Venue/ Stadium: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, MI
Michigan State (15-4) has lost 2 straight Big 10 games and now they head home to play a solid Purdue (14-5) team that is coming off a win and has won 2 straight against the Spartans on their home floor.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-7) vs #4 Duke Blue Devils (15-2)
It has been a while since Wake Forest was a team to be reckoned with in the ACC. They won their conference opener but have lost the last 2 including an embarrassing home loss to NC State by 36 points last time out.
N.Y vs. San Francisco Conference Championship Prediction
A trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis is up for grabs this Sunday afternoon when the NFC’s No.4-seed New York Giants clash with the No.2-seed San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in this season’s conference championship.
The Clip Joint (7-4) is coming off a blowout loss where they had their worst shooting night of the young season and they will be facing a Mavs (8-6) team that only scored 73 points in their Monday night loss to the Lakers.
Cappers Picks Golf handicappers have all your latest golf news and information so be sure to make us your trusted source for up-to-the-minute golf details. PGA Golf betting fans will also have plenty golf action to focus on as this year’s Fed Ex Cup Championship and the Major’s are just around the corner.
The Atlanta Hawks have been conducting business as usual despite losing Al Horford to a season-ending pectoral injury, and will go for their fourth straight win without him when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
The winner of this game will play in the Super Bowl two weeks from now. Both of these teams have fallen short despite high expectations over the last few years, and you can bet that they are extremely hungry to get back to the Super Bowl.
New England is the big favorite thanks to a high-powered offense, but the Ravens can’t be discounted with their top-notch defense. Let’s take a closer look at this AFC Championship game.
Baltimore Ravens (13-4) vs. New England Patriots (14-3) Time/Date: 3:00 PM EST, January 22, 2012 Venue: Gillette Stadium Broadcast: CBS Ravens vs. Patriots NFL Gambling Odds from JustBet Spread: Patriots -7.5 Moneyline: New England (-330) Baltimore (+275) Over/Under: 50.5
Baltimore’s offense has had an up and down season. Ray Rice is an absolute beast in the backfield, but there have been times throughout the year when this team simply hasn’t used him enough. Rice averaged 4.7 yards per carry, and he also led the team with 76 receptions this season. Rice is one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL, and the Ravens need to use him a lot this weekend. Joe Flacco has been highly criticized in the media this year. He has had his worst season as a pro statistically. Flacco is only completing 57.6% of his passes. He did play pretty well last week against the Texans. Anquan Boldin is the team’s top receiver. The Ravens average 23.6 points per game.
The main reason Baltimore is in the AFC Championship is their tremendous defense. The Ravens rank third in the NFL in total defense. Terrell Suggs has had a great career, but this has been his best season yet. Suggs has racked up 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles already this year. Haloti Ngata and Terrence Cody are a force in the middle of the defensive line. Ray Lewis is once again the team’s leading tackler. Ed Reed is older, but he is still one of the top safeties in the league. It’s tough to find a weak spot on this unit.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
New England’s offense has been a well-oiled machine this year. The Patriots average 32.1 points per contest. Tom Brady threw for 39 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions this year. He has a quarterback rating of 105.9. Brady has an endless amount of weapons to work with in this offense. Rob Gronkowski has 17 touchdowns in 17 games this year. Gronkowski has quickly become the best tight end in football. He is too quick for a linebacker, but too big for a safety or corner. Aaron Hernandez is listed as questionable for this game, but he is also a great tight end who creates mismatches. Wes Welker leads the team in catches with 122, and it would be tough to find a more reliable receiver in the NFL. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Steven Ridley, and Danny Woodhead carry the ball just enough to keep the defense honest.
The Patriots defense has given up a lot of yards this year, but they have done a nice job limiting the opposition’s touchdowns. New England ranks second to last in the NFL in total yards allowed per game, but they are giving up only 21.4 points per game. Kyle Arrington leads the team with seven interceptions. One source of concern for this group is the fact that their top two tacklers are both cornerbacks.
These teams have met three times in the past three years. All three games have been close, and they have all stayed under the posted total. Look for another game that is lower scoring than expected.
This season’s NFL playoff field of 12 teams has been pared down to the final four for this Sunday’s conference championships. The winner from the AFC and the NFC will advance on to Indianapolis, the site of Super Bowl XLVI.
Conference Championship Weekend – New York vs San Francisco
This NFC Championship game was supposed to be a Heavyweight showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints but in a shocking development the old adage “defense wins championships” came to fruition and the offensive juggernauts were sent packing.
The Longhorns who have won three of their last five will travel to Manhattan on Wednesday to take on a Kansas State Wildcats’ team that has now lost three of its last four, dropping seven spots out of this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
NCAA Basketball Matchup: Michigan State vs Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines swept the season series last year over Michigan State. Tom Izzo’s Spartans team was quite disappointing last year, but he seems to have the type of players he wants in his system this year.