Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Sweet 16 gets underway in Boston and Glendale, while the Lakers meet the Pistons and the Habs play host to the Bolts.
On the road to the Final Four . . .
The NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 tips off on Thursday night with action in both the West and East regions. The West matchups will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, with No. 5 Purdue vs. No. 1 Connecticut, and No. 3 Missouri vs. No. 2 Memphis. Oddsmakers like the top-seeded Huskies in their game, as they’ve been pegged as a 6.5-point favorite (with the total at 135). Memphis is listed as a 4.5-point favorite in their matchup, with the total at 141.5.
The East region contests will be played at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, with No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh, and No. 3 Villanova vs. No. 2 Duke. The Panthers had to battle through the first two rounds of the tournament, but they’re still pegged as 7-point favorites at SportsBook to take care of Xavier on Thursday night (with the game’s total at 139 points). The Blue Devils are slim 2-point favorites in their matchup with Villanova later in the evening, with the total set high at 148 points at BetUs Sportsbook.
Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will be looking for a win in Detroit against the Pistons in one of three games on the NBA’s schedule for Thursday night. Los Angeles didn’t have much trouble getting past Oklahoma City on Tuesday, with Bryant tossing in 19 points and adding five assists in a 107-89 victory. The Pistons are coming off a 99-91 loss in Chicago, with Will Bynum scoring 20 points for Detroit.
The other two NBA matchups are part of the weekly TNT doubleheader, with Miami at Chicago and Phoenix at Portland. The Suns and Trail Blazers have already met three times this season, most recently on December 18 when Portland grabbed a 124-119 home win as a 4-point favorite. The Suns won the first two games of the season set at home, covering the spread in both outings.
Perfection on the line…
Why are pro gamblers singing “reu la la? And laughing all the way to the bank like Thea Vidale?
The LateInfo is in the midst of not only the best college basketball season ever recorded but the top NCAA Tournament three-year run ever hitting 11 straight since 2007. That included East Tennessee on Friday and Memphis Saturday.
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Taking a trip around the rink . . .
The Canadiens will be looking to grab a second straight win against an Eastern also-ran on Thursday night when they play host to Tampa Bay. The Habs breathed a little life into their playoff chances on Tuesday by doubling up on the Thrashers in a 6-3 home victory; Alex Tanguay and Alexei Kovalev each scored twice in that game. Tampa Bay is coming off a 2-1 Tuesday win over Columbus.
There are seven other games on the National Hockey League’s schedule for Thursday, including Florida at Philadelphia. The Panthers are trying to break into the top eight of the East, while the Flyers are hoping to lock down fourth place in the conference. Rounding out the slate: the Rangers at Atlanta, Calgary at Columbus, San Jose at Nashville, Los Angeles at Dallas, Vancouver at St. Louis, and Edmonton at Phoenix; the Oilers are coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Detroit.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
If you think Tiger Woods will get back on track this weekend you can take him as the 2/1 Vegas favorite to pick up the victory in the PGA Tour’s latest stop, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. Woods won this event last season, and he’s well ahead of the next golfers on the Vegas odds list: Padraig Harrington (15/1), Retief Goosen (15/1), Jim Furyk (15/1), and Anthony Kim (15/1). As well, Vijay Singh is pegged at 20/1 odds, and Mike Weir is at 25/1.