Daily Archives: February 5, 2022

Replenishing lost electrolytes is nice, but what if it were possible to use Gatorade to replenish your wallet? Guessing the correct color of the Gatorade bath in this year's Super Bowl could have you swimming in money like you're Scrooge McDuck. Just as any successful, bespectacled waterfowl will tell you, the best kind of guess is an educated guess. I think the Los Angeles Rams are going to win and my research leads me to believe that they're going to have yellow Gatorade in their cooler. Instead of getting a half return on the Rams' -200 moneyline, I'm looking to 4.5x my money with a bet on a Yellow/Green/Lime Gatorade bath at +450 on BetMGM.

Quarterback is the single-most important position in football. Teams are literally and figuratively led by their signal-callers. There's no doubt that the Rams are Matthew Stafford's team and Joe Burrow is the Bengals' alpha. Quarterbacks are also known to be a superstitious bunch. Before Tom Brady went to the Bucs, blue Gatorade was poured out in his final two Super Bowl wins with the Patriots when there was a liquid bath. When he joined Bruce Arians to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Tampa last year, he brought the blue Gatorade with him.

We have one recorded instance of an NFL Gatorade shower with Matthew Stafford. In his third season with Detroit, Stafford led the Lions to their first winning season in 11 years and their first postseason in 12 years. After Detroit clinched a playoff spot by beating the San Diego Chargers in Week 16, players celebrated by dousing head coach Jim Schwartz in yellow Gatorade.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s arrival in Los Angeles this season was preceded by a devastating ACL tear suffered by Rams receiver Robert Woods in November. A month ago, Gatorade released a short film profiling Woods. At the :04 mark of the film, there's a shot of Woods driving with a bottle of orange-flavored Gatorade in his car's cupholder. He never drinks from the bottle, and it's likely just an aesthetic branding choice, matching the color of the liquid with the infamous orange Gatorade cap. We do see Woods drinking from a Gatorade bottle at the 1:20 mark, however. As he sweats through a workout montage, he takes a break for a quick sip of yellow Gatorade.

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Burrow has quite a connection to yellow Gatorade, as well. When his LSU Tigers gave coach Ed Orgeron a premature yellow Gatorade bath against Texas A&M in 2018, up 31-24 with 29 seconds left in regulation, they wound up losing the game 74-72 in seven overtimes. Burrow and LSU won the national championship the following season and no Gatorade was poured out.

Months before he was selected in the 2020 draft, Burrow was featured in a TikTok video released by the NFL. In the video, he names his favorite TV show ("The Office"), spirit animal (platypus), and color (orange). At +200, orange is the odds-on favorite at BetMGM.

Stats provided by Pro Football Reference.

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Super Bowl betting: Why we like this color for the Gatorade bath - Yahoo Sports

Special to Yahoo Sports

Even though the fantasy hockey week has prematurely concluded due to the All-Star break, that doesn't mean you should sit around and wait until Monday. If you're aiming for a title, look around the league for players who can help. Make a few offers and see what sticks. And should you be shooting for next year, try to accumulate as many assets as you can from the contenders.

Whether you're wheeling, dealing or both, it's always a smart idea to go to RotoWire for all the latest hockey news and in-depth material.

Like last week, you'll find a couple of familiar faces who should still be better covered. And remember, only previously mentioned players who continue to be less than 50 percent can be mentioned again.

(Rostered rates/stats as of Feb. 3.)

Like Michael Bunting last week, McCann had the honor of appearing in the season's first Waiver Wire article. He has successfully continued his outstanding Pittsburgh run with a decent haul for the expansion franchise in the form of 19 goals, 11 assists, 105 shots and 159 faceoff wins. McCann centers the Kraken's top even-strength line and operates on the lead power play where he's posted 10 points. And at 25, there's room to grow should he decide to stay long-term in Seattle.

Marchment qualifies as this edition's "No, really?" entry after going off for six points Monday and 12 in the last five games. This surge hasn't necessarily been surprising since he scored at a decent rate over multiple AHL seasons, though there's little chance of maintaining a similar pace. Marchment has fit perfectly beside Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell on Florida's third unit, so offensive opportunities should continue to come.

Of course Mason Marchment is a top fantasy hockey pickup this week. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When Thomas was first brought up in late October, his coverage rate was at four percent. Even though that figure has significantly increased, it's still not high enough for someone who's racked up 32 points in 37 matches and has regularly skated with Vladimir Tarasenko. Thomas' 275 faceoff wins won't convince anyone in leagues where that category isn't counted, but becoming a top-six mainstay and a consistent scorer on a strong team should be enough to garner more attention.

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The Habs are, well, the Habs, and that's generally not been very good for fantasy business, yet there's still value to be found. Hoffman averaged less than 60 points over a six-year span before dropping a bit in St. Louis and arriving in La Belle Province. The veteran may find himself lower on the depth chart at five-on-five, but he's part of Montreal's first man-advantage and has produced three PPAs from five outings. Hoffman's never been shy to fire pucks on net and has prolonged that trend with almost three shots per game.

Mikheyev turned a 56-point KHL performance in 2018-19 to secure a multi-year deal with the Leafs. The momentum of an excellent debut fell off the following season and seemed destined to repeat itself after he underwent thumb surgery in October. Fortunately, Mikheyev didn't need much time to get it going and has posted seven goals and three assists in 13 games. He may be a member of Toronto's third line and secondary power play, but he's been active with 37 shots and logs sufficient minutes on both special-teams groups.

It almost feels like yesterday when Ennis was dominating the WHL and being drafted in the first round and then I realize the latter happened in 2008. He's never hit that elite level in the NHL and has frequently changed locations in recent years. Ennis is now on his second tour with the Sens and looks to have settled in with some of the better talent. That's led to an outstanding run of six points, 22 shots and 11 hits across six games, including a hat trick last week against the Sabres. Ennis could be moved down once others return, but he makes for a sneaky lower-roster addition in the meantime.

While the Avs waited for Newhook, he starred at Boston College and was named most outstanding freshman for the 2019-20 campaign. He got a taste of the big leagues last year and put up three assists in six appearances. After making the team out of training camp and participating in one game, Newhook was sent down to the AHL and racked up 11 in 10 before being recalled and he immediately started scoring. He's been rather streaky, but is adapting well and boasts tremendous upside.

It's only coincidental one of Newhook's teammates from the 2021 WJC is listed right after him, though both are equally talented. Alex Tuch might be thought of as the key player sent by Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade, but Krebs may soon have something to say about that. The 2021 WHL MVP has already shown he's too good for the minors following four goals and 15 assists from only 18 games. Krebs has only found the scoresheet three times this season, but two of those netted a pair of points and rave reviews regarding his puck skills. With the Sabres' young core developing, he should be given every opportunity to succeed both now and down the road.

Did you get Andersson as was suggested at the beginning of the season? He's not in the elite tier of D-men, but Calgary's top power play is dangerous and nine of his 21 points have come during this situation. Andersson has also chipped in with 78 shots and 71 blocks while averaging 22:26. Better fantasy blueliners exist, though you're not going to find one with lower coverage numbers who skates major minutes while receiving plenty of scoring responsibilities.

Pulock is definitely someone to watch as he's only two games back from a lengthy absence. No offense yet, but he's been reintegrated on the man-advantage and his ice time should keep increasing toward normal levels. Remember, Pulock is only a year removed from producing at least 30 points in three consecutive seasons while combining for 30 PPPs. And if you're searching for supplementary stats, he's more than serviceable for hits and blocks.

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Schenn never lived up to the high expectations of a fifth overall pick and can't be counted upon for offense, though there's something he can do that he's really, really good at. We've seen the likes of Cal Clutterbuck, Radko Gudas and Jani Hakanpaa make a name for themselves as hit specialists, and we now can add Schenn to that list. He's dished out 124 across 30 outings, including a whopping 19 from the last two being partnered with Quinn Hughes. We're not saying Schenn will magically start scoring alongside the star defender, but there's a chance he'll be on the ice when the Canucks put pucks in the net.

One could claim Miller is getting a boost because of Adam Fox's upper-body injury, yet the reigning Norris Trophy winner has only missed three games and Miller's PP role already jumped in mid-January. Nothing yet in that department, though the goal, three assists, 17 shots, 12 hits, nine blocks and a plus-6 over the last eight looks solid. Miller's points might dry up, but he's reliable as an across-the-board contributor.

Mrazek's first season in Toronto started off terribly after missing significant time with a groin injury and then almost immediately entering COVID protocols. 2022 has been kinder to him with a 3-1 record along with a 2.11 GAA and .921 save percentage over four appearances. Jack Campbell has looked dominant throughout the campaign but has experienced a couple of recent hiccups, including being pulled on Monday and Mrazek coming in and impressing. That doesn't mean Mrazek is going to unseat Campbell, though that should at least allow for more starts provided he can stay healthy.

Looking at the Blue Jackets' awful GAA and Korpisalo's 3.82/.887 line might have you wondering why he's being included. Sometimes the goalie who plays the most is sufficient as a fantasy fill-in. And that's been the case lately with Korpisalo as Elvis Merzlikins has produced and you may want to look away a 4.38 GAA and .884 save percentage from his last 15 games. That has left the Finn with consecutive wins and a decent replacement effort after Merzlikins let in seven at home versus Florida.

(Players to consider from past columns: Nazem Kadri, Tyler Toffoli, Joel Eriksson Ek, Tage Thompson, Lucas Raymond, Ryan Hartman, Ondrej Kase, Jesper Bratt, Lawson Crouse, Anthony Cirelli, Matthew Boldy, Ryan Johansen, Trevor Zegras, Nino Niederreiter, Ivan Barbashev, Mats Zuccarello, Anton Lundell, Kailer Yamamoto, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner, William Karlsson, Troy Terry, Matt Duchene, Tanner Jeannot, Mikael Granlund, Sonny Milano, Jonathan Dahlen, Evan Bouchard, Jared Spurgeon, Moritz Seider, Shayne Gostisbehere, Damon Severson, Mark Giordano, Matt Grzelcyk, Alex Nedeljkovic, Matt Murray, Pavel Francouz, Ville Husso, Kaapo Kahkonen, James Reimer, Karel Vejmelka)

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Pickups to make during the All-Star break - Yahoo Sports

The Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers have been two of the best teams against the spread in the NBA this season.

Both Charlotte and Cleveland have covered the spread in roughly 60% of their games so far this season. Cleveland is 30-20-2 against the spread and 31-21 overall while Charlotte is 31-21 against the spread with a record of 28-24. Only Memphis (at 65%) and Oklahoma City have done better against the number so far this season.

Just one of those two teams in the Eastern Conference is going to cover on Friday night, however, as the Cavaliers travel to Charlotte in the best game of the evening. Charlotte is favored by 4.5 points at BetMGM ahead of the matchup as the Hornets are in eighth in the East, 4.5 games back of the top seed.

Friday nights game could be pivotal for playoff seeding down the road given the crowded Eastern Conference standings. The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are tied for the top seed and just 8.5 games separate the Bulls and the New York Knicks in 12th. Cleveland is fifth in the standings and just 1.5 games back of the Bulls with the 76ers and Bucks a game back of the top spot in third and fourth.

The contest between the Cavaliers and Hornets is also a contrast in styles. The Hornets lead the league with 114 points per game and play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA. The Cavaliers give up the fewest points per game in the league at just over 102 and play at the 25th-slowest pace in the league.

Thats why the total is relatively low at 218.5. It took until the final minutes a week ago against the Lakers to hit, but were going to go with another Charlotte over on Friday night. Charlottes defensive rating is 26th in the league; we think Cleveland wont have much trouble keeping up if Charlotte controls the tempo.

While Cleveland and Charlotte is a matchup of teams that have been very good against the spread this year, Brooklyns trip to Utah is a game between teams that are having a hard time covering this season.

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Brooklyn is the worst team in the NBA against the spread so far this season thanks to the Nets popularity and their injury issues. The Nets are just 19-31-1 against the spread and the only team that has failed to cover in fewer than 40% of its games. The Jazz arent much better. Utah is 21-30-1 against the spread in 2021-22 and has covered in just 41.2% of games.

Utah is favored by 5.5 points on Friday night as Donovan Mitchell could make his return to the court. Mitchell has missed eight games while in the NBAs concussion protocols and the team said Thursday that hes available to return.

Rudy Gobert is set to miss the game, however. Gobert has missed the past five games with a strained calf after he returned from the leagues COVID-19 protocols. The Jazz went just 2-6 in Mitchells absence and has lost 11 of its last 14. Sixth man Joe Ingles also suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Jazzs slump.

The Nets are 0-3 on their western road trip so far. The Nets have lost to the Warriors, Suns, and Kings and are in the midst of a six-game losing streak since beating the Spurs on Jan. 21.

While Kevin Durant will miss Fridays game because of a knee injury, the Nets should have both Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The latter had just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in 37 minutes in a 112-101 loss to the Kings on Wednesday.

English soccer is back on its domestic calendar after the international break. The fourth round begins on Friday with a matchup between Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Man United is -300 to win. To take a look at all the odds and fixtures over the weekend, click here.

Power went 8-under in the first round on Thursday and trails Tom Hoge by a stroke in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That fantastic first round means Power is at +350 to win the tournament. His odds are slightly ahead of pre-tournament favorite Patrick Cantlay at +400. Cantlay is three shots back of the lead.

There are odds available for Sundays exhibition race at the Los Angeles Coliseum short track and were here to tell you to not bet the race.

The quarter-mile track inside the historic stadium is brand new. So are the cars. Its the first time teams have raced the completely new car built for 2022 and its happening on a track thats been constructed on a football field.

That could lead to an entertaining race. And some unpredictability. Those two factors are why you should sit out betting the Clash. Wait until the Daytona 500 in two weeks.

No. 7 Arizona beat No. 3 UCLA 76-66 in a matchup of top-10 teams. Arizona covered a 6.5-point spread and the game went under the 148.5 total. No. 2 Gonzaga covered a 23.5-point spread in a 92-62 win over San Diego and Arizona State covered against No. 19 USC by half a point in a 58-53 Trojans win.

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The Daily Sweat: The Cavs and Hornets have been fantastic against the spread so far - Yahoo Sports

NASCAR is hosting a race on a football field the week before the Super Bowl.

Sundays exhibition Busch Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum (6 p.m. ET) is one giant experiment for NASCAR. And that experiment will be televised live on Fox on one of the slowest sports weekends of the year in the hopes of attracting new and casual viewers who otherwise wouldnt be watching auto racing.

As you can imagine, the track inside the Coliseum is incredibly small. At a quarter-mile, its roughly half the size of Martinsville Speedway, the smallest track that currently hosts a Cup Series race.

The Coliseum is also is the shortest track to host a race in modern NASCAR history, though there's a long racing tradition of hosting races at stadiums. Bowman Gray Stadium, the home of Winston-Salem State University football, regularly hosts racing on the asphalt track around the football field on the weekends. And NASCAR raced at Chicago's Soldier Field four times, though the last race there happened 65 years ago.

For reference, a quarter-mile is the size of the running track around your local high school football field. And no, we werent kidding when we said that the NASCAR track at the Coliseum is located on top of the football field.

The asphalt track was pieced together in sections on top of the existing grass field that USC football uses. While that grass will likely have to be replaced by the time the track is taken down and the stadium is cleared out in two weeks, its the platform for a track thats taken nearly two months to construct.

The field is separated from the track by some plywood, plastic sheeting, and a bunch of dirt and fill to make the surface for the track totally level. The track itself is pretty level too, unlike most NASCAR tracks.

Most NASCAR tracks have significant banking in the corners to help the cars go faster and have more grip while turning. That banking means that the outside wall is higher than the inside part of the track.

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Making the outside walls significantly higher at the Coliseum would obstruct the views from the seats closest to the track. That's not a great idea. So the banking at the Coliseum track is just 2.5 degrees in the corners. For comparisons sake, the banking at Martinsville also the flattest oval track the Cup Series races on is 12 degrees in the turns.

The Los Angeles Coliseum has been transformed into a NASCAR track. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Not only is NASCAR trying the Clash at a track and stadium it's never raced at before, but teams competing in the race will also be using cars that have never been raced before.

The 2022 season is the first for NASCAR's long-awaited new car and new car rules. The car, which was delayed by a season because of the coronavirus pandemic, is largely built from parts via standard suppliers a drastic shift in the way that NASCAR teams have operated over the last decades. Powerhouse teams have typically built their own cars with their own parts and spent time, money, and workforce power to develop the parts and pieces to find as much speed as possible.

Now the cars are going to be largely the same throughout the field, though they're going to be significantly different for drivers. The steering systems and transmissions are different than they used to be, and drivers can even use a rear-view camera instead of a mirror.

While the car has been tested at tracks like Charlotte, Daytona, and Phoenix, teams haven't raced it in any capacity yet. Sunday's event will be a test session of sorts for teams as drivers get acclimated to their new surroundings in race conditions before the Daytona 500 in completely different conditions in two weeks.

NASCAR certainly hopes that the combination of new track and new car equals a compelling product for fans having football withdrawals on Sunday. The sanctioning body purposely moved the Clash to the Coliseum from Daytona and placed it a week earlier than usual and late on Sunday afternoon to attract as many eyeballs as possible and build anticipation for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.

In an attempt to highlight NASCAR's financial investment in Sunday's race, NASCAR vice president Steve O'Donnell said earlier in the week that the track's construction cost "significantly" more than $1 million. But saying that a track constructed on a football field in the middle of one of the most historic stadiums in the country cost more than $1 million is a lot like saying your house in Los Angeles cost "significantly" more than $100,000. It doesn't reveal too much.

What will it take for a good return on that investment? It's not totally clear, though it reasons that NASCAR would like a viewership number significantly higher than the 2.5 million people that watched the 2020 Busch Clash.

And if those viewers see a few wrecks, NASCAR likely won't object either. Speeds at the Coliseum track are going to be relatively slow because of the track's tight nature and flat corners. And it's hard to see how there will be more than one racing lane in the corners because of the lack of banking.

The combination of slow speeds and no racing room could force drivers to bump each other out of the way to make passes, especially late in the race. Wrecks can lead to good highlights and entertainment for both casual and hardcore viewers alike. Fox, the network broadcasting the race, has already promoted the potential of a last-lap pass for the win via a driver bumping or wrecking another out of the way in the final two corners.

But the race's success doesn't hinge on a last-lap bump and run, or a crash-filled afternoon or evening. Because there are so many unknowns, an event without any major issues with the temporary track or the largely untested cars should be seen as a positive result.

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NASCAR is kicking off the 2022 season with a race at the Los Angeles Coliseum - Yahoo Sports

The 2022 Winter Olympics include a new bobsled event.

Two-woman bobsledding was introduced at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and joined the two-man and four-man events on the calendar. This year, the womens monobob event makes its debut. And yes, you can bet on it.

The womens monobob is, you guessed it, a one-woman bobsledding event. According to the Olympic website, the event was introduced to promote more women participating in bobsledding.

Monobob participants must do everything themselves. They push the sled, jump in and then steer and brake the sled.

The United States Elana Meyers Taylor is the favorite at BetMGM to win the event at +200. However, Meyers Taylor is currently in COVID-19 isolation in Beijing. She posted a video of herself continuing to train as best she could while in her isolation room earlier this week and was unable to participate in Friday morning's opening ceremony as a flag bearer.

Meyers Taylor is the reigning World Monobob Series champion and is just ahead of fellow American Kallie Humphries at +225. The two American women are the clear favorites for gold in the monobob event. Germanys Laura Nolte is at +500 and Canadians Christine de Bruin and Cynthia Appiah are at +600. Germanys Mariama Jamanka is at +800 and Australias Breeana Walker is at +10000.

The monobob competition begins Feb. 13 likely enough time for Meyers Taylor to clear COVID-19 protocols and participate in the event. The first two heats are on the first day and the final two heats are on Feb. 14. The woman with the best cumulative time across all four heats will win the gold medal.

Elana Meyers Taylor, United States (+200)

Kallie Humphries, United States (+225)

Laura Nolte, Germany (+500)

Christine de Bruin, Canada (+600)

Cynthia Appiah, Canada (+600)

Mariama Jamanka, Germany (+800)

Breeana Walker, Australia (+1000)

Elana Meyers Taylor is the 2022 Winter Olympics gold medal favorite in monobob. (Photo by Patrick Goosen/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

Odds are available at BetMGM for both the two and four-man bobsled competitions. Just like the monobob, the team with the fastest four-run cumulative time will win the gold medal.

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Both competitions are Francesco Friedrichs teams to lose. The German drivers teams are at a wild -650 each to win the two-man and four-man competitions. No other competitor has odds better than +1000 in either event. If youre betting the upset, you can make some cash.

Friedrich and Thorsten Margis tied with Canadas Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz for gold in the 2018 two-man competition. Friedrichs team then won the four-man competition as he became the fifth German driver to win both events in the same Olympics.

Kripps team is at +1000 to win the two-man event and +1000 in the four-man event. His team has the same odds in the two-man event as Germanys Johannes Lochner and theyre followed by Great Britains Brad Hall, Latvias Oskars Kibermanis, and the Russian athlete federations Rostislav Gaitukevich at +1500.

Lochners four-man team is at +1200 to win and the No. 4 favorite behind Friedrich, Kripps and Kibermanis (+1000). Hall is at +1500 along with Gaitukevich and Austrias Benjamin Maier.

American Hunter Churchs two-man team is at +25000 to win the gold medal along with Frank Del Ducas team. Churchs four-man odds are much better at +5000 while Del Ducas team is at +15000.

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Yes, you can bet on that: The U.S. has the top two favorites in women's monobob - Yahoo Sports

When is the Super Bowl 2022? Where is it? What number are we on? Who are the BetMGM favorites? Answers to all that and more below ...

Super Bowl LVI will be played on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022.

Super Bowl LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Although It will be the eighth Super Bowl held in the Greater Los Angeles area, it will be the first in Inglewood.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the Buccaneers' second Super Bowl appearance and the Chiefs' fourth Super Bowl appearance.

The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla.

You can stream it live on the Yahoo Sports app! Super Bowl LVI will be televised by NBC, which was originally scheduled to broadcast the 2021 Super Bowl, with CBS having the rights to the 2022 Super Bowl. But the two broadcast networks opted to swap the game rights so that NBC could have both the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics in 2022.

According to BetMGM, the Rams (-200) are listed as a -4.5 point favorite to win Super Bowl LVI. The Bengals are at (+165).

Kickoff will take place at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 13.

Super Bowl 2022, which is 56 (or LVI) numberically, will be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

This is the 56th Super Bowl, or LVI in Roman numerals.

The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals will square off in the Super Bowl.

The Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and the Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Super Bowl LV in 2021 was watched by 96.4 million total viewers, which includes both TV and online ratings combined. Although online numbers were the strongest in history, TV viewership was reportedly down 9 percent from Super Bowl LIV in 2020 and registered the lowest TV ratings since 2006 (Steelers over Seahawks).

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The highest-rated Super Bowl ever was a 49.1 mark for 49ers-Bengals (XVI) in 1982. The viewership record was set in 2015 for Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots-Seahawks) in 2015, with 114.4 million viewers.

Twelve NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.

The game will be broadcast on NBC.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will perform at Super Bowl LVI, roughly between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET.

Shop Super Bowl Gear

Check out all the branded merchandise for the big game, Hats, Shirts, Decorations and more Shop Now

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Super Bowl 2022: What to know about the NFL's pinnacle event this year - Yahoo Sports

One of the best matchups this college basketball regular season will be No. 3 UCLA at No. 7 Arizona.

There aren't many other conference combinations that include two top-10 teams (Kentucky-Auburn and Baylor-Kansas are the others). The problem is, the first UCLA-Arizona meeting didn't turn out to be a very good game.

The Bruins blew out Arizona at Pauley Pavillon on Jan. 25. Arizona shot 30.7 percent from the field and UCLA dominated in every way possible on its way to a 75-59 win.

The rematch comes on Thursday night on ESPN. The game was moved up to 8 p.m. Eastern time to accommodate a larger TV audience. It should be a much better showdown than the first meeting. Arizona is a 6.5-point favorite at BetMGM. Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., who averages 12.3 points per game, has an ankle injury and his status is unclear.

Arizona has played only one truly poor game all season. The Wildcats are 17-2. They play fast, share the ball and are efficient on offense and defense. They are a Final Four contender, though the failure against UCLA will be hard for some to forget.

UCLA is 16-2 and has been almost as good as advertised coming off a Final Four trip last season. They have won 11 of 12 since a loss to Gonzaga. The only other loss came against Oregon in overtime. The blowout against Arizona proved the Bruins have the ability to go right back to a Final Four.

There won't be many better matchups on paper before conference tournaments start in March. Hopefully this time the game matches the hype.

Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:

While UCLA-Arizona is the only game between ranked teams, Iowa at No. 16 Ohio State is an intriguing matchup. Iowa is comfortably in the NCAA tournament field, and is a capable team due to a very good offense. The Hawkeyes have lost three of four and could use a big road win to get back on track. Ohio State is favored by 5.5.

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The TNT doubleheader for Thursday isn't bad. In the first game the Phoenix Suns, who have the NBA's best record, face the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have been a bit disappointing this season but they still have the talent to compete with the Suns. Phoenix is a 5.5-point favorite. In the second game, the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams are struggling to stay out of the play-in games in the NBA playoffs. The Clippers are 2.5-point favorites. LeBron James is likely out with a knee injury.

The best game of the day could be the Chicago Bulls at the Toronto Raptors. The Bulls have the best record in the East, and the Raptors have been playing better lately.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am starts on Thursday. Yahoo Sportsbook's Pam Maldonado had a look at some head-to-head betting matchups.

That's about it, as the NHL takes some time off before the All-Star break.

While UCLA could be without Jacquez, I still think they're getting too many points. This should be a closer game than the first one, and while Arizona won't play as bad as they did in the first meeting, perhaps the Bruins match up well. I'll take UCLA.

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The Daily Sweat: UCLA-Arizona rematch hopefully will be better than first meeting - Yahoo Sports