Daily Sports Roundup
Saturday, November 21
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Spurs host the Wizards, the Longhorns get set for the Jayhawks, and the Gators have a date with the Golden Panthers.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The No. 1 Florida Gators will look to stay undefeated in college football action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Florida International as huge 45-point favorites (with the total at 54 points). Tim Tebow and company (10-0 SU, 3-5-1 ATS) got past South Carolina 24-14 last weekend, with the quarterback throwing for 199 yards and a touchdown in that win (and also rushing for a score). The Golden Panthers (3-7 SU, 4-6 ATS) are coming off a 35-28 win over North Texas.
No. 3 Texas is also a big favorite on Saturday, as they're giving up 27.5 points at home against Kansas (with that total at 57 points). No. 4 TCU will be looking to cover a 31-point spread on the road on Saturday when they take on Wyoming (with a total of 47.5). No. 9 Ohio State (-12) has a date in Michigan on Saturday, while No. 10 LSU is a road underdog against Mississippi (-4.5). No. 2 Alabama is also in action on Saturday, but there's no line for their game against Chattanooga.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
Nine games make up the NBA schedule for Saturday, with New York at New Jersey, Philadelphia at Cleveland, Atlanta at New Orleans, Milwaukee at Memphis, Sacramento at Houston, Chicago at Denver, Detroit at Utah, Minnesota at Portland, and Washington at San Antonio. The Spurs slipped to 4-6 (4-6 ATS) on the season with a 90-83 loss to Utah on Thursday night. Both Manu Ginobili (groin) and Tony Parker (ankle) sat out Thursday night against the Jazz.
As well, No. 4 Kentucky (3-0 SU, 0-2 ATS) will try to pick up their fourth straight win to start the season in college hoops action on Saturday. The Wildcats got past Sam Houston State 102-92 in their last game on Thursday. Rider (2-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) will be looking to knock the Wildcats for a loss; they fell 79-46 to Virginia on Thursday. No. 9 Duke also plays on Saturday, as they host Radford, while the Paradise Jam preseason tournament continues out in the Virgin Islands.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
A packed slate of National Hockey League games on Saturday includes an afternoon matchup between the Flames and Kings in Los Angeles. Calgary (12-6-2) was thumped 7-1 at home by the Blackhawks on Thursday night, with Olli Jokinen providing the team's only goal in the second period. Miikka Kiprusoff gave up six goals on 24 shots. Los Angeles (13-8-2) fell 3-2 to the Flyers in their last game on Wednesday. Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty had the Kings' markers.
Also on the ice on Saturday: Pittsburgh at Atlanta, Washington at Toronto, Buffalo at Ottawa, Florida at the Rangers, Detroit at Montreal, Tampa Bay at Carolina, New Jersey at Dallas, the Islanders at St. Louis, Philadelphia at Phoenix, Columbus at Nashville, San Jose at Anaheim, and Chicago at Edmonton. Kris Versteeg had a pair of goals for the Hawks in their rout of the Flames on Thursday night, while Duncan Keith had three assists in that contest.
Today's Helpful Tips
Saturday, November 21
The Orton option
It looks like more and more that the washed-up Chris Simms will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos on Sunday against San Diego. Orton missed his third straight day of practice on Friday and is a game-time decision. The former Purdue star led the Broncos to 17 first-half points against the Redskins before spraining his ankle and getting relieved by Simms. Denver never scored again. No line has yet been released for the game.
Satin curtain defense
The Steelers defense suffered another big blow this week. Safety Troy Polamalu and starting defensive end Travis Kirschke will miss the team’s game at Kansas City this weekend. Kirschke already was filling in for the injured Aaron Smith, one of the team’s best defensive lineman. End Nick Eason and safety Tyrone Carter will start in their place. Pittsburgh is listed at -10 with a total of 40 points.
Husky problem
No one blows a fourth-quarter lead like Connecticut. The Huskies were up 10-0 against North Carolina, 21-6 at Pittsburgh and 24-21 against both West Virginia and Rutgers. And who do they play on Saturday? Notre Dame, the king of late-game comebacks this season. The Irish have rallied to win in the fourth quarter four times this year. Connecticut is listed at -6 with a total of 57.5.
Caged Tigers
For a dominant team in the SEC, the Tigers sure have a tough time against the Rebels. Ole Miss is 7-1 ATS in their past eight meetings with LSU, including a 31-13 thrashing last season. The Rebels enter this year’s game winners of four of five, while the Tigers are coming off a poor, 24-16 win over a bad Louisiana Tech team. LSU also is iffy at the quarterback position with Jordan Jefferson nursing an ankle injury that sidelined him last week. The Rebels are listed at -4.5 with a total of 42 points.
Dumont does it all
The Nashville Predators aren’t just playing good hockey –they are the hottest team in the Western Conference. Nashville, which hosts Columbus on Saturday, has won eight of its past 10 games and sevent straight thanks to the stellar play of J.P. Dumont. Over the past seven games, he has recorded eight points (one goal, seven assists) and picked up four helpers on the power play. Nashville is listed at -135 with a total of 5.5 goals.
Home cooking
The Denver Nuggets know how to win at home. The team is 4-0 at Pepsi Center this year and 3-1 ATS winning each game by at least 10 points. Meantime, the visiting Bulls are just 2-4 on the road this year and lost on a last-second bucket to the Nuggets in Chicago earlier this month. Take the home juggernaut. The Nuggets are listed at -9 with a total of 205.