The AT&T Center might get some long distance competition on Jan 13th as the Portland Trailblazers visit San Antonio to face the Spurs. Portland is a youthful squad looking to reconstruct as the brief but electric Brandon Roy era officially ended with his retirement in December. Previous #1 pick Greg Oden has furthermore had frequent issues with his knees as Portland seemingly cannot shake the specter of Sam Bowie. The Spurs expect to defend their court with amazing plays from their usual constant lineup. The Spurs are preferred by 8 points and this seeks to be a great bet.

On Jan 12th, things get hot when the Cleveland Cavaliers enter into Phoenix to battle against the Suns. Two years ago, this would have been an outstanding matchup with LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire going head up in a collision course. In the age of free agency nevertheless, times certainly have evolved as this matchup seems significantly different. Phoenix is preferred by 6 points over the Cleveland Cavaliers and this appears to be a safe wager.

The United Center in Chicago will be on edge as the Washington Wizards arrive in town to face the Bulls. In years past, this competition might have been the hardest ticket to get as the second comeback by Nike Jordan turned the Washington Wizards into press darlings throughout the league. Jordan is now long retired however and the Washington Wizards have changed into an awesome young squad with vast amounts of possible waiting to be drawn on. The sports book has the Bulls liked by 8 points which looks correct and looks like a solid bet with Chicago being rooted on at home.

Saturday night on January 14th, the Knicks come into Oklahoma City to battle against the OKC Thunder in this big match between these 2 teams. It is a tale of 2 teams as the OKC Thunder arrive in the game with a dependable team of young guns against the New York Knicks who it appears from year to year usually comes into play with plenty of adjustments going on. The New York Knicks are liked by 4 points and this may hold unless Durant has one of his usual killer contests.

The Staples Center will come alive on Jan 11th when the Miami Heat takes on the Clippers. The Miami Heat comes in with among the best records in the NBA supported by a great roster of stars. The Miami Heat lead the NBA as a team in points won and assists. The sportsbook has the Miami Heat favored by 8 points and with the backcourt they have, it appears to be a sure bet. Let’s have a closer look at the Miami Heat this season and what they offer.

These two squads have been doing comparatively well this year. This really should not an unanticipated to anybody as both of these colleges are well known for their share of triumphs in basketball for a lot of years. When Western Virginia visits Connecticut both these squads will be at it out on the court on January 9.

The Jan 9 – Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game still has its own brand of anticipation, even though this particular game might not have the same intensity that its football version does. With the conference basketball season just arrived, both the Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys will make an effort to set the tone for the rest of their season with this match. In Oklahoma’s case, they are going to be seeking to continue what has been a solid start as they finished the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record.

On January 8th, postseason ncaa football comes to Mobile, AL when the Red Wolves take on the Huskies at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Both teams come into play with rookie head coaches with the Northern Illinois Huskies led by first-year head coach Dave Doeren. Interim head coach David Gunn who’s been the running backs coach all year heads the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Gus Malzahn, who will take the reins after the year ends, has been chose by Arkansas State. The take from the sportsbook is Arkansas State (-1 ½) with an over-under established at 63 points.

It is not merely the Division I-A schools gaining face time on ESPN, on January seventh the NCAA Division I-AA Tournament game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. In a battle of the 2 best small colleges in the country, the North Dakota State Bison battle against the Bearkats. Both the Sam Houston Bearkats and the North Dakota State Bison have steamrolled their opposition all year long and both are furthermore arriving into play with similar styles on offense. As the defenses are going to get a workout, expect lots of running and lots of first downs by each team. The sports book is having a hard time with this one as the line presently stands at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under established at 46.

Birmingham, AL plays sponsor to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Panthers facing the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Pitt Panthers come in just after the one-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching position at Arizona State, Graham quit his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will put on the headset for the Pitt Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU enters into competition with the specter of the “Death Penalty” passed on in the 1980’s still being debated today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is already in his 4th year on the side lines of Southern Methodist University. The gambling line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with the over-under of 47 points.