The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 28, 2018, Image 12

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The times., December 28, 2018, Image 12

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Newspaper Page Text2B Friday, December 28, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS AUSTRALIAN OPEN Nadal enters confident after recent knee injury Rafael Nadal is confi dent he can be fit for the Australian Open as he chases an 18th Grand Slam title. A right knee injury forced Nadal to retire from his U.S. Open semifi nal in early Sep tember — his last competitive match — and the 32-year- old Spaniard had ankle surgery at the start of November. Asked Thursday to assess his fitness level out of 10 ahead of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, Nadal said: “I don’t know . I am not that good with numbers. “ I started about two weeks ago and I am taking small steps forward. I am just making sure I am moving forward and it’s not a step backwards. I know I have time to be ready for Mel bourne at 100 percent.” The Australian Open starts Jan. 14. Nadal, who won his 17th Grand Slam at the French Open in June, said he was happy with his prog ress “but of course I need to prove myself in competi tions and hopefully, playing here will help me take the first steps.” The exhibition tourna ment also features top- ranked Novak Djokovic, who had surgery in Feb ruary for an injured right elbow. “It’s been a very exciting 12 months. Last year here, I was still carrying the injury of the elbow that resulted in the surgery,” Djokovic said. “I am grateful that this season has taught me a lot about myself as a ten nis player and as a person. I really had to dig deep to sort of turn the table in my favor.” Djokovic, who raised his haul of major trophies to 14 this year with Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, said his aims had changed. “I feel I am not prioritiz ing success on the tennis court for the sake of success only as I used to do prob ably until about five years ago,” Djokovic said. “For me, tennis is more of a plat form now for other things — for the values that I want to share and the messages that I want to give out to the young generation.” The exhibition tourna ment also features a one-off match between the Williams sisters — Venus and Serena — on Thursday night. Associated Press Nadal FISHING ■ Continued from 1B contact with the bottom. My John Kissel Signature series Kissel Krafts and a reel rigged with 14-pound test Sunline Sniper Fluoro carbon really helps to keep that jig on the bottom. Some times, you may need to dis engage your reel and feed line out to make sure you are keeping your lure deep enough. Striper fishing ranged from OK to very good for people who have found the big schools of stripers in deeper water. Quality elec tronics like my Lowrance Carbon 16-inch screen has really upped the game. With that huge screen and a high definition 3-D transducer, finding the fish has been much easier. Gulls and loons are also great indicators that baitfish are in the areas. Most of the fish I have seen this week are located in that same 40-60-foot zone as last week. That being said, stripers will move shal lower during active feeding throughout the day. I have also seen stripers schooling very early in the day in the backs of coves and pock ets. For the shallow, early morning stripers, locate coves that have water inflow entering the lake. These fish will hang around shallow for a while when it’s cloudy or raining. As the sun moves higher in the sky, most of the strip ers will move to deeper water. Follow the shad and herring schools and you will most likely be in the zone. Run one flat line rigged with a trout out behind your boat, then put 2-4 down lines out to the sides. Drop your baits at around 35-50 feet or just above the depth that you are marking fish. The most pro ductive baits this week have been medium sized shiners, smaller herring and small trout. Trout Fishing: Trout fishing has been OK below Buford Dam. Even during the rain, the water com ing out of the dam is very clear. The rain water inflow from creeks and run-off will make the river stained to muddy just a few miles down around Highway 20. When Buford Dam releases water, it often contains shad and this is a prime forage for trout. Use silver-colored lures like the old reliable white and silver Rooster Tail or other brands of inline spin ners. If the water is stained from run-off, try a brighter color. Reel these inline spin ners slow and steady, just fast enough to keep the spin ners moving. Fly fishing has been decent up in the North Geor gia mountains. Use small nymphs, Wooly Buggers or salmon egg patterns. Many times, mountain streams are hard to fish because of bank overgrowth. Try using a shorter five-weight rod and use a roll cast to keep your lines clear of overhang ing limbs and bushes on the bank. Hit the prime areas like big rocks or logs then keep moving on upstream. Bank fishing: There is a healthy population of catfish in Lake Lanier and other smaller rivers, lakes and ponds close to Gainesville and Cumming. Catfish pro vide anglers with a fun fight and the smaller ones can be very tasty. Cut bait, chicken livers, cheese, hot dog pieces and store-bought catfish bait are all great choices when tar geting cat fish. Catfish have an incredible sense of smell and they will often be drawn towards your offerings while fishing on from the bank. Look for catfish around steep banks and channel swings. Use a No. 2 or No. 3 Gamakatsu Shiner hook and thread your baits on the line. When using cheese and chicken livers, you can put these baits in an old piece of panty hose and tie it up into a ball to keep them from fly ing off the hook. Secure your rod well and wait. If the catfish are located in your area, it should not take long before you get a bite. Eric Aldrich is an outdoor writer, marketing specialist and bass angler. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. He would love to hear from readers, so please email him at esaldrich@ yahoo.com Remember to take a kid fishing. COLLEGE BASKETBALL I ACC preview Not a one-sided race ^s&iTr BEN MCKE0WN I The Associated Press Duke’s Zion Williamson (1) and RJ Barrett (5) high-five late in the second half against Hartford on Dec. 3 in Durham, N.C. No. 1 Duke will have its hands full with No. 4 ranked Virginia Associated Press Duke has earned must- see status with its touted freshmen and No. 1 ranking as the Atlantic Coast Confer ence schedule starts next week. There isn’t nearly the same type of attention on fourth-ranked Virginia, even as the reigning league champion with returning experience and a defensive- minded style that is difficult for opponents. And yet, the Cavaliers are the league’s only unbeaten team and have the potential to win another title under Tony Bennett, even in a league featuring Duke, No. 9 Flor ida State, No. 10 Virginia Tech, No. 14 North Carolina and No. 20 North Carolina State. “I told the guys before the (William & Mary) game that you should feel good about yourselves,” Bennett said. “Not too good about yourselves, but good — how you’ve played to this point, what you can be. But know in saying that, you have to recommit to how it is every game. I ask them to play in a way defensively that is chal lenging and demanding.” Duke and Virginia were picked 1-2 in the ACC dur ing the preseason. Now the Blue Devils and Cavaliers stand at No. 1 and No. 2 in the NCAA’s NET ranking (a new system to replace the RPI) as well as in KenPom’s national ranking. More specifically, the Blue Devils rank second nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive effi ciency (119.1 points per 100 possessions) and No. 3 in adjusted defensive effi ciency (87.0 points per 100 possessions). The Cavaliers are ninth in offense (115.9) and fifth in defense (88.0). No other league team ranks in the top 10 of both categories. Virginia’s advantage is experience, notably with the return of Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter — the team’s top NBA pros pect who can defend mul tiple positions. Duke, by comparison, starts with freshmen RJ Bar rett (league-best 23.8 points) and Zion Williamson (19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds). Its only loss came against No. 7 Gonzaga in the Maui Invita tional title game, though the Blue Devils beat No. 16 Ken tucky (by 34 points on open ing night), No. 12 Auburn and No. 11 Texas Tech in New York. “When you’re a freshman, you haven’t really been coached against,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after last week’s Texas Tech win. “Like in high school, someone might hold the ball on you . or triangle- and-2 guys on you. So they’re learning, (Williamson) and RJ especially, what really good teams will try to do to take way your strengths. ” For the record, the Blue Devils and Cavaliers meet (at least) twice this season, first in Durham on Jan. 19 and then in Charlottesville on Feb. 9. Here are some other things to know about the ACC with league play set to start next week: SEMINOLES RISING?: While Florida State sits at No. 9, coach Leonard Ham ilton sees a team that “has not really been totally in sync.” The Seminoles’ only loss came against reign ing national champion Vil- lanova, while wins against LSU and Purdue came by one-possession margins. “That’s probably one thing I’m taking away from the early part of the season that makes me feel positive about: the fact that we still are not a well-oiled machine yet and we’re finding ways to have some level of suc cess,” Hamilton said. HOKIES’ ATTACK: Virginia Tech has already earned its highest AP Top 25 ranking since February 1996. SEC PREVIEW Tennessee and Auburn remain solid contenders Associated Press Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA y-New England 10 5 0 .667 398 322 Miami 7 8 0 .467 302 391 Buffalo 5 10 0 .333 227 357 N.Y. Jets 4 11 0 .267 330 403 South W L T Pet PF PA x-Houston 10 5 0 .667 382 313 Indianapolis 9 6 0 .600 400 327 Tennessee 9 6 0 .600 293 270 Jacksonville 5 10 0 .333 242 296 North W L T Pet PF PA Baltimore 9 6 0 .600 363 263 Pittsburgh 8 6 1 .567 412 347 Cleveland 7 7 1 .500 335 366 Cincinnati 6 9 0 .400 355 439 West W L T Pet PF PA x-Kansas City 11 4 0 .733 530 418 x-L.A. Chargers 11 4 0 .733 405 320 Denver 6 9 0 .400 320 326 Oakland 4 11 0 .267 287 432 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA y-Dallas 9 6 0 .600 303 289 Philadelphia 8 7 0 .533 343 348 Washington 7 8 0 .467 281 335 N.Y. Giants 5 10 0 .333 334 376 South W L T Pet PF PA y-New Orleans 13 2 0 .867 490 320 Atlanta 6 9 0 .400 380 391 Carolina 6 9 0 .400 343 368 Tampa Bay 5 10 0 .333 364 430 North W L T Pet PF PA y-Chicago 11 4 0 .733 397 273 Minnesota 8 6 1 .567 350 317 Green Bay 6 8 1 .433 376 369 Detroit 5 10 0 .333 293 360 West W L T Pet PF PA y-L.A. Rams 12 3 0 .800 479 352 x-Seattle 9 6 0 .600 401 323 San Francisco 4 11 0 .267 310 387 Arizona 3 12 0 .200 201 398 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Sunday’s Games Miami at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at New England, 1 p.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 1 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Denver, 4:25 p.m. Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25 p.m. San Francisco at L.A. Rams, 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 4:25 p.m. Chicago at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m. Cleveland at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 8:20 p.m. Transactions BASEBALL National League WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Agreed to terms with RHP Anibal Sanchez on a two-year contract. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association ATLANTA HAWKS — Transferred G Jaylen Adams to Erie (NBAGL). CHICAGO BULLS — Signed G Brandon Sampson to a two-way contract. Waived G Tyler Ulis. NBA — Fined Orlando F-G Terrence Ross $25,000 for throwing a ball into the stands fol lowing a Dec. 26 game against Phoenix. FOOTBALL National Football League NEW YORK JETS — Placed TE Eric Tomlinson on injured reserve. Signed TE Clive Walford. WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Signed DE Marcus Smith and DB Alex Carter. Placed QB Colt Mc Coy and TE Jordan Reed on injured reserve. HOCKEY National Hockey League ARIZONA COYOTES — Recalled G Adin Hill and Fs Michael Bunting and Conor Garland from Tucson (AHL). WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Recalled D Tyler Lewington from Hershey (AHL). Basketball/college Top 25 schedule Today’s Games No. 7 Gonzaga vs. North Alabama, 9 p.m. No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore, 7 p.m. No. 11 Texas Tech vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 7 p.m. No. 18 Marquette vs. Southern University, 8 p.m. No. 20 N.C. State vs. Loyola (Md.), 7 p.m. Saturday’s Games No. 3 Tennessee vs. Tennessee Tech, 1 p.m. No. 5 Kansas vs. Eastern Michigan, 2 p.m. No. 6 Nevada at Utah, 2 p.m. No. 8 Michigan State vs. Northern Illinois, 2 p.m. No. 12 Auburn vs. North Florida, 5 p.m. No. 13 Ohio State vs. High Point, Noon No. 14 North Carolina vs. Davidson, Noon No. 15 Wisconsin at Western Kentucky, 5:30 p.m. No. 16 Kentucky at Louisville, 2 p.m. No. 17 Arizona State vs. Princeton, 4 p.m. No. 19 Mississippi State vs. BYU, Noon No. 21 Buffalo at Canisius, 7 p.m. No. 22 Houston vs. NJIT, 4 p.m. No. 24 Iowa vs. Bryant, 8 p.m. Sunday’s Games No. 2 Michigan vs. Binghamton, Noon Women’s Top 25 Today’s Games No. 4 Maryland at Penn State, 7 p.m. No. 10 Tennessee vs. Murray State, 7 p.m. No. 12 Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, 9 p.m. No. 24 Miami vs. Florida A&M, 7 p.m. Football/college Thursday’s games Independence Bowl Shreveport, La. Duke 56, Temple 27 Pinstripe Bowl New York Wisconsin 35, Miami 3 Texas Bowl Houston Baylor (6-6) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), late Today’s games Music City Bowl Nashville, Tenn. Purdue (6-6) vs. Auburn (7-5), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN) Camping World Bowl Orlando, Fla. West Virginia (8-3) vs. Syracuse (9-3), 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Alamo Bowl San Antonio Iowa State (8-4) vs. Washington State (10-2), 9 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday’s games Peach Bowl Atlanta Florida (9-3) vs. Michigan (10-2), Noon (ESPN) Belk Bowl Charlotte, N.C. South Carolina (7-5) vs. Virginia (7-5), Noon (ABC) Arizona Bowl Ihcson, Ariz. Arkansas State (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5), 1:15 p.m. (CBSSN) Cotton Bowl Classic Arlington, Texas CFP Semifinal, Notre Dame (12-0) vs. Clemson (13-0), 4 p.m. (ESPN) Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, Fla. CFP Semifinal, Oklahoma (12-1) vs. Alabama (13-0), 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Dec. 31 Military Bowl Annapolis, Md. Cincinnati (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6), Noon (ESPN) Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas Stanford (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (7-6), 2 p.m. (CBS) Redbox Bowl Santa Clara, Calif. Michigan State (7-5) vs. Oregon (8-4), 3 p.m. (FOX) Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tenn. Missouri (8-4) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6), 3:45 p.m. (ESPN) Holiday Bowl San Diego Northwestern (8-5) vs. Utah (9-4), 7 p.m. (FS1) Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. NC State (9-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Tennessee and Auburn shared the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship last year and head into league competi tion as prime contenders for the title again. The No. 3 Volunteers (10- 1) and 12th-ranked Tigers (10-2) are the SEC’s highest- ranked teams with league play starting Jan. 5. This is an unfamiliar situ ation for both teams. Auburn made its first NCAA Tournament appear ance since 2003 last year, while Tennessee was a sur prise co-champion after being picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the league standings. This year, both have dealt with much higher preseason expectations. “You have your number in front of your university’s name and that becomes a red-letter game for every body to build their resume,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Last year we had to deal with some of that, but what we didn’t deal with until this year is all the talk throughout the summer, fall, all that. I look back and these guys have done a good job” of dealing with it. Neither Auburn nor Ten nessee has ever won back-to- back SEC men’s basketball titles. Tennessee’s only loss sea son was an overtime deci sion against No. 5 Kansas in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Brooklyn, New York. Auburn lost to No. 1 Duke in the Maui Invitational and also fell at No. 20 North Car olina State last week. Of course, No. 16 Ken tucky (9-2) once again looms as a major threat. Although the Wildcats’ string of three straight SEC regular-season titles ended last year, they did win a fourth straight SEC Tournament crown. Kentucky showed its potential Saturday in an 80-72 victory over No. 14 North Carolina. “I think it’s big-time just because how hard we’ve been working in practice,” Kentucky guard Tyler Herro said after the North Carolina game. “I think we’re seeing that payoff game by game. We’re getting better each game.” No. 19 Mississippi State seems intent on making the same kind of impact Auburn and Tennessee did last sea son. The Bulldogs returned their top six scorers from a team that reached the NIT semifinals last season, and they’ve responded by winning 11 of their first 12 games. “Bottom line is that is preparing us for what is the most important, which is the SEC,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said after a victory over Wofford last week. “Every night the SEC is going to be a monster. There are no breaks. Every game is difficult.” Here are some other things to watch in the SEC as the start of league competi tion approaches. SEEKING MILE STONES: Tennessee is seek ing to earn it first Final Four appearance in school his tory, and Mississippi State is trying to end the SEC’s longest NCAA Tournament drought. Mississippi State hasn’t earned an NCAA bid since 2009. Tennessee’s best shot at a Final Four berth came in 2010, when it lost 70-69 to Michigan State in a regional final. MAJOR INJURIES: The SEC already has lost a cou ple of potential first-round draft picks. Missouri sopho more Jontay Porter tore an anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral liga ment before the season to knock him out for the entire year. Vanderbilt freshman Darius Garland underwent season-ending knee sur gery last month after get ting injured in a loss to Kent State. ANOTHER BID BONANZA?: The SEC has a tough act to follow after earning a record eight NCAA Tournament bids last season. Never before had the SEC sent more than six teams to the NCAA Tourna ment. SEC teams that made the NCAA field last year included Alabama, Arkan sas, Auburn, Florida, Ken tucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M. DYNAMIC DUO: Ten nessee has the SEC’s two top scorers in forwards Grant Williams (19.6) and Admiral Schofield (18.4). Williams was the coaches’ choice as the SEC player of the year last season. EXPERIENCE COUNTS: Four of SEC’s top six scorers are upperclassmen, a group that includes two seniors (Schofield and Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weath- erspoon) and two juniors (Williams and Mississippi’s Breein Tyree). The SEC’s top freshman scorer is Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson, who ranks fifth with 16.5 points per game. The SEC’s top freshman rebounder is Vanderbilt’s Simi Shittu, who ranks sev enth with 7.6 per game. TODAY ON TV BASKETBALL ■ Illinois (Chicago) at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN2 ■ Southern at Marquette, 8 p.m., FS1 ■ NBA: Hawks at Timberwolves, 8 p.m., FSSE FOOTBALL ■ Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Auburn, 1:30 p.m., ESPN ■ Camping World Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse, 5:15 p.m., ESPN ■ Alamo Bowl: Iowa State vs. Washington State, 9 p.m., ESPN