College Basketball's Conference Showdowns Leading to the Big Dance

There's no better time of year for gamblers than March Madness. Although the NCAA Tournament is still a week away, the mayhem starts this week with games galore in the conference tournaments. The Big East and MAC Tournaments started Tuesday, while the Big 12, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA tip off Wednesday. On Thursday, the Pac-10, SEC and ACC will join the fray. No matter what happens in Atlanta this weekend, North Carolina has a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance locked up. The Tar Heels captured the ACC regular-season title and are the 4/5 'chalk' to cut the nets down at the Georgia Dome. Duke is listed with 5/2 odds, followed by Wake Forest (11/2), Clemson (10/1) and FSU (15/1). A trio of bubble teams that need at least one victory in Atlanta are Boston College, Maryland, and Miami, who each have 50/1 odds. "If anyone is going to beat UNC in the ACC Tourney, I think it'll be Wake Forest or FSU," said VegasInsider.com handicapper Bill Marzano. "Wake Forest beat the Tar Heels during the regular ... (link)