[CNOTES]

Daily Sports Roundup

Tuesday, February 9

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Kentucky meets Alabama, the Thunder take on the Trail Blazers, and the Nets try to avoid embarrassment against the Cavs.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up 11 games on its Tuesday night schedule, including New Jersey at Cleveland. The Nets and Cavaliers have combined for 45 wins so far this season - but New Jersey has just four of them. The Nets fell 99-92 in Detroit in their last game on Saturday, despite Devin Harris' team-high 21 points. The Cavaliers ran their winning streak to 11 games with a 113-106 home victory against New York on Saturday. LeBron James exploded for 47 points that night.

Also on the NBA hardwood on Tuesday: Minnesota at Philadelphia, Washington at Charlotte, Chicago at Indiana, Houston at Miami, Sacramento at New York, Atlanta at Memphis, Detroit at Milwaukee, Dallas at Denver, Utah at the Clippers, and Oklahoma City at Portland. The Thunder picked up their fifth straight win on Saturday night, getting the 104-95 victory over Golden State behind 29 points from Kevin Durant. The Trail Blazers fell 99-82 on Saturday against the Lakers.

As well, there are five games involving ranked teams on the college basketball schedule for Tuesday, with Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Illinois at Wisconsin, Georgetown at Providence, Purdue at Michigan State, and Alabama at Kentucky. The Wildcats enter Tuesday's game on a three-game winning streak, as they knocked off LSU 81-55 in their last outing on Saturday. DeMarcus Cousins poured in 19 points in that win. The Crimson Tide have lost six of their last eight games; they were beaten 74-67 by Mississippi in their last outing on Saturday.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are seven games on the NHL's schedule for Tuesday, with Florida at Carolina, Nashville at the Islanders, Calgary at Ottawa, Vancouver at Tampa Bay, Detroit at St. Louis, Dallas at Chicago, and Boston at Buffalo. The Bruins finally got back into the win column on Sunday afternoon, as Tuukka Rask made 36 saves in the team's 3-0 road win over the Canadiens. Boston had been on a 10-game losing streak. The Sabres were blanked 4-0 in Columbus in their last game Saturday; backup goalie Patrick Lalime stopped 21 of 25 shots in the loss.

[CNOTES]

Bettors' best friend: Today's wagering tips

Tuesday, February 9

Lines off the board today

New Jersey Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers: Nets guards Devin Harris (back) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (shin) are listed as questionable.

Washington Wizards at Charlotte Bobcats: Bobcats guard Raymond Felton (ankle) and Tyson Chandler (foot) are listed as questionable.

Houston Rockets at Miami Heat: Rockets forward Trevor Aziza (hip) is listed as doubtful.

Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies: Hawks guard Joe Johnson (flu) is listed as questionable.

Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets: Mavs center Erick Dampier (knee) and forward Tim Thomas (personal) are listed as doubtful. Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (ankle), guard Chauncey Billups (ankle) and centers Nene (foot) and Chris Anderson (knee) are listed as probable.

Lines to keep an eye on

Minnesota Timberwolves at Philadelphia 76ers: Total opened at 203.5 and jumped to 204.5. T'wolves have hit Over in six of last seven, but Under is 7-1 in last eight in Philly.

Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers: Total opened at 200 and jumped to as high as 202 at most books. Under is 9-3 in the last 12 at Indy.

Detroit Pistons at Milwaukee Bucks: Total opened at 188.5 and has climbed to 189.5. Bucks went from 7.5-point favorites to 8 at most books.

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers: Total opened at 198.5 and jumped two points to 200.5 at most books. Over is 7-3 in last 10 at Clippers.

Weather to watch

The opening race of the America's Cup was postponed Monday because of light, unsteady winds off the coast of Spain. The weather pattern is expected to persist and organizers hope to get the event under way Wednesday.

Who's hot

Utah Jazz are 12-1 SU in their last 13.

Cleveland Cavaliers have won 11 in a row SU, 6-1 ATS in last seven.

Milwaukee Bucks are 10-1 ATS in their last 11.

Ottawa Senators are 11-1 in their last 12.

Who's not

Sacramento Kings are 1-13 SU in their last 14.

Dallas Mavericks are 1-8 ATS in their last nine.

Detroit Pistons are 1-6-1 ATS in their last eight.

Boston Bruins are 1-10 in their last 11.

Key stat

3 to 1 - The number of losses the Cleveland Cavaliers have in their 18 games since New Year's Day vs. the number of wins the New Jersey Nets have in their 18 games since New Year's Day. Don't expect those numbers to change tonight.

Injury that shouldn't be overlooked

Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson is listed as questionable for tonight's game at the Memphis Grizzlies with the flu. He did not practice Monday but made the flight with the team for the one-game trip, possibly a sign he will play. Johnson averages 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Biggest game on the slate

Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan State Spartans (-3, 138.5)

Notable quotable

''Kahonas. Our coach has those and that's the reason we're the No. 1 football team in the world.''

-- Darren Sharper of the New Orleans Saints on coach Sean Payton's gamble to onside kick to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV.

Tips and notes

The Washington Wizards got a mini-vacation in Florida while D.C. was in the grips of a weekend blizzard. After Saturday's game against the Atlanta Hawks was postponed, the Wizards opted to spend two days in Orlando before flying to Charlotte on Monday for Tueday's game against the Hornets. Despite the long trip, it could be just what the doctor ordered for the struggling Wiz.

Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz called out veteran J.P. Dumont for dogging it and he responded Saturday by scoring two goals, but the team still lost to the Sharks 4-3. Trotz is trying to shake his team out of a 2-7 slump by publicly criticizing its leaders - a great plan if it works, but it can create dissention. The Predators open a four-game road trip tonight on Long Island.

Tennessee reinstated junior center Brian Williams from his suspension for a Jan. 1 joyride with three teammates, weed and a gun. He could be a big help in tonight's rematch of a 85-76 loss to Vanderbilt two weeks ago. The Commodores outrebounded the Vols 41-37 and had 24 second-chance points. The 6-foot-10 Williams is averaging 5.4 points and 5.9 boards per contest.

[CNOTES]

Tuesday six-pack

-- Kansas went on an awesome 22-0 run late in first half, as Jayhawks went to Austin and whacked the Longhorns 80-68, handing Texas fifth loss in its last seven games.

-- Niagara led 37-23 at half, but lost 70-62 at Rider, Purple Eagles are a very disappointing team in the MAAC.

-- Fairfield lost 69-67 at Siena, which has to give Stags hope that they can upset the Saints should they meet in MAAC title game in 3 weeks.

-- Great game in Las Cruces, with New Mexico State hitting shot with 0:01.1 left to beat Louisiana Tech 70-68, in game where both teams had double digit leads. Aggies sweep season series with Tech; surprising.

-- Western Carolina got upset again, this time 81-76 at lowly Elon.

-- Colts are 7-1 favorites to win next year's Super Bowl.

[CNOTES]

Tuesday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a chilly day.......

13) Siena capped its ticket sales Friday night at 8,065 fans, turning away other people who wanted to get into their game with Iona. Problem with that is the arena they play in seats 14,000+ people; they have a curtain in front of other sections to reduce seating capacity. Why couldn't they pull the curtain back so that more people could watch the game?

12) By the way, thanks to the guy standing in front of the arena Friday who gave me a ticket to the game and wouldn't take any money for it, or else I would have gone out on a cold night for nothing.

11) Drew Brees went 3-1 vs Andy Roddick in junior tennis back when they were 10-year olds.

10) Its good to see that offense wins championships, too.

9) Saints beat Warner-Favre-Manning to win, three Hall of Fame QBs.

8) Odd that Saints/Colts both had two kickers on their 53-man roster; the onside kick New Orleans pulled off was the first time Thomas Morstead had ever tried an onside kick in a game.

7) ESPN is televising a fishing tournament for two days Feb 20-21; have to be careful watching fishing on TV-- its easy to get hooked. He he.

6) In their last three games, LSU scored 15-16-14 points in first half. Hard to imagine the Tigers winless in the SEC, but they are.

5) Former NHL player Dan Quinn, who scored 40 goals in 1988, is now a caddy on the pro golf tour, working part-time for Ernie Els.

4) Steve Stricker is the world's #1-ranked active golfer; you wonder if the Tour Commissioner is going to pick up the phone soon...."Mrs Woods, can Eldrick come out and play?"

3) Super Bowl had its highest overnight TV ratings in 23 years.

2) NBA is looking to roll back player contracts by a lot, prompting one of the union's officers to call their proposal "ludicrous". The gravy train that NBA players have been riding is going to slow down real soon.

1) I think when the next NFL TV contract is done, Super Bowl will be on President's Day weekend, which is good, so I can sleep in the next day.

[CNOTES]

Len's Top 5

Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for February 9, 2010 from Len Berman.

1. Quick Hits

It's parade time in New Orleans tonight for the Super Bowl champion Saints.
Saints coach Sean Payton said he slept with the Super Bowl trophy Sunday night and that "I probably drooled on it." Nice.
106.5 million people watched the Super Bowl telecast, making it the most watched program in the history of American television.
Damn. The first America's Cup race was postponed until tomorrow for lack of wind.
OK admit it. You really want to see the new SI swimsuit cover. If you really don't, then don't click here.

2. Super Bowl Leftovers

Some lingering thoughts. If the Saints can overcome their history to win a Super Bowl, any team can in the NFL. That's the beauty of the league. It's unlike baseball, where the have-nots will probably remain have-nothings because of the money divide.
And subscriber Sherry S. points out that the Colts rested their players at the end of the season and achieved neither a perfect season, nor a Super Bowl championship. She calls their actions "shameful and cowardly" and claims their actions proved they "didn't have the heart to win a Super Bowl."
Just sharing.

3. Steve Phillips

Former Mets general manager and ESPN broadcaster Steve Phillips went on the Today Show yesterday to discuss his sex addition. He attended the same Mississippi clinic where Tiger Woods reportedly was treated. I suppose by going public he wants to "get back in the game." The married Phillips did the right thing by placing the blame squarely on himself for his affair with an intern, which came after sexual harassment allegations while he was with the Mets. Athletes who do far worse are welcomed back with open arms if teams think they can produce, it's not that easy for sportscasters and general managers.

4. #44

The #44 is legendary in Syracuse football history. Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little. Floyd was my fraternity brother at Syracuse. The day he was drafted by the Denver Broncos, he wasn't happy. He told me he really didn't want to play in Denver. But it turned out great. He had a 9 year Broncos career featuring 5 Pro Bowls and a couple of rushing titles.The first college football game I attended at Syracuse, Floyd scored 5 touchdowns against Kansas. And Saturday he finally ran his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Way to go Floyd! I couldn't be prouder.

5. Be My Valentine

Bidding closes this evening for one lucky Milwaukee Brewers fan. The racing sausages, who race at every Brewers game, will show up where your favorite lady works or lives and present her with two tickets for an April game against the Pirates. Nothing says romance quite like goofy guys in costumes, and a cold early season game against a last place team.

Happy Birthday: Former Met Mookie Wilson, "and it gets by Buckner." 54. (Mookie was hired by the Mets yesterday to be a minor league instructor.)
Bonus Birthday: Do I amuse you? Goodfellas actor Joe Pesci. 67.

Today in Sports: "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you." The words of pitcher Satchel Paige. On this date he became the first Negro League star elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. 1971.
Bonus Event: A guy named W.G. Morgan in Holyoke Mass. invented a sport called volleyball 6 years before basketball. 1895.