16 sleeper, however, the Seminoles have now lost three of their last five, and they looked dreadful in the first half against Clemson last Wednesday evening. If FSU are going to make a run, they have to get their act together, because their time is nearly up. Another team that looks more likely to make a sweet sixteen run is Lionel Richie’s favorite team, the Vanderbilt Commodores. Jokes referencing 1970s pop culture aside, Vanderbilt will have their work cut out for them on Thursday when they head to Mississippi to face the Rebels who are desperate for a win.

Finally, North Carolina’s Tar Heels are another possibility as sweet sixteen sleepers, although fans of internet gambling know that hope is fading fast. The Tar Heels – a team in transition, proved too young and inexperienced to compete at the level of their division, particularly defensively. Their record against the top 50 leaves much to be desired, and their key win against Michigan State happened all the way back in October. If the Tar Heels are going to do something, they had better do it fast.

While everyone was watching the Super Bowl spread, Steve Nash was doing some spreading of his own en route to his 8,000^th career assist. On Monday night Nash had 15 points and 15 assists in a losing effort as the Phoenix Suns were out gunned 124-115 in Utah by the Jazz. Coming into the game needing just two assists to reach the mark, he left no chance.

The Victoria, BC native is averaging a league high 11 assists per game and became just the eighth player to reach the 8,000 mark. The 35 year old Nash joins the likes of John Stockton, Marc Jackson and Magic Johnson on a very distinct list of which only the two active players are not yet in the Hall of Fame. Jason Kidd is the only other active player with over 8,000 assists (10,594).

Nash is having a great season and his numbers of 18.4 points and 11 assists are very similar to his two MVP years in the 2004/5 and 2005/6 seasons. If he continues on his pace of roughly 800 assists per year, he should be able to pass Isiah Thomas and Gary Payton by the end of next season to move into sixth all time. Utah fans need not worry because at his current pace, Nash would need 10 more seasons to surpass Stockton’s career record of 15,806.

Next up for the Suns is a two game home stretch against the Charlotte Bobcats and Nash’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks. One looking for betting tips can be assured that after a short recognition of achievement ceremony for him before the game, he will continue on distributing the ball early and often as he has done over his 13 year career.

An NFL betting player who likes underdogs would probably look at Wednesday’s NBA matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans, a pair of teams that are playing better than anyone expected them to this year.

Clippers vs Hornets betting – Wednesday, January 13, 8:00 PM ET

The Clippers had won four in a row prior to Tuesday’s game in Memphis which kicked off a three-game road trip, and they finally look to be getting everyone back and healthy, which is key to their rhythm. Baron Davis has averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 assists over his last five outings, and Chris Kaman is getting support as a possible All-Star, averaging 20.4 points and 9.4 boards for the Clippers.

The Hornets have won seven of their last eight, and guess who is leading the way? Chris Paul has scored more than 20 points once in the last five games, but he’s averaging 13.8 assists, while David West is averaging 19.8 points during that span. The Hornets need West to be more consistent to take some pressure off of Paul.

The Hornets should be the sports betting favorites at home, where they are 14-3, and they thumped the Clippers 112-84 in Los Angeles back in November. The Clippers didn’t help themselves, shooting 55% from the line. This should be a closer game than before, but the Clippers are 5-10 on the road as of Tuesday, and West Coast teams have problems with the time change.

US sportsbook pick (US sportsbook reviews): New Orleans

I wonder what the sports betting odds were on how long it would take Allen Iverson to return to the NBA. “The Answer” made his return to the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia 76ers in a 93-83 loss to Denver, where Iverson was traded to last year from Detroit. Iverson played 38 minutes, going 4-of-11 from the floor for 11 points, while adding six assists and five boards for the 76ers. Quite frankly, this is the best scenario for Iverson, and for the 76ers’ NBA betting odds.

First, Philadelphia fans LOVE Iverson. I mean, the last time they were good, he was the reason for it. They’ll follow that dude through a fire if they have to. Second, Iverson seems to realize that it’s Andre Igoudala’s team, as Iggy had 31 against the 76ers. Now, I have no problem with Iverson playing major minutes….as long as he understands that he’s no longer a superstar and starts jacking up 30 shots a game. Iverson is an excellent complementary piece if he keeps his head together, and you never know: the 76ers could be an NBA betting darkhorse in your sportsbook if Iverson sticks to the script.

Cleveland is finally playing like the sportsbook favorites we allkknew they were, and they played very well in a 111-104 win over Miami on the road, their third straight win away from home. But that’s neither here nor there. I’m wonder if the kids still hang up posters on their wall, because THIS is the epitome of a posterization:

AND THEN…..he goes back to walk over him, Allen Iverson-Tyronn Lue style:

This has no bearing on either team’s online betting odds, but you may look back on this later in the season, and I’m willing to bet you won’t see a better posterization than that. Then, Anderson Varejao (Sideshow Bob) had the nerve to try and talk smack to D-Wade after the play was done. He got a technical foul for his efforts. You know, he’s a talented player, but someone needs to tell Bob to shut up sometimes. Actin’ like you’re worth $10-12 mil a season,  you know what that gets:

My pick for Saturday’s Pacquiao Cotto odds: Miguel will give him a run, but he doesn’t have the patience to hang with Manny, who will frustrate him into making a mistake.

So, the online betting season for NBA fans tipped off on Tuesday with a massive matchup between two of the title contenders, Boston and Cleveland. How did these two fare in Game No.1?

The Cavs got off to a quick start in the first quarter before the Celtics’ veteran experience kicked in, and they outscored Cleveland 30-17 in the second quarter. The Boston reserves outscored their counterparts 26-10, thanks in large part to Rasheed Wallace, who notched 12 in his debut. The pickup of Wallace is seen to be a boost to the Celtics’ NBA odds, as he can spell Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points and 10 boards. Paul Pierce has 23 and 11 boards to lead the way for the Celtics.

How about the Cavs, one of the trendy sportsbook picks this year? It was similar to last year. LeBron James had 38 and eight assists, but the next highest Cav was Mo Williams with 12, and he was only 3-of-8 from the field. Shaquille O’Neal had 10 and 10 in his Cleveland debut, and that’s all they really need from him. But they need secondary scoring, preferably from Williams and Anthony Parker.

So, what can we take away from this game? Not much. It’s the first game in a long, long season. All we know is, these two will be there at the end of the season, and this is just a prelude to a rivalry that’s gone from budding to full-on.

PS: I’m going to throw in World Series picks as much as I can. Take the Yankees in Game 1. Sabathia edges Lee in a pitcher’s duel, while Cleveland Indians fans slit their wrists.

Oklahoma City’s NBA odds are awful in the first place, but then, Henry Abbott came out with an column on ESPN that said Kevin Durant is hurting his team. Okay, here goes:

I’m not going to look at the numbers, because I’m sure they’re all very pretty and Abbott probably did a lot of research, but really? Kevin Durant hurting the Thunder? The kid averaged 25.3 points and 6.5 boards last year, and I’m pretty sure there is no way to quantify the load that Durant had to carry last year. You know: pretty much an entire franchise on the back of a 21-year-old (then 20). Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are great wingmen, but they couldn’t carry the team like Durant, who is moving up the sportsbook ranks as an MVP candidate.

Let’s not even mention that he makes going to a Thunder game worth the price per head (most of the time, anyway). Durant does more for that franchise than what is shown in the box scores and stats (and he fills those, too). So if you see Henry Abbott out and about, don’t let him make any of your sports picks for you.

Since NBA betting season is upon us, and the preseason is underway, we’re going to look at…..a feud between LeBron James and a football player.

James has been busy over the summer, pushing his documentary “More Than A Game” (shouldn’t you win a title first before making a documentary?) and making a guest appearance on “Entourage” (which was understated and funny). But he also found time to get into a little trouble, indirectly. Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Braylon Edwards is being accused of punching James’ friend at a nightclub, and James called Edwards “childish”, stating that Edwards must be jealous of him and his friends.

Shoot, why wouldn’t he? Edwards plays for a team that you couldn’t pay people to bet on in your offshore sportsbook. James has great hands, Edwards drops more than he catches. Edwards doesn’t have a movie out. It would be funny to see Edwards and James fight, although I’m betting management of the Cavs fail to see the humor in it.

Nothing will happen here, and everything will be fine….except for Edwards, who continues to be a part of a squad whose Super Bowl odds were flushed before they started.

Online sports betting players are just dying to see how Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest interact as teammates after so many battles in opposite uniforms, but Artest is trying to take some of the attention off the Lakers’ superstar with some recent words. However, it may not have been the best choice of words.

Artest came out and told the media that he wanted the blame if the Lakers don’t repeat as NBA champions. Now, that’s a bold statement. Granted, the Lakers are sure to be at the top, or at least near the top, of the list of favorites in your offshore sportsbook, but that’s a huge burden to have on you. Shoot, ask Tracy McGrady:

Because the pressure can make you go:

Now granted, Artest is much tougher than McGrady, his former Houston teammate, but maybe he should just get used to running the triangle before he goes making statements like this. Then again, that’s why we love Ron Ron, isn’t it?

Crazy Ron Artest or not, still, the Lakers will be one of the most popular sports picks of the fall.