Daily Sports Roundup
Saturday, December 5
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Top-ranked Florida meets Alabama, Texas tries to stay perfect against Nebraska, and Cincinnati does battle with Pittsburgh.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
There are 14 games on the college football schedule for Saturday, with the biggest one featuring No. 1 Florida taking on No. 2 Alabama for the SEC Championship. The Gators (12-0 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) and Crimson Tide (12-0 SU, 7-5 ATS) will effectively be playing for a berth in the BCS title game on Saturday, with Florida coming off a 37-10 win over Florida State and Alabama topping Auburn 26-21 last time out. The Gators have been pegged as 5.5-point favorites.
No. 3 Texas will also be trying to punch its ticket to the BCS Championship on Saturday when it takes on No. 21 Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. The Longhorns (12-0 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) beat Texas A&M 49-39 in their last contest, with Colt McCoy throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The Cornhuskers (9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS) are coming off a 28-20 win over Colorado. Oddsmakers have sided with the Longhorns for this matchup on Saturday, as they're 14.5-point favorites.
No. 12 Georgia Tech will take on No. 25 Clemson in the ACC title game on Saturday, with the Yellow Jackets sitting as slim 1-point favorites. As well, No. 5 Cincinnati meets No. 14 Pittsburgh to decide the Big East championship, with the unbeaten Bearcats favored by 2.5 points. And in the other game with BCS implications, New Mexico State takes on No. 6 Boise State in a WAC matchup, with the Broncos still perfect at 12-0 (9-2 ATS) and set as huge 47.5-point faves.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA offers up nine games on Saturday, with Philadelphia at Charlotte, Toronto at Chicago, Utah at Minnesota, Atlanta at Dallas, Sacramento at Phoenix, Houston at Portland, Orlando at Golden State, Indiana at the Clippers, and Denver at San Antonio. The Nuggets (14-5 SU, 11-8 ATS) rolled past Miami 114-96 on Thursday night, with Carmelo Anthony pouring in 22 points. The Spurs (9-7 SU, 8-8 ATS) lost 90-83 at home to Boston in their last contest on Thursday.
As well, the top college hoops matchup on Saturday has No. 10 North Carolina at No. 5 Kentucky. The Tar Heels (7-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) beat Michigan State 89-82 in their last game, while the Wildcats (7-0 SU, 2-3 ATS) pounded N.C. Asheville 94-57 last time out. There are three other Top-10 teams in action on Saturday, with Maine at No. 8 Syracuse, St. John's at No. 6 Duke, and Buffalo at No. 4 Purdue. The Boilermakers (6-0 SU, 3-2-1 ATS) are coming off a 69-58 win over Wake Forest in their last contest, with E'Twaun Moore scoring 22 points in that victory.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are 14 games on the National Hockey League slate for Saturday, including Calgary at San Jose in a late-night matchup. The 17-7-3 Flames fell 2-1 in Phoenix on Thursday night, with David Moss providing Calgary's lone goal. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 29 shots in the defeat. The 19-6-5 Sharks fell 3-2 in a shootout to St. Louis in their last game on Thursday. Dany Heatley potted his 19th goal of the season in that contest, and Evgeni Nabokov picked up 28 saves.
Also on the ice on Saturday: Vancouver at Carolina, Edmonton at Dallas, St. Louis at Los Angeles, Atlanta at Florida, Colorado at Columbus, Washington at Philadelphia, Detroit at New Jersey, the Rangers at Buffalo, the Islanders at Tampa Bay, Chicago at Pittsburgh, Minnesota at Nashville, Ottawa at Phoenix, and Toronto at Boston. Maple Leafs sniper Phil Kessel will make his return to Beantown in that last matchup; Kessel has 10 goals in 15 games so far this year.
Today's Helpful Tips
Saturday, December 5
Wall-flower
The two winningest teams in college basketball history collide when North Carolina and Kentucky meet on the hardcourt Saturday.
Wildcats’ freshman phenom John Wall is a Raleigh native and will get the chance to showcase his talents to the school that missed out on his recruiting sweepstakes.
The defending national champions have owned this series in recent years, winning the last five meetings and going 5-0 ATS during that stretch.
Both of these teams average more than 80 points per outing and with a multitude of scouts expected to be on hand, these players will be looking to light up the scoreboard.
Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson returned from an ankle injury last game, contributing 17 points and nine rebounds, and is expected to play against the Tar Heels.
Oddsmakers have installed the Wildcats as a 3-point favorite with a total of 152.
The Great Grigsby
Arizona tailback Nic Grigsby is listed as doubtful for the game against USC due to a shoulder injury he’s been battling all season. Grigsby saw limited action in the overtime loss to Oregon, but sat on the sidelines last week against Arizona State.
Keola Antolin picked up the slack in the win over the Sun Devils, rushing for 79 yards and a score on seven carries. The sophomore has averaged 8.1 yards per carry over his last five games.
Despite the disparity in playing level between these two teams during the last decade, Arizona has gone 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games of this series. The Wildcats have gone 4-0 ATS during the last four seasons and have never been less than a 14-point underdog during that span.
The line opened at 7 in favor of the Trojans and the total has dropped from 51 to 49.5.
Oden to joy
The Trailblazers could be without both of their big men when they face the Rockets on Saturday. Houston has won three in a row during its recent road trip while Portland has lost three straight.
Greg Oden missed most of Friday’s practice with a sprained ankle, but the center said he hopes to play on Saturday. LaMarcus Aldridge was unexpectedly absent from the starting lineup in Tuesday’s home loss to the Heat. He missed all of practice on Friday with a right knee injury and is questionable for the game.
The Trailblazers have been giving up 107.0 ppg during their three-game slide, but will look to get back on track against a Houston team that has averaged 99.2 ppg over its last five outings.
The Rockets have gone under the total in their last four games and the under is 5-1 during the last six meetings of this series.
Lightning doesn’t strike
Goals have come at a premium for the Lightning during the last week.
In Tampa Bay’s last four games, the team has been shutout once and netted the puck at a 1.5 gpg average.
The Islanders haven’t been offensive juggernauts either. New York is posting a menial 2.3 gpg during its last four outings.
Tampa Bay has played to the under in two straight while the Islanders have gone under in six of their last eight games. The under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings of this series.
The Lightning are favored at -120 with the total set at 5.5.
Notable quotable
“I'm sitting at my desk watching them, there's just no movement. And you start talking about…I mean, gigantic human beings. Our strength is really the interior offensive line. I think it will be a good matchup. The big issue is how much movement (we can get).”
-- Florida head coach Urban Meyer on Alabama defensive players Terrence “Mount” Cody and Rolando McClain.