For All The Marbles Michigan and Ohio State have met on the final Saturday of the Big Ten season every year since 1935, so for the past 73 years there’s been no need to look ahead on the schedule. It’s possible, however, that the Buckeyes and Wolverines may have done just that.
Author: Anthony Rome
Mizzo Hits The Road Chase Daniel led Missouri to a 6-0 start last year in his first season as a full-time starter, but a second-half fade ruined the team’s best beginning in 33 years. So far this season, Daniel hasn’t allowed the Tigers to endure a similar letdown. The Heisman Trophy candidate looks to help the sixth-ranked Tigers (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) to the second 10-win season in school history when they visit Kansas State (5-5, 3-4) on Saturday.
Dawgs Tough in Athens Since Georgia was blown out at Tennessee, Mark Richt has undergone a transformation from a mild-mannered, by-the-book coach to a tricky risk-taker. His team has followed suit. The eighth-ranked Bulldogs look to stay in the SEC East race and win their fifth straight Saturday when they host No. 22 Kentucky, which hasn’t won in Athens in 30 years.
Plenty of Offense Those who like low-scoring football might not enjoy what happens in Boise this Saturday. No. 17 Boise State’s prolific offense should be on display when the Broncos welcome rival Idaho and its struggling defense to the blue turf of Bronco Stadium, looking for their 17th straight win in Western Athletic Conference play.
Much on The Line in TENN Tennessee will likely need to win its last two games to play in the SEC championship game for the first time in three seasons. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, will probably need a pair of victories to earn its first bowl invite in 25 years. The 19th-ranked Volunteers look to keep their SEC Eastern Division title hopes alive while the Commodores continue their push for a bowl berth when the teams meet Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Pivotal Big East Matchup West Virginia is coming off one of its worst performances of the season, but still managed to come away with a victory. It may not be as lucky if it has a similar outing against Cincinnati. The fifth-ranked Mountaineers continue their push for the Big East crown on Saturday when they visit the 21st-ranked Bearcats, who are back in the thick of the conference chase.
Team in Turmoil Playing without two starters is hard enough. Now the struggling New York Knicks will be without point guard Stephon Marbury for an undetermined amount of time. The Knicks figure to be without leading scorer Zach Randolph and Marbury again on Wednesday night when they continue a four-game road trip with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Rockets Rollin’ The Houston Rockets already have two three-game winning streaks this season. They haven’t had nearly as much success winning three in a row against the Los Angeles Lakers in recent years. The Rockets look to win four straight against the Lakers for the first time in more than 12 years when the teams meet at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night in a rematch of their season opener.
Important MAC Game For the second time in a week, the Akron Zips will be playing on a Wednesday night when they invade Oxford, OH to take on the MAC East leading Redhawks. This spot was very good to them their last time out as they went on to defeat Ohio by a 48-37 final count to snap their 3-game losing streak. The 48-point outburst by the Zips was their highest scoring output of the season, and they’ll look to play the role of spoiler this evening. As for Miami, this will be their first game in 11 days after…
Up For The Challenge? After New Jersey lost to Boston four days ago, the Nets’ Richard Jefferson declared the Celtics would not finish the season undefeated. While the thought of an NBA team posting a perfect record over 82 games is far-fetched, it’s still mathematically possible for Boston.