We’ve had some more movement – just a little – on the March Madness odds front. Here’s Friday’s slate with the betting lines at press time.

Midwest
No. 12 Villanova at No. 1 Kansas (–12)
No. 10 Davidson at No. 3 Wisconsin (–5)

South
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 1 Memphis (–4.5)
No. 3 Stanford at No. 2 Texas (–2)

The difference is with the Texas Longhorns, who have lost some steam after reaching –2.5 on Wednesday. This line has been difficult for the books to pin down; it might be anywhere in the vicinity by the time you read this. Stanford is playing in the Pac-10 shadow of UCLA, but the novelty factor of twins Brook and Robin Lopez has earned the Cardinal some extra eyeballs.

There are strong under trends for both teams if the pointspread doesn’t agree with you. The total for Stanford-Texas is 134 (under –105).

David Beckham will make his 100th appearance for England today against France. Only four men have ever reached 100 appearances for England previously. There has been a rumor swirling around that he may or may not play today due to a groin injury sending fans in a fury, and fortunately there was no real injury.

Fabio Capello, England’s coach said yesterday that Beckham will play part of the game at Stade de France; however he hasn’t decided if the midfielder will start. Beckham didn’t play in Capello’s first match against Switzerland last month because the coach felt he wasn’t fit enough during the Major League Soccer off-season.

There is speculation that Beckham, who has regained full fitness ahead of start of the MLS season, may be on the bench but Capello won’t announce his lineup, even to the players.

“I know David Beckham and what he can give me and I think he can make the difference in some respects,” Capello said. “I know what he can give to a team. As for the future, we will have to see.”

History tells us that to write Beckham off is never a smart thing to do. Time and time again, he has proven himself to bounce back at what ever comes his way.

Thursday’s first-round action was all about the chalk. Thirteen of the 16 matchups went to the favorites, and there were no serious upsets of note – although Belmont made it very, very interesting against Duke.

Kansas State was a 3-point dog versus USC, but anyone who puts even a modicum of faith into statistical analysis saw Michael Beasley and the Wildcats winning that one. They’ll be a big handful for the Wisconsin Badgers to deal with in the second round.

UCLA’s massive 70-29 victory over Mississippi Valley State (-31.5) also deserves some praise. That was without Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who wasn’t needed and thus buys some extra time for his sprained left ankle to heal. This is the value of getting a No. 1 seed in the Tournament.

Speaking of which, Kansas (-21) also covered in an 85-61 pasting of Portland State. Rock, chalk, Jayhawk. They get UNLV on Saturday in Omaha.

This Sunday, Woods made his one shot victory was so intense that he went blank after holing a 25-foot birdie putt that caused pandemonium around the 18th hold at bay hill, and heartache for Bart Bryant, the challenger who gave Woods his stiffest test in the last 7 months. This win granted him his 64th win, tying him with Ben Hogan at No. 3 on the all time list.

Coming into the 18th hole he was tied with Bryant when he produced what he called the best swing of the week, a 5-iron from 164 yards into a stiff breeze over the water to a skinny green with bunkers behind it, then came that amazing putt.

“I was so into the moment of the putt going in and winning the golf tournament,” Woods said. “I kept telling myself, ‘I’ve done this before. I did it against Phil. And this time, it’s a little bit deeper into the green, and the putt has a little bit more break, and it has a little more grain. I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

This time Bryant was the opponent. He made 2 birdies, 2 clutch saves, shot 67 and became the only player to break par all four rounds at Bay Hill and that sill wasn’t enough.

“I heard a big cheer, and I got up and left,” Bryant said. “That’s why he’s Tiger Woods.”

No one can say these guys are laying down for Woods. He still had to fight to the finish under a sweltering sun and Bryant was visibly disappointed when he heard the roar and saw the putt.

“I was pretty hopeless sitting there in the trailer, but I did what I thought I was supposed to do, which was put the pressure back on Tiger to make the play,” Bryant said. “And he has a habit of making it when he needs to.”

The North Carolina Tar Heels have done just about everything you could ask a college basketball team to do. They wrapped up the regular season with just two losses. They got revenge for one of those defeats by beating Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the season finale. And they regained the No. 1 spot in the polls heading into the ACC conference tournament.

All great from a basketball standpoint, but here’s what matters to handicappers: 20-8 ATS. That’s the third most profitable record in the nation. Still, we’ve seen this movie before. The Heels were ACC champions last year and a huge moneymaker at 19-12 ATS before March Madness, where they coughed up a big lead and lost to Georgetown in the Elite Eight.

This year’s team can also be beaten, as Duke and Maryland have already shown. North Carolina is ranked 23rd overall in defensive efficiency. Can the Tar Heels protect their Achilles’ heel this time?

Ok this might not be your list of the greatest athletes of all time but since I am the one who’s writing it I get to be the one who picks. Let me know what you think:

1) Michael Jordan
Well this is an obvious pick. He has have 5 MVPs, 3 All Star MVPs and 6 Final MVPs. Sometimes I don’t like this guy but only because his name was shoved in our faces in the 90’s but you got to admit Michael’s got game.

2) Wayne Gretzky
With a nickname like the “Great One” I feel as if it’s my duty to include him in my list. Wayne changed the face of hockey and had skills that players don’t even have today. This guy even has a street named after him!!

3) Muhammad Ali
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” There is a reason why he is known as the greatest of all time. He’s probably the most well known athlete on earth and is always used as a reference to greatness.

4) Lance Armstrong
At 21 Lance won the 1993 World Cycling Championship, then overcoming cancer he went on to win the Tour de France 7 times in a row. What more can I say?

5) Tiger Woods
Ok I have to admit Im not a golf fan but honestly I would know nothing about the sport if it wasn’t for this guy. He’s almost broken every record in the sport and if that’s not domination I don’t know what is.

6) Roger Federer
He is like the God of tennis. Any thing you can do Roger can do better. Sorry but its true. He is so close to perfection it’s a little scary.

Charting the rise and fall of NBA teams is essential to good handicapping. Thus the explosion of power rankings on the Web. My current Top 5 is a blend of John Hollinger’s stat-based rankings and recent ATS performance.

1. Houston Rockets: Seventeen straight wins at press time, 14-1 ATS in their past 15 outings. Fifth in the Hollinger Rankings.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: The best team in the league right now in terms of quality. Scorching hot at 13-2 since the Pau Gasol trade, but may have peaked at 2-3 ATS in their last five.

3. Utah Jazz: After a 5-4 SU and 3-6 ATS run to close out February, Utah has won and covered three straight. Hollinger ranks the Jazz sixth overall.

4. Orlando Magic: Were down to Carlos Arroyo and Hedo Turkoglu (!) at point guard, but getting healthy now. Orlando is 8-2 SU and ATS in the last 10 games and seventh in Hollinger.

5. New Orleans Hornets: No. 8 on the Hollinger list, yet a title contender and 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five.

Country Clubs and elegant courses found far away from urban centers are one thing. But if you don’t have the time or necessarily the pocket book for one of these extravagant golf outings then take a look at our list of the top 10 golf cities in America. Ranked on weather, affordability and quality, the results might just surprise you.

1. Austin, TX
Home to 32 public courses.

2. Columbus, Ohio
66 public courses

3. Las Vegas, NV
53 public courses

4. Dallas, TX
107 public courses

5. Orlando, FL
86 public courses

6. Seattle, Wash.
62 public courses

7. San Jose, CA
23 public courses

8. Atlanta, GA
93 public courses

9. Portland, OR
49 public courses

10. Rochester, NY
65 public courses