Anchor Drop, December 21, 2019: Saturday Open Thread

Good morning.

The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team looks to snap a two-game losing streak tonight at 7:00 PM, as the Commodores host UNC Wilmington. The game can be streamed on the SEC Network+.

Women’s basketball improved to 8-3 with a 76-63 win over UC Irvine in Seattle on Friday night. Remember, this team won seven games all of last season. The Commodores play Washington tonight at 6:00 PM CT.

Off the West End

Pour one out for the SEC on CBS:

This is, of course, a massive money grab, and everybody in the league (Vanderbilt included) will reap the benefits of the financial windfall. On the other hand, the league got a ton of free advertising from having the 2:30 PM CT timeslot largely to itself, at least among premium games, and that’s something that ESPN may or may not keep up. (ESPN, like everybody not named CBS, seems to have a strong preference for big games to be in prime time.) Of course, the 2:30 kickoff time was also a source of bitching among certain fan bases. Personally, I’ve always preferred afternoon kickoffs to evening ones — for one thing, an afternoon kickoff still leaves your Saturday night available.

But there seems to be a ton of focus on Gary Danielson being terrible, as though ESPN doesn’t employ its share of terrible analysts.

Today’s College Football Schedule

Hey, it’s bowl season! And more importantly, lower division playoffs!

New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs. Central Michigan (1:00 PM CT, ESPN)

FCS Semifinal: Montana State at North Dakota State (1:00 PM, ESPN2)

Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern (1:30 PM, CBS Sports Network)

Division II Championship: Minnesota State vs. West Florida (2:00 PM, ESPNU)

Boca Raton Bowl: SMU vs. Florida Atlantic (2:30 PM, ABC)

Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State (4:30 PM, ESPN)

FCS Semifinal: Weber State at James Madison (5:30 PM, ESPNU)

NAIA Championship: Marian vs. Morningside (6:00 PM, ESPN3)

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington (6:30 PM, ABC)

New Orleans Bowl: Appalachian State vs. UAB (8:00 PM, ESPN)

Bad Gambling Advice

Jacksonville State at Tennessee (12:00 PM CT, SEC Network+): Tennessee -20, Over 126.5

Illinois vs. Missouri (12:00 PM CT, SEC Network): Missouri +3, Under 129

SE Louisiana vs. Ole Miss (1:00 PM CT, SEC Network+): SE Louisiana +20.5, Over 145

Utah State vs. Florida (1:30 PM CT, FS1): Utah State +2, Under 133

Belmont vs. Alabama (2:30 PM CT, SEC Network): Alabama, Under 159

Ohio State vs. Kentucky (4:15 PM CT, CBS): Ohio State -3, Under 132

Lehigh at Auburn (5:00 PM CT, SEC Network): Auburn -24, Over 146

Arkansas vs. Valparaiso (7:00 PM CT, no TV): Arkansas -13.5, Under 142.5

UNC Wilmington at Vanderbilt (7:00 PM CT, SEC Network+): Vanderbilt -15, Over 141

Oregon State at Texas A&M (7:30 PM CT, SEC Network): Oregon State -5.5, Under 132

LSU vs. USC (8:00 PM CT, FS1): USC +2, Over 151.5