March 16, Week in Sports
March 16, Week in Sports
:: TEAMS SELECTED FOR ‘MARCH MADNESS’ NCAA TOURNAMENT (College Basketball)
:: FINAL MONTH OF NBA SEASON BEGINS (Pro. Football)
:: U.S. TEAM KNOCKS OUT NETHERLANDS IN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC (Pro. Baseball)
———-
BUST OUT YOUR BRACKET: IT’S TOURNEY TIME
On Sunday, March 16th, the NCAA Selection Committee announced the competitors in this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. This tournament, which marks the climax of the college basketball season, is one of the most popular and exciting sporting events of the year.
The tournament includes 65 teams, although that will be immediately narrowed to 64 on Tuesday when the two lowest-ranked teams (Alabama State and Morehead State) battle it out for the 64th spot. The remaining 64 teams are then divided into four regional mini-tournaments with 16 teams in each region. These teams are ranked, or “seeded,” #1-#16. In the first round of the tournament, the highest-ranked teams in each regional tournament (#1) play the lowest-ranked teams (#16), the second-highest team (#2) plays the second-lowest team (#15), and so on. This arrangement continues through the next rounds of the tournament, which means that the higher-ranked teams theoretically have an easier path to the championship; conversely, it is much harder for the lower-seeded teams to advance. For a more detailed explanation of the way the tournament works, or for help with your office pool, check out SportSpectator’s guide to March Madness.
Since there are four regional brackets, there are four sets of teams ranked #1-#16. This year, North Carolina, Louisville, Connecticut, and Pitt are the four #1 seeds, which makes them the “favorites” to win the tournament. However, it is incredibly difficult to go deep in the tournament, even for the best teams in the country, so expect a couple of those top-ranked teams to fall sooner or later. That being said, no #1 team has ever lost to a #16 team in the first round of the tournament.
The first and second rounds of the tournament will be played Thursday through Sunday. From the second weekend of the tournament until the championship, the games will get even more intense.
Quote of the Week: “Emerging from its Westin Hotel bunker on Sunday night, the NCAA tournament selection committee unveiled a bracket that is worthy of its selection chair, Mike Slive. That is to say it looks like an attorney made it — it’s balanced, reasonable and devoid of a whole lot of sex appeal.” — Dana O’Neil, ESPN
Further Reading: “Tournament Bracket ” — CBS Sports
———-
THE HOME STRETCH: NBA TEAMS PREPARE FOR FINAL MONTH
Tuesday marks the start of the final month of the NBA regular season. During this month, competition will heat up as teams jockey for position in the playoffs.
The NBA regular season began in October of last year–which means that competition has already been underway for almost half a year. That being said, the NBA season is pretty slow-paced, and many teams save up their energy to make a run near the end of the season. Several teams have already clinched spots in the playoffs, and many other teams are fighting just to get in. However, one big focus of the next 30 days will be who secures home advantage for the playoffs. Home court advantage is hugely important in the NBA, and it can often make the difference in the playoffs.
The four best teams in the country right now are Los Angeles, Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. All four of those teams have already clinched their spots in the playoffs, and for the next month they scrap every day to try to secure the best record in the league. One of the subplots of this final month will also be the battle for the league MVP honors. There are only three real candidates for the MVP award: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant.
Quote of the Week: ”Tuesday isn’t merely St. Patrick’s Day. It also starts the countdown of the final 30 days of the regular season.” — Marc Stein, ESPN
Further Reading: ”Best Yet to Come” — Marc Stein, ESPN
———-
GOING DUTCH
On Sunday night, the U.S. defeated the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, a major international baseball tournament. The U.S. team is one loss away from elimination, and the Dutch were knocked out of the tournament with Sunday’s loss.
The Netherlands became the Cinderella story of the WBC last week, when they defeated the powerhouse team from the Dominican Republic in the first round of the tournament. However, their luck finally ran out against a U.S. team that is stacked with major leaguers. That being said, the U.S. team has had its own struggles–a combination of injuries and fatigue, as well as the fact that U.S. ballplayers in general do not take very much pride in the WBC. That is to say, most of the players on the U.S. team are focusing instead on preparing for the 2009 MLB season.
The next game for the U.S. team will take place on Tuesday, when they will face either Puerto Rico or Venezuela. Either game should be extremely competitive, as the U.S. is still one game away from elimination.
Quote of the Week: “I said, ‘I don’t want to come play for one night.’ I want this to last a little while.” — Brian Roberts, who joined the U.S. team as a replacement
Further Reading: “U.S. bounces back from loss to avoid elimination at WBC ” — Associated Press, via ESPN
——-
WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
:: COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The NCAA tournament begins this week, and it will be the main topic of conversation around the country. The tournament techincally begins on Tuesday with the “play-in” game, but things will really heat up on Thursday, when the tournament really kicks off. Thursday through Sunday will be packed with games, and you can find the schedule on the CBS Sports website .
———-
ALL-SPORTS UPDATE
ACTIVE SEASON
:: BASKETBALL
NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 season is currently underway. It runs from late October to April of 2009, when the playoffs commence. [Official NBA Website]
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): The college basketball season is currently underway and runs through “the Tournament,” which begins this week. [CBS Sports]
———-
:: FOOTBALL
NFL (Pro. Football): Now that the Super Bowl is over, the next major NFL event is the draft, which takes place in late April. [Official NFL Website]
NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now over, with Florida defeating Oklahoma in the national championship game. [NCAA Football, ESPN]
———-
:: GOLF
MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. The Masters is scheduled for the first week of April. [Official PGA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson
———
:: HOCKEY
NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season is currently underway and runs through April of 2009. [Official NHL Website]
———-
:: TENNIS
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The next event is the French Open, which takes place in May. [USTA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic
———-
OFFSEASON
:: BASEBALL
MLB (Pro. Baseball): The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s World Series. During the off-season, baseball news will focus on major trades and player signings. [Official MLB Website]