Jack Nicholson with Michael Jordan

The most famous fan of the Los Angeles Lakers has also been spotted cheering the UCLA Bruins to victory. Maybe he’s doing some scouting.

If Jack Nicholson decides that the acting life is no longer for him, he’d make one hell of a college basketball coach. Really. He developed his appreciation for the game while growing up in the 1950s, playing pick-up ball on the Jersey Shore. He played guard for one year at high school before he was kicked out of sports after taking a baseball bat to an opponent’s locker room.

You won’t find many college kids willing to question Jack’s authority. Nicholson is highly intelligent, and his alpha male persona is ideally suited for coaching at the college level. But it’s the 30-plus years he’s spent sitting three seats away from the visiting bench at Lakers games that has given Nicholson the experience he needs to be successful.

While students head to the beach, for the coaches it’s no rest for the wicked.

This is quiet time for college basketball. But not really; while the sport is in dry-dock, the programs themselves are constantly busy.

Coaches spent April on recruiting junkets, and those junkets are even more important now that the college ranks are being flooded with “one-and-done” players bound for the NBA after their mandated freshman campaigns.

Other coaches are still getting acquainted with their new employers. Tom Crean has a ton of work to do cleaning up the mess Kelvin Sampson left behind in Indiana. Buzz Williams replaces Crean at Marquette after serving one year as his assistant; he’ll also be a very busy man this summer.

Change doesn’t end with the coaches and players, either. Duke needs a new athletic director after Joe Alleva left for LSU. Dr. Chris Kennedy is handling things on an interim basis. This is a very important development that requires attention, as the ACC as a whole diverts its attention toward developing some quality college football programs.

The NBA Draft is one of those rare events that will have an impact on both pro and college hoops. The annual forecast for teams at both levels hinges on perhaps the most important life decision a talented underclassman will ever make: whether or not to declare for the draft.

Sunday was this year’s deadline to declare; the official list for 2008 comes out May 1, but we already know who’s in and who’s out. The “in” crowd includes Michael Beasley of Kansas State and Derrick Rose of Memphis, the likely top two picks in the lottery. Those deciding to stay in school include Wooden Award winner Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and Blake Griffin of Oklahoma.

The Tigers are also losing Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rose’s partner in the Memphis backcourt. Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier have declared but haven’t signed up with an agent, which means they can (and probably will return). Memphis will at least be competitive next season.

College football and basketball are both very popular in the United States. But varsity sports is not every fan’s cup of tea. The professionals play the game better, as they should. They’re professionals.

But when it comes to sports betting, there really is no comparison. College sports provide far more opportunities for sharp handicappers to cash in. There are 119 football teams and 341 basketball teams in Division I, the vast majority drawing betting lines. The thinner markets in the mid-major conferences are ripe for the picking.

As for the quality of the games, anyone who watched March Madness this year saw some incredibly talented clubs, none more so than the four No. 1 seeds in the Tournament. The major bowl games are must-see events, BCS computers notwithstanding. And you can’t beat the atmosphere that comes with an arena or stadium full of completely devoted and partisan fans.

More games, more money, more fun. This is every handicapper’s dream, right?

The 2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks are the NCAA Division I men’s basketball champions. Their storybook 75-68 overtime win over the Memphis Tigers (-1.5) was the stuff of legends; Mario Chalmers is now a household name after sinking the game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

Chalmers is one of seven Kansas players who may hear their names in June at the NBA Draft. The best prospect is Darrell Arthur, the 6-foot-10 power forward who stepped up in his sophomore year with 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Arthur elevated the Jayhawks from an Elite Eight team in 2007 to national champions today. He could be a late lottery pick.

The upset win over Memphis leaves Kansas at 37-3 SU and 23-15 ATS on the season. The Jayhawks also finished first in efficiency, with the best defense in Division I and the No. 2 offense. Coach Bill Self has finally fulfilled his destiny in Lawrence.

The 2008 NCAA Tournament final will be remembered as one of the best final games in recent memory. The Kansas Jayhawks came back from the dead in the final minutes after falling behind by nine points with 2:12 remaining. Mario Chalmers delivered a clutch three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime. In OT, the Jayhawks dominated and posted a 75-68 win as a 2-point underdog.

Chalmers finished the game with 18 points and four steals to cap off the tournament with the Most Outstanding Player Award. Darrell Arthur netted a team-high 20 points for Kansas, while Brandon Rush added 12 points and is likely now thankful for a knee injury that kept him out of last year’s NBA Draft.

The Tigers looked like they had the game in hand, but had to settle for runner-up laurels. Chris Douglas-Roberts dropped in 22 points for Memphis, while Derrick Rose had 18 points on a disappointing 7-of-17 shooting. The Tigers’ Achilles heel in the loss was free throws, as they shot only 63 percent from the charity stripe.

Memphis Tigers 78, UCLA Bruins 63

In beating the Bruins earlier this evening, the Memphis Tigers advanced to their first NCAA national championship game since 1973. For the Tigers Derrick Rose scored 28 points, Chris-Douglas Roberts scored 25 points, and Joey Dorsey picked up 15 rebounds, keeping UCLA sensation Kevin Love to a mere 12 points and 9 rebounds.

It’s UCLA’s third kick at the can and again they failed to finish big.

“It’s disappointing,” coach Ben Howland said, “and there’s a lot of sad kids in that locker room right now.”

Up next for the Tigers? Well, that’s being decided as we speak. But for now, Memphis is savoring their win and looking ahead to a championship title.

This has been a particularly satisfying bout of March Madness for me. I want to see the best teams playing the best teams, and that’s exactly what has happened – all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. Unless someone pulls a particularly shameful act of bad sportsmanship in San Antonio, whoever wins the Tournament will have well earned it.

If I were making fresh predictions, of course I’d be going with the North Carolina Tar Heels. They’ve swept into the semifinals at 4-0 ATS, pulverizing opponents all the way through the early rounds. We’ve seen increased effort, and thus performance, from Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green and Marcus Ginyard in their junior seasons. In college, experience still counts.

But my original prediction of UCLA stands. Memphis didn’t show the same verve as UNC until the Elite Eight, and I see Kevin Love in the same light as Greg Oden – a game changer. If only Oden had these teammates.

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Villanova: Midwest Regional tipoff @ 9:40 p.m. EST tonight on CBS-HD. The last time these two teams met was back in January 2005, a game in which Villanova won 83-62. So don’t be too quick to write off Villanova in this one against the Jayhawks. The Wildcats are a talented, disciplined team and they’re eager to become one of the Elite Eight.

Some Betting Trends to Consider:
Villanova is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Villanova is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Villanova’s last 14 games
Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas’s last 6 games

Memphis Tigers vs. Michigan State: Tipoff time is @ 9:57 p.m. EST tonight on CBS-HD. I have to believe that this is Memphis’s year IF they can improve their numbers at the freethrow line. Michigan State is looking for an upset.

Betting trends to consider:
Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Michigan State is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan State’s last 6 games
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

Texas Longhorns vs. Stanford Cardinal: Tipoff is @ 7:27 p.m. tonight on CBS-HD. I’m going to give this one to the Longhorns because they’ll have a loud, Texas-sized crowd to cheer them on. Stanford had to win their last game in overtime, so I dunno…I’m thinking there may not be enough left in the tank for tonight.

Betting trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Stanford’s last 7 games
Stanford is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Stanford is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Texas is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas’s last 6 games
Texas is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games

Wisconsin vs. Davidson: Tipoff is tonight @ 7:10 p.m. EST on CBS-HD. I know a lot of people would like to see Davidson make it through to the Elite Eight, but against a hard-working team like the Badgers I suspect they’ll come up short.

Betting trends to consider:
Davidson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Davidson is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Davidson’s last 10 games
Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Wisconsin is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Wisconsin’s last 9 games

There are going to be some very, very good college basketball teams not making the Final Four this year. But who?

Naming the four No. 1 seeds going into the Tournament was easy. But we’ve yet to see all four make it to the semifinals under the current 64/65 team format. UCLA has a relatively easy path through Western Kentucky and maybe Xavier. Everyone else has some work to do.

Kansas shouldn’t be bothered by Villanova in the Sweet 16, but a potential matchup with Wisconsin’s top-ranked defense could gum up the works. I’d still take the Jayhawks straight up in that one. And I suppose the Heels are the right pick, but it won’t be easy for them against Washington State and especially Louisville, should the Cards advance. And they should.

Forcing the trend to work by excluding Memphis doesn’t make sense, but the way the Tigers are playing, I’ll take Texas anyway to win the South.