The Talk Of The Town

It’s undoubtedly the talk of the town and we’re not talking about the latest celebrity gossip.

Let the bracket bonanza begin,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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College Basketball

When nothing is as good as the original. The big Selection Sunday show that announced which men’s teams made it into the March Madness tournament took a different turn this year. The network announced all of the teams in the first 15 mins in alphabetical order instead of the previous format where the teams and their rankings were slowly announced throughout the show. Fans were not happy, including the Lawrence, Kansas Police Department that tweeted, “Please do not call 911 to complain about the format of the NCAA tournament selection show. We can’t do anything about it, no matter how bad it is.”

PS- The women’s bracket will be announced tonight. 

When you have nothing to lose. Over 70 million people filled out brackets for last year’s tournament, so why not join in on the fun? Play in our bracket challenge for a chance to win prizes (there are even prizes for last place). Questions are encouraged and novices are welcome. No pressure - pick by team color, mascot or use the random button and let the computer pick for you. Expect lots of upsets, which means your guess is as good as anyone’s. Here’s the bracket link. (password: sportscurious)

Have more questions? Check out our March Madness 101 or send us a note. 

Overtime

When you have a Bridesmaids moment in the middle of a soccer game. Captain of both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, Sergio Ramos, ran off the field in haste during his team’s win yesterday. When asked about Ramos’ immediate departure in a postgame press conference, his manager so delicately answered “He sh-- himself.” Well that's a crappy excuse. 

Sideline stat

Tiger Woods is back, finishing in second place in the Valspar Open this weekend. He may be looking a little older but he’s playing like a young Woods and the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) is loving it as their ratings and fan engagement soar.

Coaches’ corner

The March Madness tournament starts tomorrow with the two play-in games. What is a play-in game? They are two pre-tournament games where four teams that almost made it to the tournement play and the winners get into the actual tournament. The games for all other teams start on Thursday.  

What to watch

Serena Williams continues her comeback, facing her sister Venus in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA today.

No More FOMO

Whether you like it or not, sports are going to come up this weekend so why not be a part of the conversation?

If you can’t beat them, join them,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NFL (National Football League)

When the HR department exists for a reason. The NFL Combine took place last week. That’s where prospective NFL players show off their athletic and mental skills. Teams are known for asking intrusive questions during the interview sessions but it's come to light that some may have crossed the line this year asking players about their sexuality. As Salt-N-Pepa said, “none of your business.”

Tennis

When it's back to the grind again. Serena Williams made her return to tennis yesterday, winning in straight sets in the first round in Indian Wells, CA. You may recall this is the tournament site where her husband put up the billboards proclaiming her as the Greatest Momma Of All Time.

Overtime

One NASCAR (National Association For Stock Car Auto Racing) driver has found a brilliant way to connect with fans – digital autograph sessions. Fans tweet him photos of items they want autographed (and yes some of them are weird), he digitally signs them and tweets the photo back at them. It’s brilliant – he can connect with fans and he doesn’t even have to put on pants.

Sideline stat

Tom Brady’s illustrious locks are no longer. He and thousands of others shaved their heads for charity. Their combined efforts raised over $7 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Brady didn't go all in, he ended up with a buzz cut but not the Mr. Clean look.

Coaches’ corner

March Madness begins on Sunday with Selection Sunday. This is where they announce which men's teams that are playing in the big college basketball tournament. The women's teams will be announced on Monday. A few terms to have you in your pocket for the weekend are:

• Automatic bid – these are the 32 teams that won their conference tournament and are automatically in the tournament.

• At large – these are the teams that did not win their tournament and will have to get in based on their season record. Those 36 teams will be sweating it out on Sunday until they hear their team name called.

And Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Don’t really want to divulge the details of your weekend during the small talk around the coffee pot this morning? Use sports to shift the conversation and show off your savviness.

You’ve got this,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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College Basketball

If you’re feeling like a champ this morning. It’s championship week in college basketball. That means the different conference tournaments have begun in advance of the big March Madness tournament, which starts next week. Teams that win their conference championship earn an automatic bid into the tournament. The rest will have to sit and wait to hear their team name announced on Selection Sunday (March 11).

Who doesn’t love an underdog? The Lipscomb University Bisons won their conference tournament, which guarantees the team from a small university in Nashville a spot in the March Madness tournament for the first time ever. LIST OF TEAMS THAT HAVE QUALIFIED

If you’re interested in participating in the bracket madness of the NCAA (the governing body of college sports) tournament, you can play with us. After Selection Sunday we’ll share a link to our bracket so you can pick your teams and play along in a judgement free zone for a chance to win prizes and have a little fun too.

Overtime

Kobe Bryant isn’t only one of the best in basketball, but he can now add one of the best in Hollywood to his list of accomplishments. Last night he took home an Oscar for his animated short Dear Basketball. He is the first professional athlete to win an Academy Award.

Sideline stat

In hopes of making a team, NFL (National Football League) hopefuls showed off their athletic and mental abilities to scouts in the NFL Combine. University of Central Florida’s Shaquem Griffin was not on the original invite list but the one-handed Griffin certainly made the best out of his appearance, dominating the Combine. Not only did he bench press 225 pounds an impressive 20 times using a prosthetic hand, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for linebackers in 10 years. And with that, we have no excuse to skip the gym today.

Coaches’ corner

Michelle Wie and Phil Mickelson are two of the biggest names in golf who have been down on their luck for years until this weekend. Wie ended a four-year losing streak by taking home a win on the last hole of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore. Mickelson, 47, finally broke his five-year losing streak, winning the Mexico Championship this weekend.