Daily Sports Roundup
Sunday, January 17
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Cowboys look for a win in Minnesota, the Jets take on the Chargers in San Diego, and Duke plays host to Wake Forest.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The NFL's divisional playoffs continue early on Sunday afternoon with Dallas at Minnesota in a 1:00pm ET contest. The Cowboys were all over the rival Eagles in their Wild Card matchup last weekend, getting two touchdown passes from Tony Romo in the 34-14 home victory. Felix Jones rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the win. Oddsmakers have the Vikings listed as the 2.5-point home favorites for Sunday's game, with the total for the contest at 45.5.
The second week of the NFL's playoffs then comes to close with a 4:40pm ET game between the Jets and Chargers in San Diego. New York grabbed a 24-14 win in Cincinnati in their playoff opener, as rookie QB Mark Sanchez went 12-of-15 for 182 yards passing with one touchdown strike. Shonn Greene rushed for 135 yards and a score on 21 carries in the victory. The Chargers are listed as 7-point home favorites for Sunday, while the oddsmakers have the total set at 42.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has just two games on tap for Sunday, with Dallas at Toronto and Utah at Denver. The Nuggets last played on Wednesday night, when they pulled out a 115-97 home win over Orlando. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 27 points for Denver in that contest, while Chauncey Billups was good for 24 points in the victory. The Nuggets and Jazz last met on January 2 in Utah, with Denver picking up a 105-95 win. Ty Lawson had a team-high 23 points for the Nuggets that day.
As well, in marquee college hoops action on Sunday it's No. 11 Georgetown at No. 4 Villanova, No. 15 Connecticut at Michigan, and Wake Forest at No. 8 Duke. The ranked Blue Devils (14-2 SU, 10-5 ATS) handily beat Boston College 79-59 in their last game on Wednesday, with Nolan Smith tossing in 24 points. The Demon Deacons (12-3 SU, 6-6 ATS) slipped past Maryland by a score of 85-83 in overtime on Tuesday night, with Al-Farouq Aminu picking up 24 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are just four games around the NHL on Sunday, with Philadelphia at Washington, Montreal at the Rangers, Calgary at Anaheim, and Chicago at Detroit. The Red Wings were blanked in back-to-back games by the rival Hawks back on December 20 and 23, losing both days by identical 3-0 scores. Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathan Toews had the goals for Chicago in that second contest, while Antti Niemi made 33 saves for the shutout. Duncan Keith, Brian Campbell, and Dustin Byfuglien scored for the Hawks in the other matchup.
Today's Wagering Tips
Sunday, January 17
Lines off the board
Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets – Ty Lawson (ankle) missed last game and is questionable. Deron Williams (wrist) and Andrei Kirilenko (knee) both left Thursday’s game but started Saturday.
Loyola-Maryland at St. Peter’s – Leading scorer Brett Harvey (shoulder) dressed but did not play in Loyola-Maryland’s last game and is probable.
Boston at Vermont
Who’s hot
Tony Romo – Has completed 67 percent (172-255) of this passes for 2,103 yards, 13 TDs and 2 INTs over his last seven games.
Andrea Bargnani – Averaging 20.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg over his last four.
Jonas Hiller – Winning goalie in five of last six with a 91.3 percent save rate.
Villanova Wildcats – Are 15-1 to start the season and have gone 11-4 ATS.
Washington Capitals – Won five of last six outings (+3.9 units) and averaged 5.3 gpg.
Who’s not
Adrian Peterson – Rushed for more than 100 yards only once in last eight games (74.9 ypg) and put the ball on the ground five times during that stretch, losing four of those fumbles.
Hawaii Warriors – Lost five of last seven and are 2-7 ATS this season.
Manny Harris – Michigan guard has posted 16.7 ppg over his last six with 18 turnovers.
Key stats
4.5 – Yards per carry the Cowboys offense gained between the tackles this season – the best in the NFL.
3.0 – Yards per carry the Vikings defense surrendered between the tackles this season – the best in the NFL.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Marion Barber played sparingly in the Cowboys Wild Card win over the Eagles. He only played in the first half of that contest, toting the rock three times for 4 yards. Barber is listed as probable for the game against Minnesota and while Dallas is deep in the backfield with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, Barber provides a downhill running force that will be needed against a stingy Vikings front four.
Games of the Day
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5, 45.5)
New York Jets at San Diego Chargers (-7, 42)
Notable Quotable
"We're going to have to fight our way out of it. It's not going to happen because you talk about it. We're going to have to get grimy and dirty to come out of this thing."
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after his defense gave up 100 points or more in four of the team’s the last five games and allowed opponents to shoot 53.1 percent before holding the Thunder to 98 points on Friday.
Tips and notes
- In Brett Favre’s last game against the Cowboys in November of 2007, the NFL’s all-time leading passer went 5-of-14 for 56 yards and a pair of interceptions. Favre was knocked out in the first half of that game with an elbow injury and separated shoulder. Aaron Rodgers came in and completed 18-of-26 passes for 201 yards in relief duty, but don’t expect Tavaris Jackson to have the same success should Favre go down. Favre is 0-3 versus the Cowboys in postseason play.
- The Jets special teams unit ranked 20th in the league in punt returns (8.8 ypr) and 23rd in kickoff returns (24.1 ypr). New York surrendered 151 return yards (25.2 ypr) versus the Bengals last week including a 56-yard kickoff return by Bernard Scott. San Diego’s Darren Sproles is one of the most electrifying return men in the league and has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his career while averaging 25.2 ypr.
- Free throw shooting is critical in basketball when bettors examine a pointspread. Duke is the fourth-best free throw shooting team in the country this season, connecting at a 77.1 percent rate. The Blue Devils opponent on Sunday is Wake Forest and the Deacons rank 237th in the nation with a 66.1 charity stripe percentage.