Anchor Drop, January 18, 2023: Wrap our players in bubble wrap

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

Vanderbilt lost 78-66 to Alabama, which was hard to complain about under the circumstances: shortly before the game, Vanderbilt announced that Liam Robbins would be out 4-6 weeks with an ankle sprain, marking the fifth straight season that an important player for Vanderbilt has gotten injured, and alongside the women’s team having three players lost for the season.

Ironically, this came across Twitter yesterday.

Which, yeah. Roll Bama Roll actually made a good point about this being a problem of overspecialization, and basketball players leaving college with the knees of 55-year-old men. It’s also about MLB having to completely restructure their pitching staffs and while they blame analytics, it’s because they can’t exactly come out and say that the youth sports industrial complex is churning out 18-year-old pitchers who have the arms of 35-year-old veterans of 1980. (Remember: Tommy John was 32 when he got the surgery named for him. It wasn’t a surgery meant for 19-year-olds.)

I don’t know what any of that has to do with Robbins’ injury or any of the injuries that Vanderbilt players have suffered, but it’s a different perspective on “load management” or whatever NBA teams want to call it.

The main site has a feature on the four Vanderbilt players who advanced to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Bad Gambling Advice

Last night: 0-4 ATS (hell yeah), 1-3 totals; season to date: 86-92-3 ATS, 89-92 totals

• Auburn at LSU (6:00 PM CT, ESPN2): Auburn -5, Over 138.5
• Florida at Texas A&M (6:00 PM CT, SEC Network); Florida +4, Under 138
• Arkansas at Missouri (8:00 PM CT, SEC Network): Missouri -2, Over 154.5

Sports on TV

All times Central. College basketball schedule here.

• 6:30 PM: NBA: Hawks at Mavericks (ESPN)
• 6:30 PM: NHL: Bruins at Islanders (TNT)
• 9:00 PM: NBA: Timberwolves at Nuggets (ESPN)
• 9:00 PM: NHL: Stars at Sharks (TNT)

Scoreboard

SEC Basketball: Ole Miss 70, South Carolina 58 ... Tennessee 70, Mississippi State 59 ... Kentucky 85, Georgia 71.

NBA: Bucks 130, Raptors 122 ... Spurs 106, Nets 98 ... Nuggets 122, Trail Blazers 113 ... 76ers 120, Clippers 110.

NHL: Canadiens 4, Jets 1 ... Flyers 5, Ducks 2 ... Maple Leafs 5, Panthers 4 ... Wild 4, Capitals 2 ... Predators 2, Blue Jackets 1 ... Blackhawks 4, Sabres 3 ... Coyotes 4, Red Wings 3 ... Oilers 5, Kraken 2.