Most college basketball fans can’t wait for this time of year.  Its the beginning of March and  the sounds of buzzer beaters, cinderella stories, and the screeching of shoes on the hardwood court are getting closer with every day. Conference tournaments begin this week and this is the last chance for the teams lower in its’ conference standings to make the big dance. With so many upsets this year and so many changes within the top 25 all year, expect to see many close games and a few upsets.  The Big East Conference tournament looks like the most thrilling with half the teams in the conference having a chance to win it. The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the regular season atop the conference but look for Notre Dame and St. Johns to make some noise in the tournament. The Pacific-10 Conference has been down all year with only Arizona being consistently good all season. UCLA has put together a good run as of late, 12 -3 last 15 games, and are looking to crack into the top 25 for the 2011 final rankings.

What a shocker to see Tom Izzo’s team so down this year after such a promising pre-season projections. Michigan State was pre-season ranked top 5 and were returning some keys players that helped them reach the Final Four in the 2009 – 2010. The Big Ten was lead by Ohio State all year behind freshman phenom Jared Sullinger, look for Purdue and Wisconsin to challenge Ohio State for the tournament title. Florida and Alabama have been looking like the two best teams from the Southeastern Conference the whole season. The Eastern Division is loaded with teams that will make the big dance, while it looks as if Alabama could possibly be the only team from the West to make the dance.

Dr. Hustles been down a little bit the past few weeks as his Longhorns have lost 3 of their final 6 games, losing the bid for the number 1 spot in the top 25 poll. Kansas looks like they will receive the number 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they have been playing consistent all year and a tournament win will guarantee them a number 1 seed in the big dance. The Big-12 is full of teams that could make a run for the conference title and look for Kansas State and Missouri to challenge Kansas and Texas for the title in St. Louis. The story of the year for the Atlantic Coast Conference has been the quick turn around of North Carolina, who on Saturday night beat Duke in the final game of the season to win the ACC regular season title. UNC also lead college basketball in rebounds per game the entire season. Duke has been within the top 10 all year long and was also ranked number 1 a twice times before being upset by Florida State and Virginia Tech, both in hostile environments on the road. The Atlantic Coast Conference will probably get 5 to 6 teams in the big dance, but look for a North Carolina vs Duke re-match for the tournament title.

Dr. Hustle would also like to congratulate his Alma mater, Indiana State University for winning the Missouri Valley Conference title Sunday afternoon by beating the MVC season champs, the Missouri State Bears 60-56. The Sycamores finished 3rd in the conference with an overall record of 20 – 13, and a conference record of 12 – 6. This is the first time Indiana State has been an automatic bid in March Madness since 2001 and will be looking at a seeding between 11 – 15.

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Game 1: No. 8 Northwester vs. No. 9 Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2               
Game 2: No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Iowa, 25 minutes following Game 1 conclusion, ESPN2                      
Game 3: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Indiana, 7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Friday, March 11, 2011
Game 4: No. 1 Ohio State vs. Game 1 Winner, Noon, ESPN                         
Game 5: No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 5 Michigan, 25 minutes following Game 4 conclusion, ESPN                       
Game 6: No. 2 Purdue vs. Game 2 Winner, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network   
Game 7: No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Game 3 Winner, 25 minutes following Game 6 conclusion, Big Ten Network

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 1:40 p.m., CBS Sports   
Game 9: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 25 minutes following Game 8 conclusion, CBS Sports

Sunday, March 13, 2011
Game 10: Tournament Championship, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports

Thursday, March 10 – First Round
Game	Matchup	Time	Coverage
1	#8 seed Virginia vs. #9 seed Miami	noon	ACC Network
2	#5 seed Boston College vs. #12 seed Wake Forest	2:00 p.m.*	ACC Network
3	#7 seed Maryland vs. #10 seed NC State	7:00 p.m.	ESPN2
4	#6 seed Virginia Tech vs. #11 seed Georgia Tech	9:00 p.m.*	ACC Network
Friday, March 11 – Quarterfinals
Game	Matchup	Time	Coverage
5	#1 seed North Carolina vs. Game 1 Winner	noon	ACC Network/ESPN2
6	#4 seed Clemson vs. Game 2 Winner	2:00 p.m.*	ACC Network/ESPN2
7	#2 seed Duke vs. Game 3 Winner	7:00 p.m.	ACC Network/ESPN2
8	#3 seed Florida State vs. Game 4 Winner	9:00 p.m.*	ACC Network/ESPN2
Saturday, March 12 – Semifinals
Game	Matchup	Time	Coverage
9	ACC Semifinal 1	1:00 p.m.	ACC Network/ESPN
10	ACC Semifinal 2	3:00 p.m.*	ACC Network/ESPN
Sunday, March 13 – Championship
Game	Matchup	Time	Coverage
11	Championship Game	1:00 p.m.	ACC Network/ESPN

FIRST ROUND – TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011

GAME 1 – NO. 9 CONNECTICUT VS. NO. 16 DE PAUL – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		NOON
GAME 2 – NO. 12 SETON HALL VS. NO. 13 RUTGERS  – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		2:00 PM
GAME 3 – NO. 10 VILLANOVA VS. NO. 15 USF- (ESPNU/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		7:00 PM
GAME 4 – NO. 11 MARQUETTE VS. NO. 14 PROVIDENCE - (ESPNU/ESPN3D/ESPN3.com)		9:00 PM

SECOND ROUND – WEDNESDAY MARCH 9, 2011

GAME 5 – NO. 8 GEORGETOWN VS. 9/16 WINNER – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		NOON
GAME 6 – NO. 5 ST. JOHN’S VS. 12/13 WINNER – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		2:00 PM
GAME 7 – NO. 7 CINCINNATI  VS. 10/15 WINNER – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		7:00 PM
GAME 8 – NO. 6 WEST VIRGINIA VS. 11/14 WINNER – (ESPN2/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		9:00 PM

QUARTERFINALS – THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2011

GAME 9 – NO. 1 PITTSBURGH VS. 8/9/16 WINNER – (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		NOON
GAME 10 – NO. 4 SYRACUSE VS. 5/12/13 WINNER – (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		2:00 PM
GAME 11 – NO. 2 NOTRE DAME VS. 7/10/15 WINNER – (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		7:00 PM
GAME 12 – NO. 3 LOUISVILLE VS. 6/11/14 WINNER – (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		9:00 PM

SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY MARCH 11, 2011

GAME 13 – THURSDAY AFTERNOON WINNERS (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		7:00 PM
GAME 14 – THURSDAY EVENING WINNERS (ESPN/ESPN 3D/ESPN3.com)		9:00 PM

CHAMPIONSHIP – SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2011

Game 15

9:00 PM

Wednesday, March 9

G1 #8 Nebraska vs. #9 Oklahoma State Big 12 Network 11:30 a.m.

G2 #5 Colorado vs. #12 Iowa State Big 12 Network 2:00 p.m.

G3 #7 Baylor vs. #10 Oklahoma Big 12 Network 6:00 p.m.

G4 #6 Missouri vs. #11 Texas Tech Big 12 Network 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 10

G5 #1 Kansas vs. G1 Winner ESPN2 11:30 a.m.

G6 #4 Kansas State vs. G2 Winner Big 12 Network 2:00 p.m.

G7 #2 Texas vs. G3 Winner Big 12 Network 6:00 p.m.

G8 #3 Texas A&M vs. G4 Winner ESPN2 8:30 p.m.

Friday, March 11

G9 G5 Winner vs. G6 Winner Big 12 Network 6:00 p.m.

G10 G7 Winner vs. G8 Winner Big 12 Network 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 12

G11 G9 Winner vs. G10 Winner ESPN 5:00 p.m.

DATE	GAME	NETWORK	TIME
Thursday, March 10 – (W5) Auburn vs. (E4) Georgia	Game 1	SEC Network	1:00 pm ET
Thursday, March 10 – (E6) South Carolina  vs. (W3) Ole Miss	Game 2	SEC Network	3:30 pm ET
Thursday, March 10 – (E5) Tennessee vs. (W4) Arkansas	Game 3	SEC Network	7:30 pm ET
Thursday, March 10 – (W6) LSU vs. (E3) Vanderbilt	Game 4	SEC Network	10:00 pm ET
Friday, March 11 – Game 1 Winner vs (W1) Alabama	Game 5	SEC Network	1:00 pm ET
Friday, March 11 – Game 2 Winner vs. (E2) Kentucky	Game 6	SEC Network	3:30 pm ET
Friday, March 11 – Game 3 Winner vs. (E1) Florida	Game 7	SEC Network	7:30 pm ET
Friday, March 11 – Game 4 Winner vs (W2) Mississippi State	Game 8	SEC Network	10:00 pm ET
Sat, March 12 – Game 5 Winner vs Game 6 Winner	Game 9	ABC	1:00 pm ET
Sat, March 12- Game 7 Winner vs Game 8 Winner	Game 10	ABC	3:30 pm ET
Sunday, March 13 (SEC Championship Game)	Game 11	ABC	1:00 pm ET

Wednesday, March 9
Men’s First Round (STAPLES Center) Game 1 #8 Stanford vs. #9 Oregon State 6:00 p.m. FSN Game 2 #7 Oregon vs. #10 Arizona State 8:30 p.m. FSN
Thursday, March 10 Men’s Quarterfinals (STAPLES Center) Game 3 #4 USC vs. #5 California 12:00 p.m. FSN Game 4 #1 Arizona vs. Winner of Game 1 2:30 p.m. FSN Game 5 #2 UCLA vs. Winner of Game 2 6:00 p.m. FSN Game 6 #3 Washington vs. #6 Washington State 8:30 p.m. FSN Friday, March 11 Men’s Semifinals (STAPLES Center) Game 7 Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 6:00 p.m. FSN Game 8 Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 8:30 p.m. FSN Saturday, March 12 Men’s Championship (STAPLES Center) Game 9 Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 3:00 p.m. CBS Dr. Hustle