On Jan 12th, things get hot when the Cavaliers enter into Phoenix to take on the Phoenix Suns. A few years ago, this would have been an outstanding contest with LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire going head to head in a collision course. In the age of free agency nevertheless, times certainly have evolved as this contest seems significantly different. Phoenix is liked by 6 points over the Cleveland Cavaliers and this seems to be a safe wager.

The United Center in Chicago will be in the spotlight as the Wizards enter into town to face the Bulls. In years past, this contest would have been the most difficult ticket to get as the second comeback by Nike Jordan turned the Washington Wizards into media darlings all through the nba. Jordan is now long retired however and the Washington Wizards have become an excellent young squad with vast amounts of potential waiting to be drawn on. The sportsbook has the Bulls preferred by 8 points which seems correct and seems like a quality wager with Chicago being cheered on at home.

The Kings face an uphill battle when they face the Rockets in Houston on January 13th. This is a case of both teams reconstructing for the longer term as both teams look nothing like their early 2000′s heydays. The Kings look to return to their past dominance in the west with outstanding play from their young stalwarts. The Houston Rockets are still coping with the after effects from the retirement of Yao Ming. The Houston Rockets are liked by 3 points by the sportsbook and this wants to be a tricky game to call.

Saturday night on January 14th, the New York Knicks come into Oklahoma City to take on the OKC Thunder in this major game between these two teams. It is a tale of two teams as the OKC Thunder come up with a stable team of young guns vs the New York Knicks who it seems from year to year constantly enters into play with lots of adjustments going on. The New York Knicks are favored by 4 points and this may hold unless Durant has one of his standard killer matches.

The Staples Center is going to come alive on January 11th when the Heat takes on the Clippers. The Miami Heat comes in with among the best records in the NBA helped by an excellent lineup of stars. The Miami Heat lead the league as a squad in points obtained and assists. The sports book has the Miami Heat preferred by 8 points and with the backcourt they contain, it appears to be a sure bet. Let’s take a closer look at the Miami Heat this year and the things they bring to the table.

Both these teams have been doing comparatively well this year. This shouldn’t be an unanticipated to anybody as these two colleges are well known for their share of wins in basketball for many years. Both these teams will be at it out on the court on January 9, when Western Virginia visits Connecticut.

The Jan 9 – Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game still has its own type of anticipation, even though this particular matchup might not have the same depth that its football version does. With the conference basketball year just under way, both the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys will make an effort to established the tone for the rest of their year with this game. In Oklahoma’s case, they are going to be trying to continue what has been a great start as they ended the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record.

On Jan 8th, postseason college football comes to Mobile, AL when the Red Wolves face the Northern Illinois Huskies at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Both squads arrive in the game with rookie head coaches with the Huskies headed by first-year head coach Dave Doeren. Temporary head coach David Gunn who has been the running backs coach all year heads the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Arkansas State has opted for Gus Malzahn who will take the reins after the year ends. The take from the sports book is Arkansas State (-1 ½) with an over-under established at 63 points.

It is not simply the Division I-A schools receiving face time on ESPN, on January seventh the NCAA Division I-AA Tournament game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. The Bison take on the Sam Houston Bearkats in a fight of the two best small colleges in the country. Both the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Bison have steamrolled their competition all year long and both are additionally arriving into play with similar styles on offense. As the defenses are going to get a workout, expect plenty of running and plenty of first downs by each squad. The sportsbook is having a difficult time with this one as the line presently stands at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under set at 46.

Birmingham, AL plays host to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Pitt Panthers taking on the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Pitt Panthers come in following the one-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching position at Arizona State, Graham quit his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will wear the headset for the Pitt Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into play with the threat of the “Death Penalty” handed down in the 1980′s still being talked about today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is already in his fourth year on the side lines of SMU. The gambling line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with the over-under of 47 points.