Daily Sports Roundup
Friday March 19
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Jazz take on the Suns in Phoenix, while the Orange and Blue Devils put their top seeds on the line in the NCAA tourney.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
There are 11 games around the NBA on Friday, including Oklahoma City at Toronto. The Thunder (41-25 SU, 39-27 ATS) fell 100-92 in Charlotte in their last game on Wednesday, with Kevin Durant scoring 26 points in the losing cause. The Raptors (33-33 SU, 29-37 ATS) slipped past Atlanta for a 106-105 win in their last game on Wednesday night; Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 11 rebounds in that win. The Thunder and Raptors met in Oklahoma City back on February 28, with the Raptors missing star forward Chris Bosh in a 119-99 loss.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Detroit at Indiana, Philadelphia at New York, Charlotte at Atlanta, Cleveland at Chicago, Boston at Houston, Golden State at San Antonio, Washington at Portland, Milwaukee at Sacramento, Minnesota at the Lakers, and Utah at Phoenix. The Jazz (44-24 SU, 42-23-3 ATS) have won two straight games, blowing past Minnesota in a 122-100 win on Wednesday night. The Suns (42-26 SU, 39-28-1 ATS) have also won two in a row, beating the T-Wolves 152-114 on Tuesday. Utah is 2-0 vs. Phoenix this year.
Over in the NCAA Tournament the first round wraps up on Friday, with top seeds Syracuse and Duke hitting the hardwood. The Orange (28-4 SU, 18-9 ATS) are No. 1 in the West Region, and they'll take on No. 16 Vermont in front of a friendly crowd at Buffalo's HSBC Arena on Friday night; the oddsmakers have Syracuse pegged as big 17-point favorites in that matchup, with the total at 143 points. The Blue Devils (29-5 SU, 18-14-1 ATS) will take on No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday night. Duke is listed as a 23-point favorite vs. the Golden Lions, who got the win in Tuesday's play-in contest.
Duke is No .1 in the South; other South matchups Friday: No. 13 Siena vs. No. 4 Purdue (-4), No. 12 Utah State vs. No. 5 Texas A&M (-3), and No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 8 California (-1). In the West on Friday it's also No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Xavier (PK), No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh (-10.5), and No. 9 Florida State (-1.5) vs. No. 8 Gonzaga. In the Midwest it'll be No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State (-1.5), No. 12 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Michigan State (-13), No. 15 UCSB vs. No. 2 Ohio State (-17.5), and No. 13 Houston vs. No. 4 Maryland (-9.5). As well, the East matchups on Friday are No. 15 Morgan State vs. No. 2 West Virginia (-17.5), No. 12 Cornell vs. No. 5 Temple (-4), No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Clemson (-1.5), and No. 13 Wofford vs. No. 4 Wisconsin (-10).
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the National Hockey League has four games on tap for Friday, with Minnesota at Columbus, Detroit at Edmonton, the Islanders at Anaheim, and San Jose at Calgary. The Flames helped their playoff chances with a 3-2 win in Colorado on Wednesday night; Rene Bourque scored twice for Calgary in that contest, while Vesa Toskala made 32 saves between the pipes. Calgary, though, was bombed 9-1 in San Jose the last time they took on the Sharks on January 18. Joe Pavelski had a goal and three assists for San Jose in that game, and Dany Heatley scored twice. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 21 of the 22 Calgary shots.
Friday's Wagering Tips
Lines off the board
Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers: Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey (seizure) and center Ben Wallace (knee) are probable and center Chris Wilcox (back) is questionable.
Charlotte Bobcats at Atlanta Hawks: Bobcats forwards Gerald Wallace (ankle) and Stephen Jackson (heel) are probable. Hawks guard Joe Jackson (Achilles) is questionable.
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs: Warriors guard Stephen Curry (ankle) and forward Ronny Turiaf (knee) are questionable.
Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns: Jazz guards Deron Williams (ankle) and Wesley Matthews (knee) and forward Andrei Kirilenko (calf) are questionable.
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers: Bulls guard Derrick Rose (wrist) is probable and center Luol Deng (calf) is doubtful.
New York Islanders at Anaheim Ducks: Islanders wing Kyle Okposo (undisclosed) and Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (ankle) and wing George Parros (head) are questionable.
Lines to keep an eye on
Washington Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers: The total opened at 193 and dropped to 192. Under is 8-2 in last 10 at Portland.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers: The total opened at 215.5 and jumped to 216.5. Over is 7-2 in the T'wolves' last nine.
Morgan State vs. West Virginia: The Mountaineers opened as 16.5-point favorites but that number has jumped to as high as 18 at some books.
Who's hot
Milwaukee Bucks are 22-5-1 ATS in their last 28.
Cleveland Cavaliers are 11-1 SU in their last 12.
Golden State Warriors are 10-3 ATS in their last 13.
Cornell is 10-0 ATS in their last 10 vs. the Atlantic 10.
Who's not
Toronto Raptors are 1-11 ATS in their last 12.
Chicago Bulls have lost nine in a row SU and are 2-7 ATS.
Washington Wizards have lost nine in a row SU.
Missouri Tigers are 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in their last four.
Key stat
15.9 - Average margin of victory for the Lakers' during their current nine-game winning streak over the Timberwolves. The Lakers are favored by 15.5.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Missouri forward Laurence Bowers, who moved into the starting lineup after an injury to Justin Safford, revealed this week that he is postponing surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his wrist until after the NCAA Tournament. It could be a short wait since Bowers, who averages 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, clearly will not be 100 percent for today's first-round game against Clemson.
Game of the day
Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns
Notable quotable
"That shot was bigger than he could imagine. It wasn't just a game-winning shot. We'll remember this for the rest of our lives."
No. 13-seeded Murray State's B.J. Jenkins said of teammate Danero Thomas' buzzer-beater to upset No. 4 Vanderbilt 66-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tips and notes
Following their fifth straight loss Monday, Raptors star Chris Bosh called out his teammates and himself. On Thursday they responded with a 106-105 victory over Atlanta on Bosh's buzzer-beater. The last time Bosh went off like this, also after a five-game losing streak in December, the Raptors won three straight and 20 of their next 29. Consider it a warning more than a tip if the Thunder -1.5 points sounds too easy.
If the Timberwolves haven't quit, it's safe to say the white flag has been unfurled and is ready for waving. The T'wolves are 1-17 SU in their last 18 and 0-6-1 ATS in their last seven, losing their last three on their current road trip by an average of 25 points and letting foes score more than 129 during that stretch. The Lakers are home, healthy and hungry against the tired T'wolves, who are playing their fifth road game in seven days.
Many believe West Virginia should be a No. 1 seed and they Mountaineers might be if they could shoot. But despite being one of the NCAA Tournament's hottest teams heading into the tourney, WVU also are among the coldest-shooting teams in the field. It's been 12 games since the Mountaineers have hit better than 37 percent from 3-point range and more than two months since they shot better than 50 percent from the field.