Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The ACC, Big Ten, and SEC hold their conference championships, and the Mavericks get a tough game in Los Angeles.
Selection Sunday…
According to Bob Warner of Lines-Maker.com Memphis has jumped up to a No. 1 seed for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He also projects North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. San Diego State is now considered to be out of the NCAA Tournament getting leapfrogged by St. Mary’s for the final at large spot, though if Mississippi State wins the SEC, the Gaels will be bumped.
The odds to win the 2009 Big Dance will likely be temporarily taken off the board depending on the matchups, though Brian Gould of ScoresOddsPicks.com says that North Carolina will be the favorites at virtually all sportsbooks.
The individual game odds for the 2009 NCAA Tournament will be posted under the betting odds at Offshore Insiders or the college basketball odds section of ScoresOddsPicks.com.
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The march toward Madness . . .
College hoops’ pre-Madness calendar concludes Sunday, with championships in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and Southland conferences on the schedule for the day.
In the ACC it’ll be Duke vs. Florida State in the title game. The Seminoles shocked top-ranked North Carolina 73-70 in the semifinals on Saturday, while the Blue Devils dispatched Maryland 67-61. The Big Ten championship is going to be Purdue vs. Ohio State; the Buckeyes upset Michigan State 82-70 on Saturday, and the Boilermakers are coming off a 66-56 semifinal win over Illinois.
Down in the SEC Mississippi State is going to take on Tennessee in the title game. The Bulldogs knocked off LSU 67-57 on Saturday, while the Volunteers advanced to the championship game by beating Auburn 94-85. Finally, the Southland Conference tournament will be capped off with UTSA vs. Stephen F. Austin, who beat Nicholls State and Texas A&M C.C . to advance to this matchup.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
A busy Sunday around the NBA has 11 games on the schedule, including Dallas at the Lakers. Those two teams played twice back in November, with the Lakers coming out on top both times. Los Angeles grabbed a 114-107 home win over the Mavericks on November 28 as a 10.5-point favorite, and they also knocked off Dallas 106-99 as a 5.5-point road favorite in their matchup on November 11.
Matinee action on Sunday has Indiana at Toronto, Miami at Philadelphia, Boston at Milwaukee, Portland at Atlanta, and Memphis at Detroit. Rounding out the slate in the evening: Utah at Orlando, New York at Cleveland, Sacramento at Washington, Phoenix at Golden State, and New Jersey at the Clippers. The Nets and Clippers played in New Jersey in November, with the Nets winning 112-95.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The National Hockey League has seven games on its schedule for Sunday, including the completion of the home-and-home set between the Flyers and Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The other afternoon games are the Islanders at Chicago and Boston at Pittsburgh. The Bruins and Penguins last played on New Year’s Day, with Boston rolling to a 4-2 victory in their own arena.
Rounding out the Sunday slate: Minnesota at St. Louis, San Jose at Anaheim, Colorado at Vancouver, and Detroit at Columbus. The Blue Jackets blasted the Red Wings when the two teams met on March 7, with Rick Nash scoring three times in an 8-2 road victory. R.J. Umberger chipped in with two goals and an assist in that contest, while Henrik Zetterberg had a marker for the Red Wings.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
Second-round action in Pool 1 of the World Baseball Classic is set to begin on Sunday at San Diego’s Petco Park, with Japan vs. Cuba and Mexico vs. Korea. The Koreans slipped past Japan 1-0 on Monday to win Pool A; the Japanese had blasted Korea 14-2 earlier in the first round. Cuba pounded Mexico 16-4 on Thursday to claim Pool B in Mexico City; that was their only meeting of Round 1. The second round of the tournament continues in San Diego and Miami through Thursday, with the semis and championship at Dodger Stadium next weekend.