Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Ohio meets Central Michigan, the Predators play in Chicago, and the Knicks try to get a victory against the Hawks in Atlanta.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
The lone college football matchup on Friday has Ohio taking on Central Michigan in the MAC championship game at Detroit’s Ford Field. The Bobcats (9-3 SU, 7-4 ATS) got past Temple 35-17 in their last outing, with QB Theo Scott throwing three TD strikes and running for two scores in that Ohio win; Scott, though, is questionable with a sore ankle. The Chippewas (10-2 SU, 9-2 ATS) beat Northern Illinois 45-31 last week, and they’re 13-point favorites for Friday’s game.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has 10 games on tap for Friday, including New York at Atlanta. The Knicks (4-15 SU, 8-11 ATS) were defeated 118-104 in Orlando in their last game on Wednesday, with Wilson Chandler tossing in a team-high 24 points in the loss. The Hawks (13-5 SU, 13-5 ATS) were all over the Raptors on Wednesday, exploding for a 146-115 home win. Nine Hawks players scored in double-digits in that matchup, with Al Horford leading the offense with his 24-point performance.
Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: Toronto at Washington, Boston at Oklahoma City, Charlotte at New Jersey, Milwaukee at Detroit, Chicago at Cleveland, Minnesota at New Orleans, Dallas at Memphis, Indiana at Utah, and Miami at the Lakers. Los Angeles (14-3 SU, 8-9 ATS) picked up a 110-99 home win over New Orleans in their last game on Tuesday night, as Andrew Bynum poured in a team-high 21 points. Kobe Bryant was good for 18 points in the win.
As well, there are three ranked teams in action on the college hoops schedule for Friday, with Akron at No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 13 Florida at Jacksonville, and Wofford at No. 9 Michigan State. The Spartans (5-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) fell 89-82 to North Carolina in their last game on Tuesday; Raymar Morgan scored 18 points.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are four games around the NHL on Friday night, with Tampa Bay at New Jersey, Boston at Montreal, Anaheim at Minnesota, and Nashville at Chicago. The 15-10-2 Predators have lost two straight games heading into this matchup, falling 5-4 in overtime to Minnesota on the road on Wednesday. Steve Sullivan picked up four points in that loss. The 17-6-3 Hawks got past Columbus 4-3 on Tuesday in a shootout, with Marian Hossa contributing a couple of assists.
