U-M favored over Buckeyes for 1st time in 5 years
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David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
Ohio State has not been an underdog to a Big Ten team in five years. Michigan is poised to end that streak Saturday.
The Wolverines began the week as 4-point home favorites over the Buckeyes at ESPN BET. It’s the first time they’ve been favored over Ohio State since 2018, when the Buckeyes were also 4-point underdogs against Michigan.
That was the last time Ohio State had been an underdog to a Big Ten team, a stretch of 43 games against conference foes. It’s the longest active streak of being favored against one conference in the nation, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Buckeyes beat Michigan 62-39 in 2018.
Michigan will be without coach Jim Harbaugh when it hosts the Buckeyes on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Harbaugh will be serving the final game of a three-game suspension for the alleged sign-stealing scheme. Oddsmakers have downplayed the impact of Harbaugh’s absence on the sideline in the Wolverines’ past two games, wins over Penn State and Maryland, and say any added motivation caused by the controversy mitigates the loss of their coach.
Ed Salmons, a veteran Las Vegas oddsmaker with the Westgate SuperBook, estimated Harbaugh was worth “one point” to the spread.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the line go back up a little,” Salmons said.
Caesars Sportsbook had Michigan listed as a 6.5-point favorite before last week’s games but reopened at -4.5 on Sunday.
“Little bit of money on the Buckeyes so far,” Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN on Sunday. “It stands to reason, because Michigan didn’t look so hot [Saturday] against Maryland.”
On Sunday, the line opened as high as Michigan -5 at Circa Sports, a Las Vegas-based sportsbook known to cater to professional bettors. The number dipped to Michigan -3, before settling back at -4 as of Monday morning.
Michigan was a -170 money-line favorite to win the game straight-up, and the over/under total was sitting at 47 at ESPN BET on Monday.
ESPN BET odds are provided by Penn Entertainment.
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Andrea Adelson
North Carolina and new coach Bill Belichick will not be the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason,” a source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
Front Office Sports reported last week that North Carolina would be featured on this year’s show, which would have given viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how Belichick would manage his first offseason as a college head coach.
When asked about it on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi said that nothing had been signed with the university but that the program was receiving “a lot of offers from people all over to come in and look at our program.”
But, as CBS Sports first reported earlier Tuesday, a deal could not be reached.
UNC hired Belichick in December after he had spent his entire career in the NFL, where he won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots. The Patriots never were selected to appear on “Hard Knocks.”
Sports
NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals
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Ryan S. Clark
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Greg Wyshynski
The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.
For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.
Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia was scratched from the lineup Tuesday and will undergo an MRI on his left oblique, throwing into question his availability for Opening Day on March 27 against the Boston Red Sox.
It is the same oblique Garcia injured during the Rangers’ World Series run two years ago.
“He’s going to miss a little bit of time. We’re hoping not much,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.
A two-time All-Star, García is trying to bounce back from a disappointing season in which he hit .224 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs in 154 games. He had six hits and two walks in 21 plate appearances so far this spring training.
García is the second Rangers outfielder to be sidelined by an oblique injury this spring training after Wyatt Langford went down Feb. 21.
Langford is still working his way back, but Bochy said it’s possible Langford could make his first exhibition appearance this week.
The 23-year-old Langford, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, made an instant impact for Texas last season, hitting .253 with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in just 134 games.
The Rangers also have Evan Carter, Leody Taveras, Josh Smith and Kevin Pillar as outfield options.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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