Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Sports Gaming Picks - Get Your Picks Now
Home Blog Page 3022

MBB-FBS: USC Trojans (19-8) at Colorado Buffaloes (15-13)

NCAABB Editor
-
0
MBB-FBS: USC Trojans (19-8) at Colorado Buffaloes (15-13)

On February 23 at 6:00 p.m. (PT), the USC Trojans (19-8, 11-5) will take on the Colorado Buffaloes (15-13, 7-10) at the CU Events Center. Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams will be the game’s broadcasters on ESPN2.

Colorado Buffaloes (15-13, 7-10) are facing Colorado after losing 78-68 to Arizona on Feb. 18. This season, Colorado has a record of 11-2 at home, including a 9-1 record in its last ten games played at the CU Events Center. With an average of 16.4 points per game, junior forward Tristan da Silva leads the Buffaloes in scoring. USC crushed Colorado 68-61 at the Galen Community on Jan. 12 to improved to 9-16 all-time against the Bison. Last season, USC defeated Colorado 61-58.

When fully loaded, USC has a 6-1 record in games where it has access to the entire roster. That stretch includes three victories over Pac-12 standings-leading teams. When the entire roster was available, USC lost to Arizona, 34-1 in its last 35 home games. USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu missed the first 16 games of the season, while guard Reese Dixon-Waters (left foot) and forward Joshua Morgan (right ankle) missed four games before returning against Stanford on February 18. On February 2, at Washington State, both players suffered injuries.

9 TO 10 — On Feb. 16, when Oziyah Sellers scored a career-high 11 points against California, he became the ninth Trojan to score 10 or more points in a game this season.

The Johnson Jump: This season, sophomore Kobe Johnson is 15th in the nation with 60 steals and is scoring an average of 8.5 points and 4.9 points. Last year Johnson arrived at the midpoint of 1.2 places and 1.0 bounce back while playing in 27 games. Additionally, Johnson ranks third on the team in terms of assists (74) and blocks (13). He did not score in double figures in his first 35 games until Dec. 4, when he scored 17 points against Oregon State. In nine of his last 19 games, he has scored at least double digits, averaging 9.7 points per game. His 21 points in the game against Washington on February 4 are his career high. 15 times this season, he has had five or more rebounds. He missed his first seven attempts at the three-point line in the season, but he has made 20 of his last 52 attempts for a 38.5 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

BOOGIE DOWN, BUT NOT FOR LONG Senior guard Boogie Ellis scored nine points on Feb. 11 against Oregon State, snapping a 14-game scoring streak. He then scored 22 points against California on February 16 and a career-high 33 points against Stanford on February 18. He has scored a total of 307 points in his last 16 games, including a career-high 31 points against UCLA on January 26. On December 18, he started his streak with a career-high 28 points against Auburn. Ellis is the best player at USC with a 17.1 scoring average, 65 made three-pointers, and 97 made free throws. With 42 steals, he also ranks second among Trojans. He now ranks 17th on USC’s all-time list with 121 made 3-pointers while playing for the Trojans.

UTAH ON DECK — On February 25 at 5:00 p.m. (PT), USC will host the Utah Runnin’ Utes (17-11, 10-7) at the Huntsman Center. This season, Utah is 12-3 at home. With a 16.6 average, senior center Branden Carlson is the only Utes player to score in double figures. On January 14, USC defeated Utah 71-56 at the Galen Center. USC trails 25-26 in the record-breaking series with Utah, however has dominated four matches in succession against the Runnin’ Utes.

LET’S GET STARTED WITH THE DEFENSE: On November 30, USC held California to a 27.7 percent shooting percentage, its lowest mark since holding Stanford to a 25.4 percent shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. Oregon was the only team this season to make more than 50% of its shots against USC, making 53.8% of its attempts. In 15 of its 27 games this season, USC has limited its opponents to under 40% shooting. This season, USC is holding its rivals to a 39.2 shooting percentage, which ranks 12th in the nation. USC’s defense has held opponents to a 3rd-place 38.9 field goal percentage over the past four seasons.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (28-29) at Utah Jazz (29-31)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (28-29) at Utah Jazz (29-31)

Lauri Markkanen, a forward for the Utah Jazz, described his first All-Star experience as “surreal.” While he could have utilized different words, Oklahoma City Thunder monitor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an outlook on the same way.

Gilgeous-Alexander particularly found the All-Star Game segment in which LeBron James soared to stop his attempt at a dunk to be surreal. During the high-scoring contest that saw a total of 359 points Sunday night in Salt Lake City, it was a rare defensive effort by either All-Star team.

To exact his vengeance, the Thunder star will have to wait a week. On March 1, the Los Angeles Lakers travel to Oklahoma City. However, he has four games before that matchup.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Markkanen’s regular teams will compete against one another on Thursday night in Salt Lake City as NBA play resumes, fresh from their entertaining and special weekend as teammates on Team Giannis.

With a 28-29 record, the Thunder begin the final stretch in 10th place in the Western Conference standings. After the regular season, the play-in round is limited to the top 10 teams in each conference, with the 7-10 seeds participating.

With a 29-31 record, Utah returns to the lineup 11th, half a game behind Oklahoma City.

In his brand-new NBA home, Markkanen had the time of his life participating in the All-Star game. The Finnish star impressed Jazz fans by scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 26 minutes after being elevated to the starting lineup due to a number of injuries.

Even Markkanen took the fact that he was selected last among the starters in the pregame draft positively.

In ten minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander, who was selected fifth among reserves for the All-Star Game, scored nine points, had seven assists, and pulled down two rebounds. The experience was “super fun” for him.

Gilgeous-Alexander said that his first All-Star bucket, a 3-pointer, is one of the highlights of his young NBA career, in addition to the memory of being blocked by James.

The Thunder played their final game before the break, scoring 29 points. In Oklahoma City’s 133-96 home victory over the Houston Rockets, he only saw three quarters.

The Oklahoma City and Utah matchup on Thursday will be the first of three in the next two weeks. On March 3 and 5, the teams will play a two-game series in Oklahoma.

WBB-D2: Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (16-9) at Seattle Pacific Falcons (13-11)

NCAABB Editor
-
0
WBB-D2: Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (16-9) at Seattle Pacific Falcons (13-11)

Crunch time is officially here.
 
Still needing to clinch a spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament, the Seattle Pacific Falcons have two chances to get it done on their own this week as they wrap up the regular season at home.
 
Up first is Alaska Anchorage on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
 
SPU (13-11, 8-8 GNAC) can secure a berth with a win in either game. Or, if Simon Fraser loses its regular-season finale on Thursday at Western Washington, that also will clinch a spot.
 
The Falcons are coming off a split of their final road trip, scoring a 59-48 victory at Simon Fraser last Thursday before falling 69-52 at Western Washington on Saturday.
 
Both of this week’s games are doubleheaders. The SPU men also tangle with their Alaska counterparts: Anchorage on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., and Fairbanks on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.

WBB-D2: Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (14-12) at Henderson State Reddies (12-14)

NCAABB Editor
-
0
WBB-D2: Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (14-12) at Henderson State Reddies (12-14)

When Arkansas Tech visits Arkadelphia on Thursday, February 23, Henderson State will get ready for one last ride inside the Duke Wells Center this season. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

REDDIES REPORT
Henderson State has improved its chances of making the 2023 GAC Tournament by winning four of its last five games. HSU is 9-11 in conference play with just two games remaining in the regular season, is the seven seed and has a one-game advantage over Southwestern Oklahoma State and Ouachita Baptist. The tiebreaker is currently held by the Reddies over SWOSU and OUA. The red-and-grays would be guaranteed a spot in the postseason tournament for the fifth year in a row with either a win on Thursday or a loss to Southern Arkansas by Ouachita Baptist.

A Senior Night triumph would likewise stamp the fourth sequential year Henderson has dominated twofold digit meeting matches in a season with a full record of association games (2020 highlighted exclusively in-state GAC contest). With the exception of two years, HSU head coach Jimmy Elgas has won 10 or more league games in each of his eight seasons there.

In three of its previous four victories, Henderson has scored at least 82 points. Prior to that, HSU had not scored 82 points since the visit of Lyon College to the area on January 2. With a scoring average of 71.3 points per game, the Reddies now hold opponents to 71.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league. With 37.4 combined team rebounds and 26.3 defensive boards per game, Henderson is also the league’s best rebounding team.

The Wonder Boys won the Arkadelphia matchup between HSU and Arkansas Tech by a score of 84-78 in overtime. However, prior to that, the Reddies had not defeated ATU at the Duke Wells Center since February 18, 2017. The in-state teams will meet for the 175th time on Thursday, with Henderson having won the series 91-83.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
Arkansas Tech is the only team in the last five years to have qualified for the 2023 GAC Tournament. With a victory on Thursday, the 12-8 Wonder Boys could win the conference for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. After reaching the conference semifinals that year, ATU received an at-large bid to the NCAA Central Regional.

With Arkansas Tech just one game behind Southern Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma St. and the Wonder Boys having split the head-to-head series with Southeastern and beating Southern Nazarene earlier in the year, ATU holds the quality-of-win tiebreaker over SE, the league’s current four seed could still play its way into the two seed. Tech would face Southern Arkansas in the series finale, where the winner would receive the No. 1 seed, with a win on Thursday and a loss to the Savage Storm in either of their final two games. 2 seed.

Arkansas Tech’s defense is tied for third in the conference, limiting opponents to 66.4 points per game while its offense is 11th in the league, allowing just 66.8 points per game. Taelon Peter, a sophomore guard, is the Wonder Boys’ primary scoring threat, averaging 14.7 points per game, which ranks 11th in the GAC. With 1.8 steals per game, Peter also ranks third in the conference.

WBB-D2: Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (13-11) at Henderson State Reddies (16-10)

NCAABB Editor
-
0
WBB-D2: Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (13-11) at Henderson State Reddies (16-10)

In Henderson State’s final home game of the season against Arkansas Tech on senior night on Thursday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center, the GAC’s top two scorers will face off.

Reddies Report:
Henderson State beat East Central 85-76 after coming back from an 11-point deficit in the third period. In their matchup with the Tigers, the Reddies converted 36 of 41 free throw attempts, tying the single-game record. Nine different players attempted to shoot from the foul line, and all nine of them succeeded in doing so.

After scoring 24 points in the game against East Central, Ashley Farrar reached 500 points for the second time in two seasons. The Green Woods, Ark. local is the fourth player starting around 1987 to score 500 focuses in consecutive seasons. Farrar is shooting 44.2 percent from the field and scoring 19.3 points per game, which ranks second in the GAC.

Olivia Allen, a freshman, scored ten points in her first double-digit Reddie game against the Tigers. She shot 2 for 2 from beyond the arc and had a steal and block. Abbie Jiles scored 15 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the foul line, while Gracie Raby scored 14 points, marking her 14th game in double figures.

HSU recorded its 11th victory at the Duke Wells Center this season and its fourth consecutive victory at home with the victory over ECU. Under home lights, the Reddies score an average of 73.6 points per game, which is 6.5 more than their season average (67.1).

In the first meeting, Henderson defeated Arkansas Tech by a score of 78-67 in the Tucker Coliseum. Raby led the Reddies with 22 points, with four players reaching double figures. The last four meetings between HSU and ATU have been won by HSU, including two straight victories at home.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
Arkansas Tech (13-11, 11-9) has dropped to fourth place in the GAC standings after four losses in a row. In February, ATU has only won two games while suffering five losses. Southwestern Oklahoma State defeated Arkansas Tech 73-65 in the Tucker Coliseum.

The Golden Suns’ offense, which scores an average of 69.9 points per game, remains one of the best in the GAC despite recent struggles. Jalei Oglesby, ATU’s sharpshooter, is a big part of the offense’s success. He averages 20.3% more points per game than any other player in the GAC. In Arkansas Tech’s last seven games, Oglesby has scored at least 20 points and recorded three double-doubles.

With an average of 43.6 rebounds per game, ATU is the conference’s best rebounding team and one of only two teams to average more than 40 per game. With 8.7 per game, Oglesby ranks second in the conference, with 3.3 on offense and 5.4 on defense.

NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (14-45) at Dallas Mavericks (31-29)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (14-45) at Dallas Mavericks (31-29)

Both the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs have something to prove in the final quarter of the season, which begins on Thursday in Dallas when the teams return to action following the All-Star break.

The Mavericks are attempting to move up the Western Conference standings as they quickly adjust to Kyrie Irving, who was brought to Dallas to play with Luka Doncic and make the most of the remaining 22 games.

Dallas plays the first game of a six-game homestand on Thursday, and the Spurs play their seventh consecutive road game after dropping the first six games of their annual Rodeo Road Trip.

The Mavericks begin the stretch run having lost three games in a row, the most recent of which was a 118-109 defeat in Denver on February 15 that dropped them to sixth place in the Western Conference. Dallas is only two games ahead of 12th-place Portland and two games behind third-place Sacramento.

Dallas lost to Denver with 37 points scored by Doncic, 17 by Christian Wood, 11 by McKinley Wright IV, and 10 by A.J. Lawson. Dallas was without Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. because of injuries to their lower backs.

Since the trade, Doncic and Irving have only played together twice, and they took advantage of their All-Star break to get to know each other better.

After dropping a franchise-record 14 games in a row prior to the week-long break, the Spurs needed it to regroup. Regardless of the faint, its second this extended period of something like 11 misfortunes, San Antonio is as yet not the most horrendously terrible group in the NBA; Houston holds that dubious distinction, trailing the Spurs by half a game.

On February 15, San Antonio lost to Charlotte 120-110. Malaki Branham scored 23 points to lead the Spurs. Keldon Johnson added 21, Doug McDermott scored 17 points off the bench, and Zach Collins scored 14. San Antonio had six players score in double figures.

In the final six minutes of the game, San Antonio only managed to score eight points.

Doncic scored 51 points to lead Dallas to a 126-125 victory in the Alamo City on December 31, their only meeting this season.

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (30-29) at Toronto Raptors (28-31)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (30-29) at Toronto Raptors (28-31)

Raptors hope All-Star break did not stifle momentum, host Pelicans The Toronto Raptors will play the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night with the goal of continuing where they left off during the break.

The Raptors will finish a five-game homestand on Thursday after winning two straight and five of their last six games.

After dropping two of their previous three games, including a road defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 15 (120-102), the Pelicans will be looking to rebound from their recent struggles.

On February 14, the Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 123-113 to advance to the break. In his third game and second start with Toronto, Jakob Poeltl, who was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs before the deadline for trades, scored 30 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked six shots.

Against the Pelicans, the Raptors will likely have some injured players back in the lineup.

With Gary Trent Jr. (calf strain), who has missed the past two games, and Thaddeus Young (knee strain), who left the game against the Lakers because of a sprained wrist, O.G. Anunoby is expected to return to the lineup.

The Raptors, according to their coach Nick Nurse, appeared “good, healthy, and ready to go.”

He hasn’t decided which player will start against the Pelicans yet.

The Raptors were in the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, ranked 10th going into the break. They are four and a half games behind the sixth-place New York Knicks and two games ahead of the Chicago Bulls.

With star forward Zion Williamson out for several more weeks due to a hamstring strain, the Pelicans went into the winter break in seventh place in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans are 10-19 in their remaining 12 games played on the road.

The Pelicans traded Josh Richardson for Devonte’ Graham before the deadline.

On November 30, the Pelicans defeated the Raptors 126-108 at home.

NBA Preview: Memphis Grizzlies (35-22) at Philadelphia Sixers (38-19)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: Memphis Grizzlies (35-22) at Philadelphia Sixers (38-19)

Before the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers won their final four games, and on Thursday, they play the Memphis Grizzlies. They want to keep the momentum going.

All-Star Joel Embiid, who scored 32 points for Team LeBron at the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, will continue to be the driving force behind the Sixers’ success.

With an average of 33.1 points per game, Embiid ranks second in the league, just behind Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, who scores 33.3 points per game.

Despite persistent left foot soreness that has bothered him for several weeks, Embiid decided to play Sunday. As the playoffs get closer, this will be something to focus on.

Since 2001, the Sixers have not made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They can get there with a lot of talent, led by Embiid and James Harden.

With the exception of a 119-109 defeat to the Boston Celtics, the Grizzlies had won three of their previous four games before the All-Star break.

The All-Star Game featured two Grizzlies for the first time ever, with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. competing.

That’s also because the Grizzlies have won this season, going 35-22. They reached 35 wins before the All-Star break for the third time in franchise history.

En route, the super skilled Grizzlies have acquired a standing as an actual group which different groups have reprimanded.

It is abundantly clear that the Grizzlies are one of the league’s deepest teams and have a real chance of winning the championship. When Kevin Durant was sent to the Phoenix Suns in a huge deal and Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, it became a much more difficult task.

The Grizzlies are confident that they will be able to present their case effectively beginning on Thursday against the Sixers.

NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (15-44) at Orlando Magic (24-35)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (15-44) at Orlando Magic (24-35)

The Orlando Magic will host the Detroit Pistons on Thursday to kick off their return from the NBA All-Star break at home.

After winning four of their previous six games, Orlando lost to Toronto by a score of 123-113 heading into the break.

In the loss, Wendell Carter Jr. scored 26 points, which was his second-highest total of the season. He also had six rebounds and five assists. With 24 points off the bench, Jalen Suggs scored his second most points of the season.

Paolo Banchero returns after a strong performance in the Rising Stars Game, scoring 13 points against Toronto, nearly seven fewer than his team-leading 19.9 points per game. Despite this, he continues to struggle offensively. In the semifinals of the showcase for young talent on All-Star weekend, Banchero scored nine of Team Pau’s 40 points.

For January, Banchero was named Rookie of the Month. He leads the league in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and third in assists with 3.6 per game among the league’s freshman class.

Even though Orlando is 13th in the Eastern Conference, it is only four games behind Toronto for the 10th spot that qualifies for the play-in round of the postseason. Since the beginning of 2023, the Magic have won 11-11 basketball games, or.500.

Detroit, on the other hand, returns to competition with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, having lost five of six games prior to the break.

The Pistons lost 127-109 to Boston to end the first half, the second of three consecutive road games that end in Orlando.

James Wiseman, the second-round selection in the 2020 draft, made his debut for Detroit during his trip to Boston. After missing the entire 2021-22 season due to a knee injury, Wiseman struggled to score in 21 games this season with Golden State.

After a delayed trade that also included Portland and Atlanta, he ended up with the Pistons. When Gary Payton II failed a physical, Wiseman’s debut was slowed down.

On the roster, Wiseman joins the likes of rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and third-year players Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart. Cade Cunningham, a second-year guard, made 12 appearances and averaged almost 20 points per game before suffering a shin injury that ended the season.

Detroit is set to sign R.J. Hampton, a former Magic player who Orlando acquired after the deadline for trades, as a third-year guard to improve depth.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (42-17) at Indiana Pacers (26-34)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Preview: Boston Celtics (42-17) at Indiana Pacers (26-34)

On Thursday night, point guard Tyrese Haliburton and the host Indiana Pacers will take on forward Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, two of the NBA’s brightest young stars.

In Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, Tatum, 24, set a record by scoring 55 points and was awarded the game’s MVP. This season, he is averaging 30.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA.

On Sunday, 22-year-old Haliburton took part in his first All-Star Game. He leads Indiana in scoring (19.9) and is fourth in assists (10.1) in the NBA.

He could become the first Indiana player to lead the league in assists, breaking Mark Jackson’s franchise record of 8.7 assists per game set in 1997-98.

In Indiana’s 117-112 road victory over Boston on Dec. 21, Haliburton had eight assists and scored a team-high 33 points. Before defeating the Celtics in the second half, the Pacers outscored the Celtics by 42 points in the first quarter and held a 30-point lead. With 41 points, Tatum led the Celtics in the loss.

Since Joe Mazzulla was promoted to full-time head coach and the interim title was removed from his title, this will be the team’s first game. After Ime Udoka was suspended during training camp, he took over as head coach interim.

The NBA’s youngest head coach is 34-year-old Mazzulla, who worked as an assistant under Udoka last season.

He appreciates what the Celtics have accomplished thus far this season; Boston had the best record in the Eastern Conference going into the All-Star break. However, he also emphasized that the objective is to play better in the second half of the season.

Buddy Hield scored 27 points and made six 3-pointers in Indiana’s 117-113 victory over Chicago. With his final 3-pointer in that game, he set a franchise record for made 3-point field goals set by Reggie Miller in a single season. With 22 games remaining, he has made 230 three-pointers.

Malcolm Brogdon, who was traded to the Celtics by the Pacers last summer, will play for the first time in Indiana. Brogdon is a strong contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award because he is averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

1...3,0213,0223,023...4,100Page 3,022 of 4,100

Contact us: info@sportsgamingjournal.com

* PLEASE NOTE: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED AT THIS SITE IS FOR NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. ANY USE OF THIS INFORMATION IN VIOLATION OF ANY FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL LAWS IS PROHIBITED.

FOLLOW US

TODAY"S TOP CATEGORIES

© Copyright 2024, Sports Gaming Journal. All rights reserved.