The Mid-American conference has the only college football game kicking off Tuesday, while the Knicks will go up against the mighty Celtics. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup.
The Gridiron Spotlight
Northern Illinois has lost each of their last two games since starting the season with five victories in eight contests. The Huskies fell 45-14 to ranked Ball State two weeks ago, and they were edged 33-30 by Central Michigan last time out. That put Northern Illinois at 5-5 straight-up and 5-4 against-the-spread, with their OVER/UNDER sitting at 4-4-1.
Kent State lost six of their first seven games this season, but in the past three weeks they've managed to pick up two wins (over Miami-Ohio and Temple). That improved the
Golden Flashes to 3-7 SU and 2-6-1 ATS on the season, while the OVER is a healthy 7-2 in their contests. Kent State was also thumped by Ball State; they lost to them 41-20.
The oddsmakers opened Northern Illinois as a 4-point favorite in this Tuesday meeting.
Other Notable Events
The New York Knicks are off to a 6-4 (5-5 ATS) start this season, but they'll get a big test on Tuesday night when they play on the road against the 9-2 (4-7 ATS) Boston Celtics. The Knicks fell 124-114 in overtime to the Mavericks on Sunday, with Zach Randolph scoring 27 points. Boston got past Milwaukee 102-97 in their Saturday outing, but they'll have to make due without suspended forward Kevin Garnett Tuesday night.
There are nine other games on the NBA hardwood on Tuesday, including the Lakers getting a visit from the Bulls; Los Angeles is coming off their first loss of the season, falling 106-95 to Detroit on Friday. Rounding out the schedule: Dallas at Charlotte, Miami at Washington, Toronto at Orlando, Atlanta at Indiana, Cleveland at New Jersey, Sacramento at Memphis, Milwaukee at Denver, and finally Portland at Golden State.
The Rest of the Schedule
The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in action on Tuesday night as they'll play host to the Minnesota Wild. The Pens roared back with four third-period goals to beat the Sabres 5-2 last time out, with Evgeni Malkin picking up four points in the contest. In other NHL action on Tuesday it'll be Montreal at Carolina, Edmonton at Columbus, and Florida at Tampa Bay, with Colorado at Calgary and Chicago at Phoenix in western matchups.
In college basketball action top-ranked North Carolina will play their second game of the season on Tuesday as they take on Kentucky. The Tar Heels got past Pennsylvania 86-71 in their opener, with Wayne Ellington picking up 13 points and five rebounds. No. 7 Texas will play Tulane on Tuesday, while No. 10 Gonzaga has a date with Idaho. As well, the Preseason NIT tournament will play its second-round games on Tuesday night.
News from the Wire
Baseball's futures market should be in flux over the next few weeks, as teams hand out big contracts to free agents. Highlighting the list of available hitters: outfielder Manny Ramirez, first baseman Mark Teixeira, shortstop Rafael Furcal, outfielder Bobby Abreu, and outfielder Adam Dunn. The best pitcher out there is CC Sabathia, with A.J. Burnett, Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, Ryan Dempster, and Francisco Rodriguez also up for grabs.
A Peek at the Future
Ball State opened as a 5.5-point road favorite to beat Central Michigan and stay undefeated on Wednesday night. Thursday's college football action sees Georgia Tech opening as a 3.5-point home favorite against Miami . . . the Steelers opened as big 11-point home favorites against the Bengals for their Thursday night matchup . . . Wednesday's big NBA contest has LeBron James and his Cavaliers playing in Detroit.
