The NHL heads into its Olympic break, the NBA plays its All-Star Game, and the Sprint Cup Series stages the Daytona 500.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The 2010 NBA All-Star Game tips off at 8:00pm ET on Sunday night at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, with the Western Conference missing one of its top guns. Star Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is nursing a sprained ankle and has decided to skip the All-Star Game this year; he's being replaced on the West's roster by Mavs guard Jason Kidd. However, the Western Conference is still pegged as the 1.5-point favorite to get the win on Sunday night, with the game's total at 261 points.

As well, there are three games involving ranked teams on the college basketball schedule for Sunday, with No. 13 Ohio State at Illinois, No. 7 Georgetown at Rutgers, and Louisville at No. 2 Syracuse. The Orange (24-1 SU, 14-6 ATS) have won 11 games in a row heading into Sunday's outing at the Carrier Dome, most recently knocking off Connecticut 72-67 on Wednesday night. The Cardinals (15-9 SU, 7-12 ATS) fell 74-55 to St. John's in their Thursday matchup.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The National Hockey League wraps up its pre-Olympic schedule on Sunday with six games: Tampa Bay at the Rangers, Nashville at Pittsburgh, Vancouver at Minnesota, Ottawa at the Islanders, Anaheim at Edmonton, and Chicago at Columbus. The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets last met in Columbus back on January 16, with Chicago rolling to a 6-5 road victory. Jonathan Toews scored twice for the Blackhawks in that win, while Patrick Kane picked up three assists.

Roaring around the track . . .

Finally, the Sprint Cup Series season begins on Sunday with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The Vegas oddsmakers like pole-sitter Mark Martin to grab his first win on the track on Sunday, as he's been pegged as the 13/2 race favorite. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon are next on that odds list at 7/1 and 8/1, respectively, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17/2) and Kurt Busch (9/1) rounding out the Vegas Top 5. Tony Stewart (11/1) and Carl Edwards (12/1) are getting longer odds, with Series champ Jimmie Johnson pegged at 14/1 to win.


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