I regretfully say it’s been a while since I’ve written this column.

I mentioned in the “what happened last night” how I had a hell of a weekend, but I figured I’d put some more context out there to the world.

My fiance and I are getting married in May and we had our engagement party this weekend. We decided it would be a good idea to have the wedding parties together spending the weekend with each other, so our apartment was (for lack of a better term) a crime scene from mid-day Friday to Sunday evening.

The mess along with the constant chatter didn’t make for a great writing environment, although it did make for one fun couple of days.

Either way, it’s back to business as usual here at Section 400 for the foreseeable future. I’m sure Christmas Eve and Christmas will be tough for content but that’s part of why we have the 12 days of Bowlmas to keep everybody entertained.

Every single weekday, the guys at Section 400 will take you through the upcoming night’s slate of games, no matter how incredible, or how disgusting, it looks.

Today’s slate is less than ideal, although we do have a bowl game, Ja Morant’s return from a 25-game suspension, and some other NHL and basketball action.

Let’s get right into it.

The best.

• (NBA) Grizzlies vs. Pelicans
• (NCAAF) UTSA vs. Marshall

In a year with nonsense scheduling across most major sports, it’s nice to see Adam Silver and the NBA figured out a perfect return date one of the Association’s young stars.

Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant returns from his 25-game suspension tonight to face off against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans.

Morant’s Grizzlies went just 6-16 in his absence this season after he decided to do his best Johnny Gat impression on Instagram Live last year.  Morant’s comeback is sure to pumped lead into his team and raise the caliber of their play all around. We’ll see if it’s enough for the Grizzlies to make a run at the postseason.

On the gridiron, bowl season continues with UTSA taking on Marshall in the “Frisco Bowl” at 9 PM Eastern. UTSA is the better team here, but the Roadrunners underperformed this season.

Marshall isn’t a great program, although they did manage to beat Virginia Tech this season after taking down Notre Dame in 2022.

The best of the rest.

• (NBA) Celtics vs. Warriors
• (NHL) Fun slate

The Boston Celtics travel to Golden State to take on the Warriors in the second half on TNT’s doubleheader tonight.

Boston is a wagon, sitting at 20-5 on the season and looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors meanwhile are still figuring it out this year and now are without Draymond Green indefinitely.

Games like tonight are increasingly important for a Golden State team sitting at 12-14 in an uber-competitive Western Conference.

If you are a hockey fan, tonight is a great night for you. Over half of the 11 games on tonight’s slate feature teams above .500 or a game within the mark.

The Philadelphia Flyers traveling to Newark, NJ to take on the Devils has me the most intrigued. The Flyers have come out of no where this season and sit towards the top of the Eastern Conference, while Jack Hughes and the Devils are playing above expectations as well.

Also keep an eye on Connor McDavid and the surging Oilers tonight as they try to get back to the .500 mark and make a push towards the top of the Western Conference.

The rest.

(NCAAB) Soft slate

The best game of the college basketball slate tonight is probably going to be the Florida Gators taking on the Michigan Wolverines. I like Florida as a road dog in that game but my favorite play happens to be on another game featuring an SEC team.

The South Carolina Gamecocks have gotten off to a great start this year, but they’ve done that by winning close nailbiters virtually every time they step on the court.

They take on a decent Winthrop Eagles team that hasn’t been great against Power 5 competition this year, but features five players averaging double figures and decent size.

Winthrop should be able to stay in this game for 38 minutes before South Carolina pulls one out at the end again. Take the Eagles (+10.5)

 

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