Daily Sports Roundup
Wednesday, November 18
Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Ball State plays host to Central Michigan, the Stars take on the Red Wings, and the Spurs try to get on track against the Mavs.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
There are a pair of Mid-American college football games on the schedule for Wednesday, with Buffalo at Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan at Ball State. The Chippewas (8-2 SU, 7-2 ATS) are the lone bright spot amongst that conference quartet, and they beat up on Toledo 56-28 in their last contest. The Cardinals (1-9 SU, 5-4 ATS) fell 26-20 to Northern Illinois last time out. The oddsmakers expect Central Michigan to roll to a win Wednesday, favoring them by 16.5 points.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
A busy Wednesday around the NBA has a dozen games on tap, including San Antonio at Dallas. The Spurs got both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker back on the floor in their last game on Saturday night, but they still managed to get tagged with a 101-98 home loss against Oklahoma City. Duncan scored a team-high 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds in that defeat, while Parker was good for 17 points and five assists. George Hill tossed in 18 points off the bench in that loss.
Also on the pro hardwood on Wednesday: Miami at Atlanta, Cleveland at Washington, Charlotte at Philadelphia, Oklahoma City at Orlando, New York at Indiana, New Jersey at Milwaukee, Houston at Minnesota, the Clippers at Memphis, Toronto at Utah, Detroit at Portland, and Golden State at Boston. The Celtics have lost two straight games after falling 113-104 in Indiana on Saturday night. Ray Allen had 24 points in that contest, while Kevin Garnett had 15 points.
The top college hoops teams in action on Wednesday are Texas and Butler. The Longhorns will get a visit from Western Carolina on Wednesday, after dispatching UC Irvine 89-42 in their season opener on Sunday. Damion Jones was good for 21 points in that victory for Texas. The Bulldogs will play at Northwestern on Wednesday, and they started their season with a 73-62 win over Davidson on Saturday. Gordon Hayward had 17 points for Butler that game.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are five games on the NHL's schedule for Wednesday, with Florida at Buffalo, Phoenix at Minnesota, Colorado at Edmonton, Philadelphia at Los Angeles, and Dallas at Detroit. The Stars dropped to 8-5-6 on the season last time out, falling 3-2 in Phoenix on Saturday. Mike Modano and Matt Niskanen had the goals for Dallas in that loss. The Red Wings are 10-5-3 after beating Anaheim 7-4 on Saturday night; Henrik Zetterberg had a hat trick in that matchup.
Today's Helpful Tips
Wednesday, November 18
Eye on the Ball
Ball State is just 1-9 but has been much worse at home than on the road. The Cardinals are 0-5 straight up and 1-4 against the spread in home games, scoring more than 17 points just once. On the road, the number are 1-4 straight up, 4-1 ATS and four games of more than 17 points. Ball State is getting 14.5 points from visiting Central Michigan with a total of 50.
Backups up front
The Cleveland Cavaliers played without center Shaquille O'Neal (shoulder) and forward Anderson Varejao (hip) on Tuesday and will do so again Wednesday at Washington, which will have forward Antawn Jamison for the first time this season. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Darnell Jackson filled in for O'Neal and Varejao. If Jamison starts, he will bump Andray Blatche. Washington has lost six in a row straight up and is getting four points with a total of 194.
Brownout
Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, the team's leading rusher and the trigger for their "Wildcat" offense, will not play Thursday against the Carolina Panthers. Replacement Ricky Williams does not throw or pitch the ball as well as Brown, which could impact Miami's offense. The Dolphins are fourth in the NFL in rushing and 30th in passing. However, the Panthers are 25th in rush defense. Carolina is giving three points with a total of 42.5.
"The Truth" hurts
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce practiced at full speed Tuesday and will play Wednesday vs. the Golden State Warriors. Pierce mildly sprained his knee Friday and played Saturday; afterward, coach Doc Rivers said he should have rested his All-Star, which was what he did Monday and Tuesday. There is no line yet, but Boston has been favored by double digits at home vs. Golden State each of the last two seasons.
New Brand of forward
Elton Brand has been starting but not finishing for the Philadelphia 76ers, with his fourth-quarter minutes going to Marreese Speights. But Speights has a torn MCL and will miss at least six weeks, and coach Eddie Jordan hinted Monday that Brand may not start, saying he was "not a 40-minute player." The 76ers could go small with Thaddeus Young at power forward and Rodney Carney at small forward. Philadelphia is giving four points to Charlotte with a total of 182.
Missing the point
Missouri lost senior point guard J.T. Tiller to a left leg injury in its season opener Tuesday. Tiller shared 2009 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and averaged team bests of 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals last season. He also averaged 8.8 points and is Missouri's top returning scorer. Tiller's backup is senior Zaire Taylor.
Oh, Bowe
The Kansas City Chiefs will be without wide receiver Dwyane Bowe for four games after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance that his agent said was a diuretic. Bowe is Kansas City's leading receiver with 33 catches for 466 yards and four TDs. Receivers Bobby Wade and Mark Bradley have combined for 37 catches. The Chiefs, who are 0-4 straight up and 1-3 against the spread with 53 points scored at home, are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers and getting 10 points with a total of 40.
Notable quotable
"I don't think that any decision's been made because I probably would know, and I don't know. With that being said, it's full speed ahead to UConn, full speed ahead to Stanford and full speed ahead to recruiting. That's exactly the way we're approaching it."
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, answering questions about the uncertainty of his job. The Irish have lost two in a row to drop to 6-4.