Aaron Rodgers
While you were sleeping, Twenty20 Internationals Cricket was contested, with New Zealand hoping a 6-0 record over visiting Bangladesh. The match was held at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, and is probably finished by the time you are reading this! The match scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time and lasting until 17:55, with 2 hours, 35 minutes of playing time. Twenty20 is a limited Cricket format, meant to appeal to busy fans who may not be able to follow five day matches.
NFL Playoffs continue with the Miami Dolphins (10-6) at the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) in an AFC wild-card game. Star RBs Jay Ajayi and Le'Veon Bell highlight the first playoff meeting of these teams in 32 years. The Steelers have 13 postseason wins (two in Super Bowls) since Miami's last postseason win in 2000. In the evening, the New York Giants (11-5) will play at the Green Bay Packers (10-6) in an NFC wild-card game. Packers' Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has 18 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in his last seven games. The Packers won against the Giants 23-16 in their October meeting.
In Hawaii, final-round play will take place in the SBS Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, Hawaii. The surf, the sun and endless views of island paradise can make the SBS Tournament of Champions feel like a working vacation. Ryan Moore and Justin Thomas were the leaders heading into this final round.
USA NCAA College Basketball features the Wisconsin Badgers at the Purdue Boilermakers. Big men will be the focus of this Big Ten matchup, with Ethan Happ and Nigel Hayes topping Wisconsin, and Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas in the paint for Purdue. Purdue won twice against Wisconsin last year. The Stanford Cardinal travels to the UCLA Bruins. Two of the Pac-12's top scoring and rebounding big men are featured in this matchup, with Reid Travis anchoring the Cardinal and freshman T.J. Leaf a force for the Bruins. Stanford won last year's meeting 79-70. The California Golden Bears travel to Southern California. Lanky sophomore forwards Ivan Rabb and Chimezie Metu key these Pac-12 foes. Rabb's 18 points and 10 rebounds helped the Bears to an 87-65 win over USC in last season's only meeting.
Italian Serie A Soccer has their real new year debut today, having had their "soft start" yesterday. The AS Roma vs. Genoa game should be a real contest, and challenge to Roma which has enjoyed some success this year. In their last five meetings, Genoa leads 3 games to 2. Of more international interest, perhaps, is the evening's Iuventus vs. Bologna contest. Defender Andrea Barzagli is confident Juventus can pick up where they left off in Serie A as they host Bologna looking to extend their three-match winning run in the league. He said ``I'm not of the opinion that defeats are ever a good thing and it's important never to fall into the bad habit of losing. We need to remember that Juventus must always be aiming for victory.''
It was recently announced that Brazilian team Chapecoense, who suffered the tragic loss of most of their team in November's air crash, will play their first post game crash this month in a "friendly match" against defending league champions Palmeiras. The match will be held on January 21 in Chapecoense's 20,000-seat Arena Conda in Chapeco, a city of 200,000 about 800 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. Coach Vagner Mancini is still signing players to replace the 19 that died on a Colombian hillside on November 28. Chape, as the team are known, was traveling to the final game and likely win in the Copa Sudamerica championship when the tragedy occurred. They will play their first official match on January 26 against local rival Joinville.
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