The ball is tipped and there you are — you’re running for your life, you’re a shooting star… remember that familiar tune? Well, March Madness is here and soon enough one team will end their season with the beautiful song that is One Shining Moment, and more importantly, the National Championship. So get excited, and get into the spirit with one of our favorite shining moments from 2010.

 

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

College Basketball

The time has come to welcome back the NCAA Tournament into your lives. It’s one of the reasons we love March and we predict that this year will live up to the hype. We’ll get to a mini-breakdown of the brackets, but keep in mind that the biggest question in this year’s tourney is whether or not #1 overall seed Kentucky can run the table and finish the season undefeated. The answer: 40-0 is looking more and more likely with each game.

Okay, now onward to the brackets. This year, the tournament seeding looks relatively even across the board. As always, there’s definitely some upset potential but this year the tournament is looking more top heavy than usual. Here’s a breakdown of the top four seeds in each region:

• Midwest: Kentucky, Kansas, Notre Dame, Maryland
• South: Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Georgetown
• East: Villanova, UVA, Oklahoma, Louisville
• West: Wisconsin, Arizona, Baylor, UNC

The play-in games kick off on Tuesday, and the real action kicks off Thursday and Friday with the opening rounds. Get ready, it’s almost go-time.

Oh, and don’t sleep on the women’s tournament — the selection show kicks off on Monday night!

NBA

There were quite a few fun NBA games over the weekend. The Houston Rockets rallied past the LA Clippers 100-98 in a game where MVP candidate James Harden posted an impressive 34 point, 7 rebound and 7 assist performance. However, the bigger story might be the return of Blake Griffin to the Clippers’ line-up, which will matter come playoff time.

Speaking of the playoffs, as we move closer to the end of the regular season, let’s take a look at who’s leading the way. In the East, the Atlanta Hawks remain in control of the top seed but the Cleveland Cavaliers may be the team to beat. Out West, the Golden State Warriors may hold the best record in the league, but the West is really good and the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets look ready to go. That’s not to say that things will stay this way — there’s still enough time in the season for things to shift in the last month or so. Stay tuned.

This week, make sure to check out these big match-ups (while you’re not watching March Madness):

• Cleveland at Miami – Monday
• Oklahoma City at Dallas – Monday
• Atlanta at Golden State – Wednesday (this is the game of the week)
• Atlanta at Oklahoma City – Friday
• Portland at Memphis – Saturday

Other

Serena Williams returned to Indian Wells for the first time since 2001 and defeated Monica Niculescu in a emotional performance through 2 straight sets. She continued to advance through the tournament with a win against Zarina Diyas on Sunday. Go Serena go!

NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick picked up another win in Arizona, this time at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Manchester United won a statement game against Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on Sunday afternoon in a dominating performance within the Premier League.

JUST FOR FUN

Smile for the camera
Carey Price takes a selfie with a fan during the Canadiens/Islanders game

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

Free agency
The first day of  the NFL year was this past Tuesday…
There were trades, surprises, and a whole lot of action

Proving his worth
Kyrie Irving, welcome to the team
As of late, he’s been showing us that he’s got something special

If you’re an American woman who wants to play hockey…
You’ll play for the Boston Blades, the only U.S. team in the Canadian women’s hockey league
But, you’ll also have to work another job and fundraise to keep your professional team alive

Conflicting interests
The issues plaguing MLS players
Jurgen Klinsmann, coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, has some problems with MLS player development