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Villanova, Butler look to bounce back in first game of 2025
The Christmas break has come and gone, and Villanova and Butler hope to right the ship on New Year's Day when they face off in a Big East Conference matchup Wednesday in Indianapolis.,Villanova (8-5, 1-1) comes in off an 86-79 conference loss at Creighton on Dec. 21, allowing the Bluejays to shoot 5...

Connor Hellebuyck stops 22 shots as Jets blank Predators
Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.,Gabriel Vilardi had two goals and defenseman Dylan DeMelo also scored for Winnipeg, which tops the NHL with 27 wins and 55 points fol...

Canucks try to flush tough loss, seek win against Flames
The Vancouver Canucks will try to move on from their most challenging loss of the season when they travel to Calgary to face the Pacific Division-rival Flames on Tuesday night.,Vancouver holds a one-point lead over fifth-place Calgary in the Pacific and the race for the final Western Conference wild...

Sharks seek to end 7-game losing streak vs. Flyers
The San Jose Sharks will hope to end their seven-game losing streak when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.,The matchup presents the bottom-feeding Sharks with one of their best opportunities to secure a win as it marks the third of a six-game homestand, with a trio of tough teams to foll...

Hurricanes intent on not changing their game, face Jackets
The Carolina Hurricanes are in search of back-to-back victories as they open a two-game road trip with a meeting with the host Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.,Carolina split a home-and-home with the New Jersey Devils last week and has two wins over its past five games (2-3-0). The Hurricanes...

Devils head west to face Ducks, seek return to defensive dominance
The New Jersey Devils recently set an NHL record by allowing 20 shots or fewer in seven straight games. They went 5-1-1 in those games.,Over the weekend, the shot totals increased as the Devils split a two-game set with the Carolina Hurricanes.,The Devils enter their second Pacific swing of the seas...

Sabres finding ways to win, while Stars seek to repeat recent history
The Buffalo Sabres appear to be finding their way again.,They've won three in a row after going 0-10-3 over a 13-game slide, outscoring opponents 17-5 in the process, and will look to keep the momentum going when they close out 2024 with a visit to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.,Their most recent triu...

Penguins energized by power play, Red Wings by new head coach
The best way to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins is to stay out of the penalty box. The Penguins' power play has churned out goals at a high rate in recent games.,They'll look to collect a road victory in Detroit on Tuesday during the Red Wings' annual New Year's Eve game.,Pittsburgh has notched six p...

Kevin Durant carrying Suns as Grizzlies pay a visit
Phoenix superstar Kevin Durant is calling for a "next-man-up" mentality as the short-handed Suns prepare to host the equally depleted Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday night.,After a bright start to the season, Phoenix has lost five of its past six games, including Saturday's 109-105 defeat against the Gold...

Thunder put 11-game winning streak on line vs. Timberwolves
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the hottest teams in the NBA for plenty of reasons.,Two-time All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks during the Thunder's 11-game winning streak.,Gilgeous-Alexander's performances, as good as...

No. 14 Ole Miss has something to prove in Gator Bowl vs. Duke
There's no shortage of motivation for No. 14 Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl.,The incentive for Duke might be a bit different, but the Blue Devils will be out to prove something as well Thursday night in Jacksonville, Fla.,Both teams hold 9-3 records but arrived at this point in different ways.,Ole Miss ...

No. 8 Marquette out to extend strong Big East start at Providence
No. 8 Marquette will strive to finish the calendar year with another Big East win when it visits Providence in a Tuesday matchup of two teams coming off extended holiday breaks.,The Golden Eagles (11-2, 2-0) have not started the conference season with three straight victories since 2012-13, but that...

No. 4 Duke streaks into ACC home opener vs. Virginia Tech
There's plenty of optimism around No. 4 Duke thanks to a six-game winning streak and the offensive improvement that came with it. The next stop is back home for Tuesday's Atlantic Coast Conference clash with Virginia Tech in Durham, N.C.,Duke (10-2, 2-0 ACC) will hold its conference home opener, whi...

Arizona State opens Big 12 era at BYU
Arizona State enters its Big 12 Conference debut with confidence when it visits BYU for a matchup of 9-2 teams on Tuesday in Provo, Utah.,The Sun Devils have won seven of their last eight games. Their only losses so far were to top-10 teams Gonzaga and Florida.,"I think we're excited," Arizona State...

No. 1 Tennessee returns from break to face Norfolk State
Top-ranked Tennessee will attempt to remain unbeaten as it closes out its nonconference schedule against Norfolk State on Tuesday in Knoxville, Tenn.,The Volunteers (12-0) are coming off back-to-back 80-point outings, beating Western Carolina 84-36 on Dec. 17 and Middle Tennessee 82-64 on Dec. 23. C...

Leafs F Auston Matthews returns to practice; out Tuesday
Auston Matthews took part in Toronto Maple Leafs practice for the first time since a Dec. 20 injury but won't play Tuesday at home against the New York Islanders.,Coach Craig Berube was pleased with Matthews' participation on Monday but said his captain will miss a fifth consecutive game. According ...
Best Sports Betting Picks Today: College Football Bowl Games, NFL December 30th
December 30th's best sports betting picks and predictions include our expert bets for college football bowl games and Monday Night Football....

Vanderbilt faces lowly New Orleans in final tuneup for SEC
Vanderbilt aims to conclude its nonconference schedule with a sixth straight win when it hosts New Orleans on Monday in Nashville, Tenn.,Since losing to Drake 81-70 in the Charleston Classic title game on Nov. 24, the Commodores (11-1) have jumped to 37th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking. T...

Missouri aims to cap perfect nonconference home slate vs. Alabama State
Missouri will try to finish its nonconference home schedule unbeaten when it hosts Alabama State on Monday night in Columbia, Mo.,The Tigers (10-2) have won all 10 games on their home court so far, with their only losses coming at Memphis, 83-75, in the season opener and against Illinois, 80-77, in ...

Kenny Atkinson's hot-shooting Cavs take on middling Warriors
Former Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson returns to San Francisco on Monday, leading the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, owners of the NBA's best record, into a showdown with the host Warriors.,Atkinson, in his first season at the helm for Cleveland, spent three seasons working alongside Golden Sta...