If one of these clubs has been a wee bit underwhelming this season (Chicago), then Ottawa is definitely, totally, all the way there. The Senators surprised everyone pleasantly last season with their performance, but they have come back to Earth in a big way in 2013-14.
Memphis rolls into California on Friday, trailing host Golden State by one game in the West, and will hope that a win will provide a little separation from the eighth-place Suns, who tail the Grizzlies by just half a game for the final conference playoff spot.
The Spurs – pretty much the model for a professional sports franchise – are winners of 15 straight. With their trip to the foot of the Rocky Mountains on Friday night, there’s no reason why that win streak shouldn’t be extended.
The Heat are 31-37-2 ATS with an O/U record of 39-31 and the Pistons are 31-39-1 ATS with an O/U record of 47-24. This season the Pistons are 15-22 at home and the Heat are 20-16 on the road.
The Toronto Maple Leafs limp into Philadelphia on Friday night looking to put a merciful end to an ugly six game losing streak. The Flyers await looking to snap a two game losing streak – something has to give.
The Cyclones has made it to the second weekend of the tournament but not without casualty as F Georges Niang, their third leading scorer is out indefinitely. This happened in their first game and it was impressive the way they regrouped to beat North Carolina.
The eighth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats will take on the fourth-seeded Louisville Cardinals in an instate rivalry game with a trip to the Midwest Region final on the line.
The 11th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers will take on the 2nd-seeded Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night in a Sweet 16 showdown.
No team in the NBA needs a win as badly as the Portland Trail Blazers. Having lost eight of itheir last 11 games, the Blazers enter this matchup with the Atlanta Hawks as the fifth seed out West.
The Vancouver Canucks continue to cling to their playoff hopes when they visit the suddenly stumbling Colorado Avalanche Thursday night. The Vancouver Canucks ride a three game win streak into Denver to face a Colorado team that was lucky to snap a three game winless skid with a come-from-behind shootout win against the Predators last time out.
The Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings do battle on Thursday in a busy night in the NHL – both needing points during the stretch drive.The Montreal Canadiens enter the game on a three game win streak and the Wings have points in four of their last five games.
With no hope of making the postseason, the Lakers will try to maintain a little pride with a win over the struggling Bucks on Thursday, when the two face off at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, in Milwaukee.
Top-seeded Arizona will face the San Diego Aztecs for the second time with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line, when the two collide at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday night.
With a spot in the Elite Eight on the line, the Baylor Bears and Wisconsin Badgers will do battle at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday night.
UCLA is 23-12 ATS with an O/U record of 15-19 and Florida is 17-14-1 ATS with an O/U record of 10-21-1. In their last games UCLA beat Stephen F. Austin 77-60 and Florida beat Pittsburgh 61-45.
The Vancouver Canucks know that there is absolutely zero room for error down the stretch of the NHL Regular Season and on Wednesday night they get a chance to make up a little ground on one of the teams they must leap-frog in order to qualify for the playoffs.
