Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Heat play host to the rival Magic down in Miami, while the Big Dance gets underway for top seeds Kansas and Kentucky.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has just two games on tap for Thursday, with New Orleans at Denver and Orlando at Miami. The Magic and Heat last met on February 28 in Orlando, with the home side rolling to an easy 96-80 win as 11-point favorites. Rashard Lewis poured in a game-high 22 points for the Magic in that contest, while Vince Carter picked up 17 points. Dwight Howard was held to just seven points and five rebounds on the day. Dwyane Wade was good for a team-high 21 points and five assists in that game for the Heat, while Jermaine O’Neal had 16 points in the loss.

However, the hardwood focus on Thursday will be on March Madness, with the first 16 games of the first round. There are two No. 1 seeds in action on Thursday, as Kansas takes on Lehigh in the Midwest Region, and Kentucky plays East Tennessee State in the East Region. The Jayhawks (32-2 SU, 14-16-1 ATS) aren’t expected to have any trouble with their Patriot League opponent at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center, as they’ve been pegged as 26-point favorites (with a total of 146). The Wildcats (32-2 SU, 17-15 ATS) are big favorites as well, as they’re giving 20 points to the Buccaneers in their meeting at New Orleans Arena.

Elsewhere in the East Region on Thursday it’s No. 11 Washington vs. No. 6 Marquette (-1.5), No. 9 Wake Forest vs. No. 8 Texas (-4.5), and No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 New Mexico (-9). Other Midwest action has No. 9 Northern Iowa vs. No. 8 UNLV (-1), No. 14 Ohio vs. No. 3 Georgetown (-13.5), and No. 11 San Diego State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (-3). As well, West Region action features No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 BYU (-5), No. 13 Murray State vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt (-3), No. 15 North Texas vs. No. 2 Kansas State (-16), and No. 12 UTEP vs. No. 5 Butler (-2.5). Lastly, in the South Region it’s No. 11 Old Dominion vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (-2), No. 15 Robert Morris vs. No. 2 Villanova (-18.5), No. 14 Sam Houston State vs. No. 3 Baylor (-11), and then finally No. 10 St. Mary’s vs. No. 7 Richmond (-2).

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, the NHL offers up 11 games on Thursday night, with Ottawa at Atlanta, St. Louis at the Rangers, Washington at Carolina, New Jersey at Toronto, Phoenix at Florida, Buffalo at Tampa Bay, Minnesota at Nashville, Philadelphia at Dallas, San Jose at Vancouver, Chicago at Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh at Boston. The Penguins beat the Bruins 2-1 at home when the teams last met on March 7 in the game where Boston forward Marc Savard was concussed by Pittsburgh forward Matt Cooke. Pascal Dupuis and Evgeni Malkin had the Pens’ goals in that win, while Blake Wheeler scored for the Bruins in the losing cause.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NIT continues with nine games, while the Spurs pay a visit to the Magic, and the Blackhawks try for a win in Anaheim.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

There are 11 games on the NBA’s schedule for Wednesday, with Oklahoma City at Charlotte, Atlanta at Toronto, New Jersey at Philadelphia, New York at Boston, Indiana at Cleveland, Memphis at Houston, Chicago at Dallas, Minnesota at Utah, New Orleans at Golden State, Milwaukee at the Clippers, and San Antonio at Orlando. The Magic (47-21 SU, 35-30-3 ATS) will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Charlotte when they take to the court at home against the Spurs on Wednesday night. Orlando fell 96-89 at home to the Bobcats on Sunday, scoring just 36 points in the second half. Dwight Howard scored 27 points in that defeat.

The first round of the NIT continues on Wednesday with Quinnipiac vs. Virginia Tech, Tulsa vs. Kent State, Northwestern vs. Rhode Island, Illinois State vs. Dayton, Weber State vs. Cincinnati, Troy vs. Mississippi, Nevada vs. Wichita State, St. John’s vs. Memphis, and Illinois vs. Stony Brook. In the CBI on Wednesday the matchups are Duquesne vs. Princeton, IUPUI vs. Hofstra, Colorado State vs. Morehead State, Boston University vs. Oregon State, Green Bay vs. Akron, and College of Charleston vs. Eastern Kentucky. And the CIT on Wednesday has Harvard vs. Appalachian State, Middle Tennessee vs. Missouri State, Portland vs. Northern Colorado, and finally Pacific vs. Loyola Marymount.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

As well, there are three games on the National Hockey League schedule for Wednesday, with Pittsburgh at New Jersey, Calgary at Colorado, and Chicago at Anaheim. The 44-18-6 Blackhawks will be looking to put an end to a two-game losing streak, as they fell 4-3 in overtime to Washington on Sunday. Chicago had a 3-0 lead in that contest before collapsing in the third period. The 31-29-8 Ducks got past San Jose 4-2 in their last game on Sunday, with Bobby Ryan picking up a goal and an assist. Anaheim is up 2-1 in the season set with the Blackhawks. Defenseman Brian Campbell (upper body) is out of action indefinitely for Chicago.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Flames play host to the Red Wings, the Celtics get a visit from the Pistons, and the Lakers try for a win over Golden State.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

There are six games on the NBA’s schedule for Monday, with Detroit at Boston, New York at Philadelphia, Denver at Houston, Washington at Utah, New Orleans at the Clippers, and the Lakers at Golden State. The Lakers (48-18 SU, 28-36-2 ATS) won their second straight game on Friday night, getting past the Suns in Phoenix by a final score of 102-96. Kobe Bryant had 21 points for Los Angeles in that victory. The Warriors (18-47 SU, 37-21-1 ATS) got past the Raptors at home in their last game on Saturday; Stephen Curry had 35 points. The Lakers and Warriors have met three times this season, with Los Angeles winning each time.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

As well, the NHL offers up three games on Monday night, with Boston at New Jersey, Edmonton at Columbus, and Detroit at Calgary. The Red Wings won their second straight game on Saturday, slipping past the Sabres in a 3-2 overtime decision. Pavel Datsyuk, Patrick Eaves, and Brian Rafalski scored for Detroit in that game, while Jimmy Howard stopped 24 of 26 Buffalo shots. Detroit is just 1-2 against Calgary so far this season, and they lost 4-2 at home to the Flames when the teams last met on March 9. Jarome Iginla and Rene Bourque each had two points for Calgary in that win, and Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Formula One season gets underway, while the Cavaliers play host to the Celtics, and college hoops finalizes its field.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has eight games on tap for Sunday, with Indiana at Milwaukee, Utah at Oklahoma City, Philadelphia at Miami, Charlotte at Orlando, New Orleans at Phoenix, Toronto at Portland, Minnesota at Sacramento, and Boston at Cleveland. The Cavaliers blasted the Celtics 108-88 in Boston in their last meeting on February 25, winning the OVER result as a 3-point road favorite. LeBron James was good for 36 points, seven boards, and nine assists for Cleveland in that win, while Mo Williams tossed in 19 points. Ray Allen was good for 21 points in that losing cause for Boston, with Rajon Rondo scoring 19 points.

As well, conference tournaments come to an end on Sunday in advance of the NCAA Tournament’s Selection Show. There are four tourney championships on the schedule for Sunday, including the ACC title game in Greensboro, the Atlantic 10 title game in Atlantic City, and the SEC title game in Nashville – those three matchups all get underway at 1:00pm ET. The Big Ten then concludes championship week with its title game in Indianapolis – that one tips off at 3:30pm ET. The Selection Committee will then announce this year’s Field of 65.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are 10 games on the NHL’s schedule for Sunday, including a possible Stanley Cup final preview in Chicago with the Blackhawks playing host to the Capitals. As well, it’s Nashville at Los Angeles, Colorado at Dallas, Phoenix at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, Toronto at the Islanders, San Jose at Anaheim, St. Louis at Minnesota, Calgary at Vancouver, and Philadelphia at the Rangers. The Flyers blanked the Rangers 2-0 in Philadelphia the last time the two teams met January 21, with now-injured Philly netminder Ray Emery making 24 saves for the shutout. James van Riemsdyk and Mike Richards had the goals.

Roaring around the track . . .

Finally, Formula One begins its 2010 season on Sunday with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is the 11/4 sportsbook favorite to take the checkered flag on Sunday, followed by Lewis Hamilton at 7/2, Sebastian Vettel at 5/1, and both Felipe Massa and the un-retired Michael Schumacher at 7/1. Defending champion Jenson Button is farther back at 12/1 to get the race victory.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: College hoops tournaments begin to wrap up, while the Wizards play host to the Magic, and the Sharks meet the Panthers.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up seven games on Saturday, with Detroit at Atlanta, Denver at Memphis, New York at Dallas, New Jersey at Houston, the Clippers at San Antonio, Toronto at Golden State, and Orlando at Washington. The Magic (46-20 SU, 34-29-3 ATS) rolled to their seventh straight win on Thursday night, blasting Chicago 111-82. Vince Carter had a game-high 23 points for Orlando in that win, while Matt Barnes was good for 14 points. However, the Magic are 0-2 against the Wizards so far this year, losing 104-97 on January 8 and 92-91 on February 5. Orlando was favored in both of those games, which were both UNDER results.

As well, Saturday’s college basketball schedule features either semi-final or championship matchups in 16 conference tournaments. Reaching the semi-final stage on Saturday are the ACC, Atlantic 10, Southeastern, and Big Ten events, while championship games will be played in each of the Mid-Eastern, America East, Southland, Southwestern, Western Athletic, Mid-American, Big West, Mountain West, Conference USA, Pacific-10, Big 12, and Big East conferences.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are nine games on the NHL’s schedule for Saturday, with Chicago at Philadelphia, Buffalo at Detroit, Phoenix at Carolina, Boston at Montreal, New Jersey at the Islanders, Edmonton at Toronto, St. Louis at Columbus, Ottawa at Vancouver, and Florida at San Jose. The 43-14-9 Sharks exploded for six third-period goals in an 8-5 win over Nashville in their last game on Thursday night. Joe Pavelski and Dany Heatley each scored twice for San Jose. The 27-29-10 Panthers were blanked 3-0 in Colorado in their Thursday night matchup, with Tomas Vokoun making 28 saves. Florida and San Jose have not met this season.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: College hoops tournaments continue around the country, while the Kings meet the Stars, and the Suns play host to the Lakers.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up a dozen games on Friday night, including a big Western clash between the Lakers and Suns in Phoenix. Los Angeles (47-18 SU, 27-36-2 ATS) shook off their skid with a 109-107 home win over the Raptors on Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant led the way with 32 points for the Lakers in that contest, while Andrew Bynum was good for 22 points on the night. The Suns (40-25 SU, 37-27-1 ATS) got past Indiana 113-105 in their last game on Saturday. Phoenix is 1-2 vs. the Lakers this season, and forward Channing Frye (suspension) is out Friday.

Also on the NBA hardwood on Friday: the Clippers at Charlotte, Indiana at Boston, Chicago at Miami, New York at Memphis, New Jersey at Oklahoma City, Washington at Detroit, Denver at New Orleans, San Antonio at Minnesota, Utah at Milwaukee, Portland at Sacramento, and Cleveland at Philadelphia. The Cavaliers (50-15 SU, 31-32-2 ATS) got back into the win column with a 97-95 home win over San Antonio in their last game on Monday night. LeBron James sat out that contest to rest his sore ankle, but he is expected to play Friday night.

As well, the bigger college basketball tournaments in the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big 10, C-USA, MWC, Pac-10, and SEC hit their middle stages on Friday, in advance of the weekend’s championship games. Two ranked teams will also hit the floor in the Atlantic 10 tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, with St. Bonaventure at No. 17 Temple, and Dayton at No. 24 Xavier. The Owls (26-5 SU, 20-11 ATS) had no trouble with St. Bonaventure in their regular-season meeting, winning 73-55 on the road. The Musketeers (23-7 SU, 19-10 ATS) beat Dayton 78-74 at home but lost 90-65 on the road in their two meetings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are just six games on the NHL’s schedule for Friday, with Tampa Bay at Washington, Pittsburgh at New Jersey, Minnesota at Buffalo, the Rangers at Atlanta, Nashville at Anaheim, and Los Angeles at Dallas. The 39-22-5 Kings are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Chicago on Wednesday night. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings in that game, while Jon Quick made 40 saves. The 29-25-12 Stars fell 5-3 in Buffalo in their last game on Wednesday night, and they’ve picked up the loss in all four games vs. the Kings this season.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Blackhawks play host to the Kings, the Mavs get a visit from the Nets, and the Big 12 tournament begins in Kansas City.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has nine games on tap for Wednesday, with Charlotte at Philadelphia, Memphis at Boston, Utah at Detroit, the Clippers at Miami, Denver at Minnesota, New Orleans at Oklahoma City, Toronto at Sacramento, New York at San Antonio, and New Jersey at Dallas. The Nets (7-56 SU, 24-37-2 ATS) grabbed a rare win on Saturday over New York, but they picked up their 56th loss of the year on Monday in Memphis (107-101). The Mavericks (44-21 SU, 28-36-1 ATS) won their 12th game in a row on Monday, beating the T-Wolves 125-112 in Minnesota. Shawn Marion had 29 points to go along with 14 boards in the victory.

As well, the Big East Tournament continues Wednesday, while the Conference USA, Mountain West, Pacific-10, and Big 12 tourneys get underway. The four Big 12 matchups at Kansas City’s Sprint Center on Wednesday are Texas Tech vs. Colorado, Nebraska vs. Missouri, Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, and Iowa State vs. Texas. The Longhorns (23-8 SU, 11-16 ATS) lost 92-77 to Baylor in their regular-season finale on Saturday, but they beat Iowa State 90-83 on the road when the two teams met on January 13. The Cyclones (15-16 SU, 15-13 ATS) beat Kansas State 85-82 in OT last game, getting 19 points from Craig Brackins.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are five games on the National Hockey League’s schedule for Wednesday, with Dallas at Buffalo, the Rangers at New Jersey, Carolina at Washington, Vancouver at Phoenix, and Los Angeles at Chicago. The 39-22-4 Kings rolled to a 6-0 win over Columbus in their last game on Monday, with Jon Quick having to make just 11 saves. Alexander Frolov turned in a four-point effort. The 43-17-5 Blackhawks are coming off a 5-4 loss to Detroit on Sunday afternoon, with Cristobal Huet giving up four goals on 17 shots before getting pulled. Andrew Ladd had a hat trick in the loss, and Duncan Keith had two points.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Big East begins its conference tourney, while the Maple Leafs meet the Bruins, and the Lakers play host to the Raptors.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up eight games on Tuesday, with Philadelphia at Indiana, the Clippers at Orlando, Houston at Washington, Miami at Charlotte, Utah at Chicago, Boston at Milwaukee, Sacramento at Portland, and Toronto at the Lakers. The Raptors (32-29 SU, 28-33 ATS) had star forward Chris Bosh back in the lineup on Sunday, but they still lost 114-101 at home to Philadelphia. The Lakers (46-18 SU, 27-35-2 ATS) have lost three straight games, and they were knocked off 96-94 in Orlando on Sunday. Kobe Bryant had 34 points in that loss.

Championship week continues in college basketball on Tuesday with 16 games on the schedule – including the four opening-round matchups in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden (DePaul vs. South Florida, St. John’s vs. Connecticut, Providence vs. Seton Hall, and Rutgers vs. Cincinnati). As well, Butler will take on Wright State in the championship game of the Horizon League tournament on Tuesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are undefeated both at home and in conference play on the season, and they beat the Raiders twice.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, nine games make up the NHL’s schedule for Tuesday, with the Islanders at Philadelphia, Nashville at Atlanta, Calgary at Detroit, Tampa Bay at Montreal, Florida at Minnesota, Vancouver at Colorado, Ottawa at Edmonton, Columbus at Anaheim, and Boston at Toronto. The 29-24-11 Bruins were edged 2-1 in Pittsburgh in their last game on Sunday, while the 20-33-12 Maple Leafs fell 3-1 to the Flyers in their Sunday matchup. The Bruins and Maple Leafs just met last Thursday, with Tim Thomas making 24 saves in a 3-2 Boston home shootout win.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Capitals get a visit from the Stars, the Blue Jackets take on the Kings, and the Cavs play host to the Spurs in Cleveland.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has five games on tap for Monday, with Atlanta at New York, Golden State at New Orleans, Dallas at Minnesota, New Jersey at Memphis, and San Antonio at Cleveland. The Spurs (36-24 SU, 29-30-1 ATS) got past the Grizzlies by a score of 102-92 in their last game on Saturday; however San Antonio guard Tony Parker broke his hand and is out indefinitely. The Cavs (49-15 SU, 31-31-2 ATS) are coming off a 92-85 loss to the Bucks on Saturday, with LeBron James sitting out to rest a sore ankle. Antawn Jamison poured in 30 points in that defeat.

As well, a light Monday around college basketball kicks off the final pre-Madness week of the season. Included on the Monday slate are tournament semi-final matchups in both the Sun Belt and the Summit League, as well as championship games in the Colonial Athletic, Metro Atlantic, Southern, and West Coast conferences. The first major conference tourney of the year tips off on Tuesday, with the Big East staging its four opening matchups at Madison Square Garden.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are just two games on the National Hockey League schedule for Monday, with Columbus at Los Angeles and Dallas at Washington. The 28-24-12 Stars were pounded 6-3 on the road by the Penguins in their last game on Saturday. Kari Lehtonen gave up six goals on 34 shots for Dallas in that loss, while Mike Ribeiro picked up a goal and an assist. The 44-13-8 Capitals blanked the Rangers in a 2-0 win in their Saturday outing. Eric Fehr and Eric Belanger scored for Washington in that contest, while Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Kentucky hosts Florida, the Lakers take on the Magic, and the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series race in the Kobalt Tools 500.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up six games on Sunday, with Philadelphia at Toronto, Houston at Detroit, Washington at Boston, Oklahoma City at Sacramento, Portland at Denver, and the Lakers at Orlando. The Lakers and Magic have met just once since their NBA Finals matchup last season, with Los Angeles pulling out a 98-92 home win over Orlando on January 18 as a 6.5-point favorite. Shannon Brown had a team-high 22 points for Los Angeles off the bench in that game, while Kobe Bryant tossed in 11 points on the day. Dwight Howard led the Magic with a game-high 24 points in that loss, while Vince Carter was held to only nine points.

As well, there is one Top-10 team in action on the college basketball schedule for Sunday, with Florida at No. 3 Kentucky. The Wildcats (28-2 SU, 16-12 ATS) rolled to an 80-68 win over Georgia in their last game on Wednesday night; John Wall was good for 24 points in that contest for Kentucky. The Gators (20-10 SU, 13-12 ATS) were beaten 64-60 by Vanderbilt in their last game on Tuesday night, despite Vernon Macklin’s 21 points. Florida and Kentucky faced off back on January 12, with the Wildcats picking up an 89-77 road victory in that matchup.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are nine games on the NHL’s schedule for Sunday, with Boston at Pittsburgh, Vancouver at Nashville, Calgary at Minnesota, Carolina at Atlanta, Buffalo at the Rangers, Toronto at Philadelphia, New Jersey at Edmonton, Montreal at Anaheim, and Detroit at Chicago. The Red Wings and Blackhawks last met on the ice on January 17, with Chicago pulling out a 4-3 shootout win on the road. Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Troy Brouwer had the Hawks’ goals in that win, while Antti Niemi made 35 saves. Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Patrick Eaves replied for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard was good for 26 stops.

Roaring around the track . . .

Finally, the Sprint Cup Series offers up the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Jimmie Johnson, who is coming off consecutive race wins in Fontana and Las Vegas, is the 9/5 Vegas favorite to take the checkered flag once again on Sunday. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin are next on the odds list at 6/1 and 8/1, respectively, with Tony Stewart at 17/2, and Denny Hamlin at 11/1. Last year’s Kobalt Tools 500 winner, Kurt Busch, is farther back at 28/1 odds to win on Sunday, with ‘08 champ Kyle Busch pegged at 13/1 odds.