In his first year as head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel guided them to a 14-3 record after they went 4-13 each of the previous two seasons. He’s now one victory away from earning the team a record seventh Super Bowl championship.
Vrabel and the Patriots can snap a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most titles by a team when they take on the Seattle Seahawks at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday in Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Vrabel won three Super Bowls as a linebacker with the Patriots and can become the third person to win the championship as both a player and head coach, a feat previously accomplished by Mike Ditka and Tony Dungy. However, Vrabel would be the first to do so with the same franchise.
The Patriots earned their record 12th trip to the Super Bowl by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos in the postseason. Seattle is making its fourth appearance after beating the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
Four games are on Sunday’s NBA schedule, including a matchup between the Indiana Pacers (13-39) and host Toronto Raptors (31-22) at 3 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors are looking to complete a sweep of the four-game season series, while the Pacers hope to end their current three-game losing streak.
Sunday’s college basketball schedule consists of 11 games, one of which is a Big 12 Conference showdown that has UCF (17-5) visiting Fifth Third Arena to take on Cincinnati (11-12) at 2 p.m. ET. The Knights had their three-game winning streak halted by eighth-ranked Houston last Wednesday, while the Bearcats have lost four of their last five contests.
The Seahawks are 4.5-point favorites against the Patriots in the latest consensus NFL odds. The Raptors are 9.5-point favorites versus the Pacers and Cincinnati is a 3.5-point favorite against UCF.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Sunday, Feb. 8. All times Eastern
NFL best bets, where to watch
Seahawks vs. Patriots
Time: 6:30 p.m. | Location: Santa Clara, Cal. | TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 45.5 (-112) | Expert: Mac Hollins Over 24.5 receiving yards (-110, PropBetGuy)
The Seahawks have allowed an average of 16.5 points in the postseason, while the Patriots gave up 8.7 point per game during their run to the Super Bowl. In its three games, New England permitted a total of two touchdowns. Seattle limited San Francisco to a pair of field goals in its first playoff contest. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks these teams will be able to get on the scoreboard but doesn’t believe the game will be a shootout as the Under hits in 59% of its simulations. SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (68-45, +1635 on his last 113 NFL player prop picks) feels Patriots wideout Mack Hollins will once again be involved in the team’s aerial attack as he has cleared this line in nine of his last 11 games.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Pacers at Raptors
Time: 3 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Raptors -9.5 (-104) | Expert: Scottie Barnes Over 33.5 Points + Assists + Rebounds (-109, Mike Barner)
The Raptors are just 15-12 on their own court this season, but they won two of the first three contests on their current five-game homestand. The Pacers are a miserable 3-21 on the road and began a six-game trip Friday with a 105-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Indiana also has lost its last three visits to Toronto. Two of the Pacers’ three losses to the Raptors this season were by 14 or more points and the SportsLine Projection Model sees the home team posting another comfortable victory as its simulations have Toronto covering the spread 60% of the time. SportsLine NBA expert Mike Barner (34-12, +1982 on his last 46 NBA player prop picks) thinks Scottie Barnes will continue to be productive against Indiana as he averaged 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in the first three meetings between the teams this campaign.
CBB best bets, where to watch
UCF at Cincinnati
Time: 2 p.m. | Location: Cincinnati | TV: CBS Sports Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 145.5 (-109) | Expert: UCF +3.5 (-105, Bruce Marshall)
The Knights were held to just 55 points by Houston last time out, but they scored at least 79 in each of their three previous games and are tied for sixth in the conference with an average of 82.9 this season. The Bearcats are averaging 70.7 points and have given up 76 or more in three of their last five contests. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t think points will be at a premium in this matchup as the Over hits in more than 57% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall thinks that even though UCF only defeated Cincinnati by one point at home last month, it will cover the spread on the road as it sweeps the season series.
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