Five Things You Need to Know for Wed., Oct. 24
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Five Things You Need to Know
Looking for some exciting events for Wednesday? Want to lay some action down on some national tv games? Here are the top matchups of the day along with future odds.
1)Detroit at San Francisco, Game 1 of the World Series, Justin Verlander vs. Barry Zito
Justin Verlander (20-8, 2.47 ERA) takes on Barry Zito (16-8, 4.02 ERA), in what looks like a mismatch of a great pitcher against a one-time very good starter. But Zito has pitched great in his last three starts, allowing just four runs. Detroit hits .250 against lefties compared to .271 vs. righties. San Francisco is 24-6-1 last 31 home games. Detroit is a -165 favorite with a total of 7.
2)NBA Preseason: Washington (2-4) vs. Miami (3-2)
The Miami Heat won't even be challenged in the dismal Eastern Conference Southastern Division. But second place is up for grabs. Atlanta is the favorite, but they lost Joe Johnson, Orlando lost Dwight Howard, Stan Van Gundy and Jason Richardson, while Charlotte is Charlotte. So if Washington can stay healthy? That's like saying if Donald Trump can stay out of the news for a week.
3)NBA Preseason: New York (2-3) at Brooklyn (3-2)
The Nets and Knicks rivalry never really went anywhere. The Knicks had a stronger rivalry with the Celtics, but now that the Nets are in Brooklyn, things could get interesting. The Knicks already have issues with injuries as Amare Stoudemire will miss the first week or so of the season with a knee injury. Look out for the Nets this season with the Deron Williams-Joe Johnson backcourt and Brook Lopez up front patrolling the paint.
4)NBA Preseason: LA Lakers (0-6) at LA Clippers (3-3)
The Lakers obviously don't care about preseason yet on Sunday against Sacramento, with all five starters playing over 30 minutes, they still lost 99-92. Dwight Howard did have 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in his debut so the world is right. How in the world are teams going to stop Howard, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant? The Kings did but the Clippers with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan can nearly match their frontcourt size-wise.
5)BCS National Championship Odds
Can anybody beat Alabama? Kansas State is the latest high-riser in the BCS poll after crushing West Virginia on the road. Oregon is fourth in the BCS poll but is second in the latest odds from 5dimes just ahead of Florida.
BCS Championship
Alabama +115
Oregon +400
Florida +700
Kansas State +900
LSU +1200
USC +1200
Notre Dame +1400
Oklahoma +2000
Florida State +3500
South Carolina +5000
Georgia +6000
Oregon State +6000
Texas +8500
Texas A&M +8500
Boise State +10000
Clemson +10000
Mississippi State +10000
West Virginia +10000
Stanford +12500
TCU +15000
Cincinnati +17500