As we go into the early days of March, the thoughts of most sports fans in the area will go to college basketball. With all that thought, workers will become much less productive and every sports bar and grill in the area will become swamped. By the way, to all owners of these businesses, just let me give you a pre-congrats on that.
Opening up the college basketball tournament season this week are the women’s basketball conference tournaments, a series of tournaments that commence for the most part at the tail end of the week. So, to brace all sports fans out there, here’s some basic information about three of the tournaments with local teams. By the way, for anybody looking for a good weekend getaway, tickets for all of these tourneys are still available at each arenas box offices, ticket master, and individual teams.
Big East
Dates: March 4-8
Location: The XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut
Local Team: University of Louisville Cardinals
The strong favorite going into the Big East tournament is perennial favorite UConn, last year’s NCAA champions and this year’s Big East champions. The Huskies, playing at home, have seemed unstoppable over the past few years and have to be the team to watch out for.
Meanwhile, the Lady Cards have delivered a solid season in a challenging conference finishing sixth out of the sixteen teams in the conference. With that standing, Louisville steps onto the court March 5, after they receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, they’ll square off against either (11) Providence or (16) Villanova. If they can garner a victory in that game, they will meet the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on March 6.
More Info: http://www.bigeast.org/Sports/WomensBasketball.aspx
SEC
Dates: March 3-6
Location: The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Local Team: The University of Kentucky Wildcats
The SEC has seen a struggle amongst the top teams. The Vols of Tennessee did clinch first place, but did it in a battle. The Cats enter the tournament at number two and as such receive a bye in the first round. Kentucky will enter the tournament March 4th when they face either (10) Alabama or (7) LSU. Of course, the Commodores of Vanderbilt playing at home are also a team to keep an eye on; they could prove to be the upset in the tourney.
More Info: http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECSports/Home.aspx
Big Ten
Dates: March 3-6
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana
Local Team: The Indiana University Hoosiers
Playing in their home state, Indiana University enters their Big Ten tournament in a “Cinderella” position at number ten. In the first round, IU is slated to take on inner-state rivals (7) Purdue. If the Hoosiers can pull off that upset, they’ll take on (2) Penn State.
More Info: http://www.bigten.org/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/big10-11-wbb-tourney-central.html
Image:Big East Women'sBasketball//
