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Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1 @ dispatch.com To editor: I think members of Buckeye Nation need to wake up and stop threats to football players. Winners build up and strengthen, not threaten. These young men come to get educated and developed for a career after attending Ohio State. They are learning with each game. Every…

The last time the New York Islanders met the Minnesota Wild was all the way back on November 7th. That game ended 5-2 for the Wild and started an eleven-game slide for the Islanders. It was truly a dark time for the Isles the last time these two teams met. Can the Isles use this re-match to launch themselves into a winning streak instead?…

When asked about what makes the Golden Knights such a tough opponent to play on their home ice, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not go the obvious route. The Golden Knights are good in Vegas - because they are flat out good. And have been, basically, since Day 1. Maurice noted his Winnipeg Jets did not have much success against the Golden…

Only one game separates Georgia from rarified air in college football: A win over No. 3 TCU would make the top-ranked Bulldogs the first repeat national champions since Alabama in 2011-12. But then, the Horned Frogs - largely considered an afterthought ahead of this College Football Playoff - won't simply roll over for the Bulldogs. Otherwise, they…

The Florida Panthers hit the official halfway mark of their 2022-23 season today when they visit the Dallas Stars at 3:30 p.m. Florida comes into the day six points back of the New York Islanders for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. While the Panthers would like to have a number of games back in their previous 40, their start…

If the Florida Panthers are going to make the long climb back into a playoff spot, they need to get in gear right now. The Panthers currently sit eight points behind the New York Islanders for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference as they begin a four-game road trip in Detroit tonight. And that is just the beginning of a stretch of…

The Liberty Flames (11-4, 2-0) and Jacksonville State Gamecocks (7-8, 0-2) will meet Thursday night at Liberty Arena. Jacksonville State had a banner year in their first season in the ASUN a year ago. The Gamecocks finished the season with a 21-11 overall record and were the ASUN regular season champions with a 13-3 record in conference play.…

The 2022 College Football Playoff field is set and ready to kick off on New Years Eve. The nation's top four teams will clash to decide who is crowned National Champions of the 2022 college football season. Here's all you need to know about the 2022 College Football Playoff. The seeding is as follows for the College Football Playoff: No. 1 Georgia,…

No. 5 Alabama (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will take on No. 9 Kansas State (10-3, 7-2 Big 12) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl today in New Orleans. As we all wait for the Crimson Tide and Wildcats to face off, here is the most pertinent information to know, as well as staff predictions, for today's game. Charlie Potter: Alabama 35, Kansas State 27 Having Bryce…

NCAA Division I, FBS Post Season - Syracuse Orange vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers American Football NCAA Division I, FBS Post Season - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles American Football NCAA Division I, FBS Post Season - Texas Longhorns vs. Washington Huskies American Football NCAA Division I, FBS Post Season - Maryland Terrapins vs.…

SUNRISE - The Florida Panthers will be as close to full-strength as they have all season when they return from the NHL's holiday break to play the Montreal Canadiens. Sasha Barkov (knee), Aaron Ekblad (shoulder) and Radko Gudas (concussion) were all cleared to return to the lineup on Thursday night, ending a month-long stretch where the Panthers…

TV: ESPN - Wes Durham (PXP), Roddy Jones (Analyst), Taylor Davis (Reporter) Series: Minnesota leads 3-2(Minnesota lost 21-17 in the 2013 Texas Bowl (12/27/13)) Vegas betting line: Minnesota (-10) with an O/U of 42 Weather Report: 45 degrees with south winds at 5 mph and sun --- 1. RV/RV Minnesota (8-4, 5-4 B1G) makes its 23rd all-time bowl…

For the first time in a week, we can say it's game day. Tonight the Washington Capitals will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers for the second time this season. It also marks their first time against the Rangers since opening night which resulted in a 5-1 Capitals win. The Caps have earned points in 15 of their last 20…

With Santa having made all his early-morning rounds, NBA fans still have some stocking stuffers to enjoy. For Dallas Mavericks fans specifically, Sunday is an extra-special Christmas Day, as the team is unveiling Dirk Nowitzki's statue in front of American Airlines Center just hours before Luka Doncic and the rest of the crew host LeBron James' Los…

The Florida Panthers will have a new player in the lineup on Friday night when they visit the New York Islanders at Belmont Park. Givani Smith, the forward Florida acquired on Monday from the Red Wings, was recalled from AHL Charlotte and will be in against the Islanders according to coach Paul Maurice. Maurice did not say who was coming out,…

Location: Caesar's Superdome, New Orleans, LA TV: ESPN: Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Taylor Davis. Radio: WKLX (SAM 100.7 FM) and WWKU (ESPN Radio 102.7 FM) in Bowling Green. Sports Talk 99.5 FM in Mobile. According to DraftKings, South Alabama is a one-point favorite with the over/under set at 57 points.* * Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply.…

The Florida Panthers will have their hands full again against the league-leading Boston Bruins tonight at TD Garden. And the injury bug will not do them any favors. Again. The last time the Panthers made the trip to Boston, they had to play a man down with Brandon Montour nursing an injury and later had to play with four defensemen after Aaron…

Usually, an impressive win against the Denver Nuggets would have been a sure momentum builder for the Los Angeles Lakers as they try and work themselves back into the Western Conference's playoff mix. Still, when Anthony Davis left the court with a right foot injury and was ruled out at halftime, it cast an immediate pall over the second half and a…

The heavily-injured Florida Panthers find themselves starting a three-game gauntlet against two of the best teams in the league - and they start with the upstart New Jersey Devils. Florida's injury (and illness) woes started when captain Sasha Barkov started to feel sick in the middle of a win over the Washington Capitals on Nov. 15. With the…

The Washington Capitals will look for their fifth win in a row when they head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks in front of a national TV audience. Tonight is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season. The Caps are 45-43-11-3 all time against Chicago and are 9-3-2 in their last 14 games against the Blackhawks. The Caps earned…

The Florida Panthers will try and put an end to a three-game losing streak tonight against the Canucks. In a move that comes as a surprise to no one, Florida will have Spencer Knight back in net. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up three goals in the first period Tuesday night in Calgary and has surrendered four or more goals in four of his past six…

The NBA Eastern Conference play-in game on Tuesday night will feature a pair of teams who just squared off last Friday. Brooklyn got the better of Cleveland in that outing, picking up a 118-107 win. The Nets and Cavaliers both finished at 44-38 in the regular season, but Brooklyn earned home-court advantage after winning three of the four…

After ousting the Indians in Game 1 by a score of 12-3, the Yankees will take on their Wild Card opponents again on Wednesday night. This Yankees vs. Indians betting preview will include odds, picks, and predictions for the Yankees' potential series-clinching Game 2 victory. Let's take a look at the odds for the Yankees-Indians Game 2 matchup,…

UConn men's basketball has started the season off on a tear, winning each of its seven matchups by 15 points or more, even against increasingly high-quality competition. Beating Oregon (in the state of Oregon) by 24 and No. 18 Alabama by 15 to begin the Phil Knight Invitational has UConn fans completely re-evaluating their ceiling for this year's…

Here is a capsule look at today's games of interest: Kickoff: 3 p.m. TV: Fox Radio: WDBQ-FM 1097.5 Series record: Minnesota leads, 62-51-2. What's at stake: The West Division title is back in play in for both teams with each on three-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes and Gophers are in a four-way tie for first place with Illinois and Purdue,…

The Washington Capitals now hit the road after a season long four game homestand. Their first stop is in Florida, specifically Tampa Bay where a rematch with the Lightning awaits. The Caps won the game on Friday 5-1 so the Bolts will be out for revenge especially as tempers flared throughout the night with multiple fights. Sonny Milano scored…

SUNRISE - Spencer Knight will be back in net for the Florida Panthers when they play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. After a 40-save shutout Wednesday against Carolina, of course he is. This will be the third consecutive start for the Panthers but that does not mean the team has a goalie controversy going. Coach Paul Maurice grabbed Sergei…

SUNRISE - It is another milestone night for Eric Staal and it will be a special one for the Florida Panthers center as they play host to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Not only does Staal hit 1300 regular season NHL games tonight, but he does so against the team it all started with. As a special bonus, two of his brothers will be on…

SUNRISE - The Florida Panthers held a spirited practice at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday morning, a day after suffering a rare loss on home ice. The Panthers have only lost four games in Sunrise this season, so while they weren't feeling blue or anything like that, they certainly had a purpose in their work. "I don't think anyone is happy and I…

The mission for the University of Cincinnati football team this season has been figuring out what "us" looks like. With the departure of more than 30 seniors and nine NFL draft picks from last year's record-setting team, these Bearcats were inevitably going to look much different than last season's College Football Playoff-qualifying squad. Through…

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies are set to kick off the 2022 World Series on Friday night, and the matchup promises to be an exciting one. While much of the baseball world will be focused on the Fall Classic, many MLB players, teams and agents are looking past it. Several high-profile players will become free agents once the final out…

The heart of Austin Peay football's season begins now. The Govs are coming off their second open week in the past three weeks and face former OVC rival Jacksonville State on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN+) at Fortera Stadium. It's the first of three straight ASUN games for the Govs (5-2, 1-1 ASUN) who need to win all three to have a legitimate chance at a…

The Florida Panthers will have Sergei Bobrovsky back in net Tuesday night against the host Chicago Blackhawks at 8:30 p.m. (Bally Sports Florida). Coach Paul Maurice said there would be no other lineup changes from Sunday's win against the Islanders. This will be the fifth start in seven games for Bobrovsky (2-1-1, .916/2.79) as the Panthers kick…

On a couple of occasions this week, new Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice has compared the start of his team's season against the Islanders to Christmas morning. Well, it's time to open up some gifts. The Panthers' 2022-23 season is about to commence. Florida will open things up on the road this year, playing the host New York Islanders at UBS…

The Los Angeles Dodgers are favorites to win the World Series, and nothing about that has changed after they defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Tuesday. The price on the Dodgers for this best-of-five-game NLDS is now at -480, with San Diego listed at+370 after losing Game 1, 5-3. These odds are from FanDuel. Game 2…

SUNRISE - The Florida Panthers set their initial roster on Monday evening and will open the season with 20 players none of whom are named Eric Staal. The Panthers liked what the veteran center brought to the team in camp on his PTO but they are so close to the salary cap ceiling they can't afford a nice used car much less another NHL player. So,…

On Saturday, the New York Yankees learned who they will face in the American League Division Series, which begins Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. With Cleveland's two-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card series, the Guardians will head to the Bronx. Want to bet on MLB? The Yankees skipped the first round of the playoffs because they…

Giancarlo Stanton has been one of the Yankees' most fearsome playoff hitters, and with the ALDS nearing, he seems to be rounding into form. "I sure hope so," manager Aaron Boone said on "The Michael Kay Show" on ESPN Radio on Thursday. "It's encouraging to see it." Want to bet on MLB? In his last three games of the regular season, Stanton hit.444…

University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell wins, a lot. In just five-plus seasons, the 49-year-old coach has led the Bearcats to a 52-16 record (.765 win percentage). That includes a 44-7 mark over the last four seasons. Fickell's 52 wins at Cincinnati are already the second most in program history. Another win Saturday against South…

The Virginia Tech Hokies travel to the Steel City Saturday for their annual rivalry game with the Pittsburgh Panthers. The defending ACC champions enter Saturday's game with a 3-2 record but are coming off an embarrassing 26-21 home loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Meanwhile, the Hokies own a 2-3 record and are coming off back-to-back…

The Virginia Tech Hokies (2-2, 1-0) are back on the road Saturday after three consecutive home games as they travel to Chapel Hill to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0). The Hokies were dominated by West Virginia last Thursday and head to UNC with two days of extra rest. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are coming off their first loss of the…

The number of teams capable of reaching the College Football Playoff is far greater than many realize - which is genuinely great news for college football. Non-traditional powers Washington, Michigan State, Oregon, Michigan, and Cincinnati have made the playoff in the past. Basically, any one-loss or undefeated Power Five conference champion has a…

USC is up to No. 6 in the national rankings and will now return home with a favorable matchup against Arizona State. The undefeated Trojans (4-0, 2-0) are coming off a hard-fought 17-14 win on the road against Oregon State last week in a game where the defense put the team on its back. While the offense could only muster 17 points, that is all they…

PROVO, Utah - No. 19 BYU vs Utah State tonight marks the 91st all-time meeting between the two in-state rivals. BYU comes into this matchup on a two-game winning streak against the Aggies. Both of the wins were in Logan. The last time Utah State traveled to Provo was in 2018, the 2020 meeting was canceled due to the Mountain West going to a…

One of the oldest, quirkiest and certainly heaviest rivalry trophies in all of college football currently sits in the lobby of the BYU football offices on the second floor of the Provo school's Student Athlete Building. The Old Wagon Wheel, bedecked with little metallic plaques signifying wins, and losses, since 1948 in the Cougars' 100-year-old…

LAS VEGAS - Tom Barton stands at the southwest corner of Tropicana and the Strip. It's high noon, two weeks ago, but he peers back a couple of decades, to the wee hours of a particular day. Pedestrians surrounded this intersection, one of the busiest on the planet, and gawked. Outside their rigs, shifted into park, drivers and passengers stood and…

Mel Tucker and his Michigan State football team will hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Washington for a primetime college football matchup. The Spartans will also find themselves as an underdog for the first time, despite being ranked No. 11 in the country and playing the unranked Huskies. Whether it's because of the…

It's all but certain at this point that the American League MVP race will boil down to the Yankees' slugger vs. the Angels' two-way superstar. And we know where Yankees manager Aaron Boone stands on the issue. BUY YANKEES TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETSMARTER, TICKETMASTER Here's what Boone said when Michael Kay asked on ESPN Radio on…

The New York Islanders are back in action. Honestly. Over the last ten days, the Islanders have only played once. Once! There's a duality of emotions at play here for fans. On the one hand, it's ridiculous that we've gone effectively two weeks with only one game. But on the other hand, these two breaks between games are perfect for the players to…

The New York Islanders are back on the ice today against a struggling Philadelphia Flyers side. These two teams have met already recently, twice in fact. Both times the Islanders came out on top. And things haven't gone well for the Flyers (before and since). The Flyers are struggling massively of late. They're on a 12-game losing skid and find…