Minnesota
College Basketball Best Bets, Feb. 22: SMU vs FAU, Minnesota vs Ohio State, More!
Vaughn Dalzell breaks down his best bets for the College Basketball slate, including Ohio State at Minnesota and FAU hosting SMU.
Ohio State at Minnesota: O/U 138.5
Ohio State earned the home upset over Purdue on Sunday just days after firing head coach Chris Holtmann. Now, OSU who has a 16-game road losing streak, goes to Minnesota to face the 14-3 home Gophers.
The Gophers are shooting 57.3% from two at home (37th) and should see a boost to its 35.8% from deep (134th) against a road Buckeyes defense. OSU is ranked 360th with a 44.9% three-point percentage allowed in seven road games and the 350th defensive turnover percentage (12.2%).
The Buckeyes haven’t won back-to-back games since Dec. 30 to Jan. 3. OSU lost by 6,14, and 8 points following their last three wins and all three games came on the road.
Ohio State could go on a run, but I will say beating Purdue and winning a road game the following contest is asking a lot of the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s season isn’t over by any means, but they have a lot of work to do even with a win here.
Give me Minnesota -3.5 at -105 odds and would go out to -5 for 1 unit. The spread is -3.5 and similair odds everywhere.
Pick: Minnesota -3.5 (1.5u)
Michigan at Northwestern (-11.5): O/U 137.5
Northwestern almost won four straight games, but a three-point loss at Rutgers is the only blemish on its record in that span.
The Wildcats host the Wolverines without their leading scorer Dug McDaniel (16.6 PPG), which has been a problem for Michigan on the road.
Michigan is 2-7 in true road games this season (1-6 in Big Ten) with six straight losses. The Wolverines have one of the worst road three-point defenses in the country (41.6%, 358th) and turn the ball over 18.4% of offensive possessions in conference road games with a 69.4% free-throw percentage (both 3rd-worst).
Michigan scored 29, 25, 35, 25, and 33 points in the last five first halves on the road (29.4 PPG) and play at the 7th-quickest tempo in conference road games. Northwestern is 9th in tempo at home during Big Ten games and 299th overall this season.
Northwestern should have its way and win by double-digits, which is a lean at -11.5 and -12. The Wildcats have won seven straight at home and held most of those teams hovering just above or below 30 points at the half.
I played Michigan’s First Half Team Total Under 29.5 at -125 / -130 odds on DraftKings and would go out to 28.5 for +100 on FanDuel.
Pick: Michigan 1H Team Total Under 29.5 (1u)
SMU at FAU (-6): O/U 153.5
FAU is coming off a road loss at South Florida and come home to face a SMU squad that how was six straight games (8th-longest active streak).
This is the only meeting of the season between the two and both defenses play at the bottom four slowest tempos, opposite of the offenses.
Off a loss, FAU held its opponents to 42 (N), 20 (H), 36 (A), 38 (A), and 36 (A) points in the first half for 34.4 PPG. However, only once in five of those instances did FAU have a home game following a loss. Despite that, FAU hasn’t lost back-to-back games all year.
On the road, SMU is 5-4 in nine games with a 63.5% free-throw percentage (349th) and middle of the ranks for two (50.8%) and three-point (34.9%) percentages in six conference road games. FAU is 10-1 at home and a perfect 6-0 in conference play.
I like the Owls to bounce back and win this game, but the best bet is to focus on SMU to struggle a little on the road to start this game. I played the Mustangs’ First Half Team Total Under 34.5 at +102 odds on FanDuel and would go down to 33.5 for 1 unit.
Pick: SMU 1H Team Total Under 34.5 (1u)
Season Record: 39-31 (55.7%) +3.5 units
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Minnesota
Vikings Have a Dubious Connection to the Dexter Lawrence Trade
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
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Minnesota
Boldy, Eriksson Ek help Wild cruise past Stars in Game 1 of Western 1st Round | NHL.com
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota
ICE agent assault charge marks a ‘milestone’ for Minnesota prosecutors
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
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