Daily Sports Roundup
Tuesday, January 5
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Rockets look to blast past the Lakers, the Wild meet the Hawks, and Iowa takes on Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
It's Iowa (10-2 SU, 8-3 ATS) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) in the Orange Bowl at Miami's LandShark Stadium on Tuesday night. The No. 10 Hawkeyes blanked Minnesota 12-0 in their regular-season finale, with Brandon Wegher rushing for the team's lone touchdown; Iowa starting QB Ricky Stanzi (ankle) will return to action on Tuesday. The No. 9 Yellow Jackets beat Clemson 39-34 last time out to win the ACC championship. Georgia Tech is listed by the oddsmakers as the 5-point favorite for the Orange Bowl, with the game's total at 50.5 points.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA's nine-game slate for Tuesday includes Houston at the Lakers, with the Rockets (20-14 SU, 20-14 ATS) coming off a 99-95 loss in New Orleans on Saturday. Trevor Ariza had a team-high 19 points for Houston in that defeat, while Chuck Hayes was good for nine points and 13 rebounds. The Lakers destroyed the Mavericks 131-96 in their last game on Sunday night, with Lamar Odom picking up 15 points and 15 boards. Jordan Farmar had 24 points that day.
Rounding out the NBA's schedule for Tuesday: Orlando at Indiana, Washington at Philadelphia, Chicago at Charlotte, Milwaukee at New Jersey, Detroit at Dallas, Golden State at Denver, Memphis at Portland, and Phoenix at Sacramento. The Suns dropped to 21-13 SU (19-14-1 ATS) on the season with a 128-103 loss to Memphis on Saturday; Amare Stoudemire had a game-high 29 points for the Suns in that contest, while Steve Nash had 19 points and 13 assists. The Kings head into this Tuesday matchup on a three-game losing skid.
As well, the top teams in action around college basketball on Tuesday are Texas and Purdue, with the 13-0 Longhorns playing on the road against Arkansas and the 13-0 Boilermakers getting a visit from Minnesota. Purdue (6-6-1 ATS) kept their perfect record intact with a 77-62 win over West Virginia in their last game on Friday. JaJuan Johnson led the way with 25 points and 10 boards in the win.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, the NHL offers up 10 games on Tuesday night, including Minnesota at Chicago. The 20-19-3 Wild will be looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss to the Devils in their last game on Saturday; Eric Belanger, Mikko Koivu, and Andrew Brunette scored for Minnesota in that contest. The 29-10-3 Blackhawks had no trouble with the Ducks on Sunday night, cruising to a 5-2 victory. Marian Hossa had a pair of goals for Chicago in that victory, while Patrick Kane had two assists.
Also on the ice on Tuesday: Florida at Toronto, Montreal at Washington, Dallas at New Jersey, Boston at Ottawa, Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Calgary at Nashville, Phoenix at Edmonton, Columbus at Vancouver, and Detroit at Anaheim. The 21-14-6 Red Wings won their second straight game on Saturday, getting past the Coyotes by a score of 4-1. The 16-19-7 Ducks have now lost three games in a row; Petteri Nokelainen had both Ducks goals in their Sunday loss to the Hawks.
Today's Wagering Tips
Tuesday, January 5
Mismatched rematches
NFL fans are sure to experience deja vu this weekend when three of the four first-round games are rematches from Week 17, the first time that's happened in NFL history.
Only twice have there been multiple next-week rematches in the playoffs, two in 1993 and 2001. Don't look too deep for any trends because the winning team from the regular-season meeting went 1-1 in the ensuing playoff games.
But there have been 13 next-week meetings since 1943 and the winning team of the first game is only 5-8 SU in the playoff rematch. The revenge factor is underrated, especially in light of Sunday's blowouts in these three games.
The Cowboys, Packers and Jets beat their upcoming playoff foes by a combined score of 94-7 and those numbers are fresh on the losing teams' egos or the general betting public's short-term memory.
Only the Cowboys (-4) are favored among the three winners, with the Jets and Packers are catching field goals or less. Tempting to go with what happened seven days ago, but don't forget what happened over the seven decades before.
Burned-out Blazers
Hate to beat a dead horse, or in this case a wounded Trail Blazer, but how long can a team go with as many players on the injured list (eight) as on the court? Especially on zero-days rest following an overnight flight back from Monday's game against the L.A. Clippers.
The shorthanded Blazers welcome the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies, who have won six of their last seven SU and are 3-0 ATS on the road in that span. They've also hit five straight overs and their up-and-down pace could expose the Blazers' lack of depth.
The young Grizzlies have the fresh legs (healthy ones too) after three days off. The line and total have not yet been released.
Blackhawks down
Chicago has won three in a row and Minnesota has lost three straight, so the odds are obviously tilted heavily in the Blackhawks' favor.
But the Wild seems to have the Blackhawks' number, going 18-6-1 SU in the last 25 meetings and 8-2 in the last 10 in Chi-town.
Better yet, the Blackhawks will start Josh Harding in the net. He has struggled this season with a 3.40 goal-against average, an .873 save percentage and a 2-5 record.
Chicago is -240 with a total of 5.5.
Notable quotable
''I have no idea what was going through his mind, but as far as him wanting to end his life, no, he had too much going on. I know he wouldn't want to be gone away from his kids. He loves his kids. And everything was going really good. It's just that one day ...''
Lolelini Tonga, the fiancee of late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, telling ESPN's ''Outside The Lines'' about the the day Henry fell to his death from the back of the truck she was driving.