After falling to the Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend in their first loss of the season, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes made a statement on Wednesday night against USC Upstate, even without their leading scorer Jared Sullinger out of the lineup. Sullinger is expected to be back in the lineup for the Buckeyes for Saturday’s game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, but if Ohio State is going to move up to first this weekend they will need some help across the NCAA basketball betting nation.

(2) Ohio State Buckeyes @ South Carolina Gamecocks

Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

Sullinger’s status is still unknown heading in to this weekend, but the Buckeyes should be okay without him for the next couple of weeks without another game against one of the top-ranked teams in the country. The tandem of William Buford and Deshaun Thomas becomes even more important for Ohio State with Sullinger out, particularly in their lone road date before three straight at home. The Gamecocks have gotten off to a slow start in the SEC, including a 25-point loss to the Tar Heels in late November, so they shouldn’t be much of a threat as the underdogs to Ohio State according to the pay head bookies.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes

(1) Syracuse Orange @ North Carolina State Wolfpack

Saturday, 6:30 PM ET

With a ton of teams losing at the top of the national rankings, the Orange become the last team standing at No. 1, with a visit to North Carolina State set for this Saturday. Syracuse squeezed past Florida by four in their only matchup against a top-25 opponent, and while a talented Wolfpack team should push them, the Orange will prevail as modest sports betting favorites.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Syracuse Orange

It didn’t take long for the North Carolina Tar Heels to lose their status as the top-ranked team in the country, as they fell to the UNLV Rebels last week in a game that pushed them all the way down to fifth in the national rankings. However, UNC won’t have to wait long for their shot at redemption, as they head to Rupp Arena to take on the newly crowned No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats this weekend in an early NCAA basketball betting showdown.

(5) North Carolina Tar Heels @ (1) Kentucky Wildcats

Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

The Tar Heels rebounded well from their first loss, taking down the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers in a 60-57 win on Wednesday night to improve to 6-1. Harrison Barnes scored 10 of his 20 points during a second-half surge in which UNC finally began to come together as a team, which is a promising sign for head coach Roy Williams, who had completely lost it earlier in the game when he ripped off his jacket in a fury over the way that his team was performing. Even despite their status as the top team in the country, the Wildcats will be the underdog for this game according to the pay head bookies, and rightfully so given the talent that the Tar Heels have at their disposal. The difference in the two teams early on has been Kentucky’s ability to focus and play with determination under head coach John Calipari, but if Williams can get his squad to play with that same urgency, then North Carolina will be in a good spot and worth the wager on betonline.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Tar Heels

In their first major test of the college basketball season, the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats passed with flying colors on Wednesday, taking down the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks 75-65 in a game that illustrated their incredible speed and perimeter shooting. It seems as though every year the turnover that the school experiences leads to its share of sports betting skeptics for the following season, but as is the case nearly every year it doesn’t take long for the Wildcats to prove their doubters wrong.

With Doron Lamb dropping 17, and Terrence Jones rallying with another 15, Kentucky pulled away in the second-half after holding the Jayhawks to a tie at the break. While the Wildcats didn’t look anything close to a national title contender at points with turnovers and a few notable breakdowns in communication, they still exhibited the talent and resilience to overcome some rough pay head patches, including blocking 13 shots and holding Kansas to just 33.9-percent shooting. Kentucky started their three most talked-about freshman, but their performance may have been overshadowed by the presence of Duke Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his achievements at Madison Square Garden earlier in the night as part of an incredibly entertaining doubleheader. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with nine rebounds and four assists as the most impressive 5 dimes review performers, and with their next game against undefeated Penn State, it should make for another early test for the young Wildcats.

With the NBA fishing games lockout forcing many of the 2010 – 11 seasons freshmen to stay in school for the upcoming 11 – 12 seasons, most college basketball handicappers, have a rough idea of who the top stars in the country are. However, while Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger get most of the recognition on the college basketball sports betting scene, other lesser known players will be able to master their craft this season. Here are a few underdogs fans should keep their attention on this season.

Anthony Davis F Kentucky Wildcats – According to Rivals.com Anthony Davis is considered to be the best big man to come out of the 2011 recruiting class for Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari. Blessed with a six foot 10 frame, Davis will replace power forward Josh Harrelson who graduated after the Wildcats lost in the Final Four back in March.

Since Davis is a freshman, and only 210 pounds, the concern is that he may not be able to compete with other big men in the SEC conference in a starters role. However, if Davis can make an impact right away, he and fellow Kentucky big man Terrence Jones should be one of the scariest tandems in the entire NCAA this season.

Josiah Turner G Arizona Wildcats – With the loss of Derrick Williams to the NBA Draft this past June, six foot three guard Josiah Turner enters the Arizona Wildcats lineup at an ideal time. Essentially, as the prize of the Wildcats 2011 draft class, Turner can be considered one of the centerpieces of the new look offense. Turner’s court IQ and defense should make him one of the deadliest guards in the entire Pac-12. This in turn should allow the Wildcats to build on one of the most successful seasons in school history.