While the NCAA basketball national title tournament is still more than a month away, the anticipation is already building for what is undoubtedly the biggest online sports betting tournament of the year. There was little change this week in the national rankings as the Ohio State Buckeyes held on to the top spot with a couple of wins, but that could soon change as we take a look at the top five teams in the country heading in to this weekend. The Buckeyes managed to clinch wins over Iowa and Michigan, but looked less than impressive in both games and will need a much better effort heading in to the tougher portion of their Big Ten schedule. Ohio State goes to No. 22 Illinois before returning home for a battle against No. 13 Purdue. The Buckeyes have earned their ranking with a relatively easy schedule thus far, especially since the reigning national champions and former No. 1 Duke Blue Devils conceded that shocking loss, but it will now be on them to prove that they deserve the spot over this next couple of weeks before Super Bowl betting begins. Should the Buckeyes fall off, the Kansas Jayhawks will be quick to step in and take that spot. The second-ranked Jayhawks have the best shooting percentage in the nation, are ranked fourth in assists, and after handing a beating to Baylor there is no reason to think that they can't compete with the best in the country. Kansas will really get the chance to show they are legitimate when they take on the No. 11 Texas Longhorns on Saturday, and will get another tough challenge against No. 24 Kansas State. Even if Ohio State remains undefeated over the next couple of weeks, there is a chance that the Jayhawks can pass them with a couple of big sports betting bonus wins. A tough loss to the Tennessee Volunteers will keep the No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers from advancing any higher even despite the fact that they could potentially beat either of the top two teams on any given night. The Panthers have won eight straight games, including wins over a couple of teams ranked in the top-five in Connecticut and Syracuse. Pittsburgh shouldn't have any trouble over the next couple of weeks, but still has two games against Villanova to prove their worth. It was hard enough for Blue Devils' fans to watch as they trailed Virginia by 10 the other night, but after a 43-18 run there is truth to the belief that Duke still ranks among the top teams in the country. The problem has been inconsistency and a lack of urgency at times, but those are two things that can fix themselves with a little more effort down the stretch the remainder of the year. The ACC won't provide many quality tests, and for now the Blue Devils will continue to tread behind the big three. Wrapping up the top-five heading in to this pay per head weekend is the Syracuse Orange, who suffered their first loss of the season to Pittsburgh this week. The Orange were able to overcome a ridiculous 19-0 deficit to come back and keep it close against the Panthers, but will need to prove themselves all over again to advance any higher than five.
State Buckeyes held on to the top spot with a couple of wins, but that could soon change as we take a look at the top five teams in the country heading in to this weekend.
