Championship Week is about to kick it up into high gear as Selection Sunday approaches
March is one of the best months of the year for sports fans and it’s about to turn the volume up to 11. Championship Week is the last chance for college basketball teams to cement their NCAA Tournament hopes. Not to mention, the NBA is ramping up as the playoffs approach.
Here’s what we’re watching tonight:
- NBA: Knicks @ Mavericks — 8:30 PM ET
- CBB: St. John’s vs. DePaul — 7 PM ET
- CBB: Iona vs. Rider — 7 PM ET
- CBB: Seton Hall vs. Georgetown — 9:30 PM ET
- CBB: Saint Peter’s vs. Fairfield — 9:30 PM ET
- CBB: Xavier vs. Butler — 4:30 PM ET
Big East Tournament starts with two locals
The Big East Tournament starts at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday with two locals taking center stage. St. John’s needs to win it all to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They will start off with DePaul, a team they split with during the regular season.
As for the Seton Hall Pirates, they are already safely in the Big Dance, but losing to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown wouldn’t be a great way to start off March Madness. The Hoyas went 0-16 in Big East play one year removed from winning the Big East Tournament in dramatic fashion.
Championship Week heats up
There is nothing quite like Championship Week. Obviously, we would take the NCAA Tournament given the choice, but there is something different about conference tournaments. These are teams that know each other well and there is usually a fair bit of animosity on both sides.
There are already wild things happening in Championship Week. Bellarmine won the ASUN Tournament by beating Jacksonville in the final, but won’t receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. They are in year two of a four-year probationary period after making the jump from Division II to Division I.
Instead, Jacksonville State, who Jacksonville beat in the semifinals, will earn the automatic bid because they won the regular-season championship. Make it make sense…
The other wild championship game came in the NEC. Bryant beat the brakes off of Wagner, but an altercation in the crowd between Wagner and Bryant fans led to an almost 30-minute pause to the game.
The two teams came back out with 4:37 left to play in the second half and went through the motions until the clock hit 0. Bryant won the game and is heading to the NCAA Tournament, but the pause overshadowed the victory to a certain degree.
A fight broke out in the stands of the NEC Championship Game between Wagner and Bryant. pic.twitter.com/96FjSkYTg9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 9, 2022
Kyrie Irving dominates in Nets win
Kyrie Irving is a special, special player. He dropped 50 points on 19 shots en route to a big win for the Nets in Charlotte. Irving is a maestro with the ball in his hands.
Love him or hate him, Kyrie Irving is one of the most enjoyable basketball players to watch. Scoring 50 on 19 shots is absurd pic.twitter.com/qeIHQiRfqf
— Danny Small (@dwsmall8) March 9, 2022
Dickie V is cancer-free!
ESPN’s Dick Vitale has dealt with some health issues in recent years, but thankfully, he is cancer-free for March Madness. That’s great news for college basketball fans everywhere. Get well soon and get back on ESPN, Dickie V!
OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of u have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing. I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer. My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby ! pic.twitter.com/HS2yI3wgpB
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 8, 2022
Jackie Moon makes his NBA debut
It took a little longer than he would have liked, but Jackie Moon is finally in the NBA!
Will Ferrell pulled up as Jackie Moon to get some shots up with Klay ?
(via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/fQdfDyIH5G
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 9, 2022
