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Wednesday, March 16

Champions League: Olympique Lyonnais vs. Real Madrid

While you may be wondering why I am not previewing the Inter-Bayern matchup that is happening Tuesday night, this rematch from last year’s Champions League has a lot riding on it.  For the past six years, Real Madrid has not advanced past the round of 16 in the Champions League.  Last year, Olympique Lyonnais shocked the world by upsetting Real and eventually advancing to the semi-finals where they lost to Bayern Munich.  It appears as if Real Madrid star Christiano Ronaldo will be ready to go for the contest which provides an unmatched scoring threat.  The Portuguese striker hit the post on a free kick and created numerous scoring opportunities in the first leg which ended in a 1-1 draw at Stade de Gerland.  Having the home field advantage and an away goal already netted, Real Madrid looks to be the favorite to advance into the quarterfinals; however, do not underestimate the Ligue 1 squad who currently is riding a 7-game unbeaten streak.  OL will certainly benefit from the return of their top striker Lisandro Lopez, who has netted 4 goals in his first two games back from injury.  Will Lisandro’s return to Lyon’s lineup provide OL with the scoring threat they need for their fourth straight victory at Bernabeu (Real Madrid)?  Tune in Wednesday afternoon to find out.

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat

The Oklahoma City Thunder head into Miami riding a four-game win streak to take on the Heat.  Following the “crying incident” the Heat have bounced back and have won their last three games.  These wins included a victory over the Lakers as well as two 30+ point victories over Memphis and the league’s best record San Antonio Spurs.  It is interesting to note that the Heat did not let up more than 90 points in any of those victories and they haven’t given up 100-plus points in their previous 8 contests.  Can the improved Miami defense answer to the dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant?  The warm up games on their road trip have by no means warmed them up for the challenge they will encounter in South Beach Wednesday night.  Wins over Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, and Cleveland on the road is definitely a momentum to carry into Wednesday night’s contest, but only one of those teams (Philadelphia) has a winning record or looks to be heading to the playoffs.  Tune in to ESPN Wednesday night to see if Miami will sweep the Thunder for the season.

Thursday, March 17

NCAA Tournament: Southwest Region: (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) Richmond

Many people were shocked by Richmond slipping all the way to 12 seed after they took the Atlantic-10 title.  Don’t underestimate the 12-seeded Spiders who knocked off Purdue earlier in the season when the Boilermakers were ranked #8 in the nation.  Don’t be surprised if the Spiders knock off the Commodores, because it wouldn’t be the first time Vanderbilt fell in the first-round.  Does Murray State ring a bell? Flashback to last year when the 13-seed Murray State shocked the 4-seeded Commodores to send them packing early.  Watch out for seniors Justin Harper (17.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Kevin Anderson (16.5ppg) to lead the Spiders to a second-round victory.

NCAA Tournament: Southeast Region: (7) UCLA vs. (10) Michigan State

Featuring two of the most storied and successful programs in NCAA history, this matchup ought to be entertaining.  While the 7-10 matchups tend to be less exciting than some of the other first round matchups, we know this game will be well-coached and have a lot of tradition behind it.  Coach Tom Izzo (Michigan State) seems to always find a way to win in March.  It was just one year ago that Izzo coached the fifth-seeded Spartans all the way to the Final Four so don’t be surprised if Michigan State makes a little noise in a weak Southeast region.

Friday, March 18

NCAA Tournament: West Region: (4) Texas vs. (13) Oakland

Yes, Oakland has struggled against ranked opponents and they probably will not knock off the Longhorns since Texas is playing down the road in Tulsa, but Oakland does have a weapon in the 6-11 Keith Benson.  Averaging a double-double (18.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg), Benson could cause some trouble for the Longhorns inside.  Several experts have picked Texas to make it all the Final Four over Duke, red-hot UConn, and San Diego State.  Friday’s game will be the Longhorns’ first test in what appears to be a long road to Houston for them.

NCAA Tournament: East Region: (6) Xavier vs. (11) Marquette

The Golden Eagles may be a popular pick to upset the higher ranked Musketeers who got knocked out of the Atlantic-10 tournament by Dayton.  Xavier’s resume is far less than impressive having beaten no ranked opponents (Temple was not ranked when they beat them) and failing to capture the Atalntic-10 tournament title.  Marquette on the other hand fared 9-9 in Big East play this season, which does not need any explanation.  Impressive wins by the Golden Eagles include wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse, and an overtime victory at Connecticut during the regular season.  However, Xavier’s success in the tournament may be the X-factor (no pun intended).  A trip to the Sweet Sixteen would make it the fourth straight year the Muskateers have advanced that far in the tournament, and they will be looking to junior guard Tu Holloway (20.2 ppg, 5.5 apg) to take them there.

NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks

The Spurs will be fresh off of three days of rest following a 30-point embarrassment in South Beach before they travel to Dallas to take on their in-state rivals Friday night.  This is a must win game for the Mavericks if they have any hope of catching the Spurs for the 1^st overall seed in the Western Coast playoffs.  Right now the Mavs rest 6.5 games behind the Spurs and could close that to 4.5 games if they get wins against Portland on Tuesday night, Golden State on Wednesday night, and San Antonio on Friday.  The Spurs have already dropped 3 games in the first half of March so this could be an ample opportunity for the Mavs to put some pressure on San Antonio.  Are the Spurs too old to maintain their impressive play for all 82 games?  See if Dirk & Company have what it takes to defeat the fundamentals and wisdom of the Spurs.

Saturday, March 19

Men’s Lacrosse (2) UVA vs. (20) Ohio State

The #2 Cavaliers host the #20 Buckeyes at Klockner stadium at 3:00 p.m.  The Cavaliers have fared well against ranked opponents this season going 3-1 against teams they have played in the top-25.  UVa will look to Jr. midfielder Colin Briggs to continue his 2 game hat-trick streak to pace the attack.  Additionally, the Cavaliers have a stellar record at home.  Dating back to 2009, the Cavaliers have gone 16-1 at home, so playing at home in Charlottesville will certainly give the ‘Hoos a huge advantage.

NCAA Tournament

No explanation necessary.  It is March Madness.

Sunday, March 20

NCAA Tournament

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