2015 NCAA Division I Men's (Ice) Hockey Tournament Semifinals Thursday!

It's that time of year!

The NCAA Division I men's (ice) hockey national semifinals on Thursday. This year, it's the Toronto Dominion Garden in Boston as the venue, with Hockey East hosting this portion of the tournament.

The craziness in the tournament has been awesome. In fact, no one knew Providence would be in at this state, and with huge performances against the Miami Redhawks and the Denver Pioneers, the Friars are trying to end that 30 year Frozen Four drought.

The main event will pit the Boston University Terriers against North Dakota, meaning we will see plenty of Zane McIntyre in goal, and plenty of moves from Jack Eichel. A blockbuster matchup in the night session Thursday night.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
Thursday
Nebraska Omaha v Providence College
North Dakota v Boston University

Both semifinals are on ESPN2 Thursday, and the championship on ESPN for the 32nd(?) consecutive year on Saturday!

One Last Thought: 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship

Did anyone see the tip of the middle finger strike the ball with less than two minutes to go? We did. I felt like that the refs have a disdain for the B1G, since they're headquartered in Indy.

Anyway, good tournament, despite lack of upsets. We'll see if it heats up next year. Congrats Duke.

NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament 2015: Tampa Semifinals

The other NCAA Division I championship--unlike the men--is a very different picture.

All four teams in Tampa on Sunday are all number one seeds, including Maryland, whose coach (Brenda Frese) has had to deal with one of her twin sons' battle with leukemia. A great, heartwarming story. With Wisconsin's win on Saturday against previously-unbeaten Kentucky in the men's semifinal, I'm pretty sure that the Terps might be in a good position to destroy last year's national champion Connecticut Huskies in the first semifinal.

In the second semifinal, the Dawn Staley-led South Carolina Gamecocks are in prime position to basically get this far in program history, but one problem: a tough Notre Dame program and McGraw-ball will be in full force.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
Sunday
(1A) Connecticut v (1S) Maryland
(1OKC) Notre Dame v (1G) South Carolina

Four different conferences represented, the way it should be. Both the semifinals on Sunday and the final on Tuesday night are on ESPN, the mothership.

NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament: National Semifinals Saturday!

Despite the RFRA passing in Indiana, and the responses and fracas within it, the show must go on.

Could this be an all-B1G final on Monday night? The setting is there, considering this could be the third (or fourth?) meeting of the year between Michigan State and Wisconsin if they can get by on Saturday in the semifinals.

Also consider that the B1G is headquartered in Indianapolis; the same with the NCAA. We'll see on Saturday.

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
Saturday
(1W) Wisconsin v (1MW) Kentucky
(1S) Duke v (7E) Michigan State

The national semifinals are on tbs Saturday. But if you want to hear 'localized' coverage with the 'TeamStream by Bleacher Report' during the game:

• truTV has the B1G with Wisconsin and Michigan State 
• TNT has Duke and Kentucky

The national final is on CBS on Monday, for the 34th consecutive year. Sadly, no Punjabi feeds.

NCAA Division I Men's (Ice) Hockey Tournament 2015: Regional Semifinals

After the women championships were crowned over the weekend (Minnesota wins again in D-I), it's now the men's turn.

While half of this year's field for the NCAA Division I men's (ice) hockey tournament are from NCHC or WCHA, the other half has one big intriguing story: RIT.

RIT is back in the tournament for the first time since 2010, where they lost in the national semifinals at Ford Field. The Tigers got an automatic bid for winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament, thus making them the only AHA representative this year. Quite an amazing feat. They face top seed Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

SOUTH BEND region
Semifinals
(1) Minnesota State Mankato v RIT
Nebraska Omaha v Harvard

PROVIDENCE region
Semifinals
(4) Miami Redhawks v Providence College
Denver Pioneers v Boston College

MANCHESTER (NH) region
Semifinals
(3) Boston University v Yale
Minnesota Duluth v Minnesota

FARGO region
Semifinals
(2) North Dakota v Quinnipiac
Michigan Tech v St. Cloud State

Yes folks, regional semifinals and finals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all on the ESPN family of networks.

NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament 2015: Regional Semifinals

Perhaps the most shocking (in my opinion, not so shocking) was when Gonzaga women made it to the regional semifinals as an #11 seed in the Spokane, therefore their Spokane semifinal match with Tennessee on Saturday is just like home cooking.

Also, unlike the men's draw, all four top seeds remain in the tourney, including last year's national champion Connecticut Huskies. Princeton lost to Maryland in the second round of the Spokane region over the weekend, thus leaving Kentucky men as the only unbeaten in Division I basketball.

ALBANY region
semifinals
(1) Connecticut v (5) Texas
(3) Louisville v (7) Dayton

SPOKANE region
semifinals
(1) Maryland v (4) Duke
(2) Tennessee v (11) Gonzaga

GREENSBORO region
semifinals
(1) South Carolina v (4) North Carolina
(2) Florida State v (3) Arizona State

OKLAHOMA CITY region
semifinals
(1) Notre Dame v (4) Stanford
(2) Baylor v (3) Iowa

Regional semifinals are on Friday, and here in the states, they are all on the ESPN family of networks.

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament 2015: Regional Semifinals

The surprising North Carolina State Wolfpack are partying like it's 1983, which was the last time they made the regional semifinals (and later won the national title). They knocked off Jay Wright's Villanova Wildcats, the Syracuse top seed, in the third round in Pittsburgh. In an all-Atlantic Coast flare, Louisville awaits in the Carrier Dome, on Friday.

With Villanova out, only three top seeds left: Wisconsin, Kentucky (still the only unbeaten in D-I basketball after Princeton women's loss on Monday), and Duke. Also Notre Dame back in the regional semifinals for the first time since 1987 (I think).

Of the sixteen, five are from the Atlantic Coast. In addition to State, you also have Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Duke.

Not much as far as surprises this year, except Georgia State in the second round.

CLEVELAND region
semifinals
(1) Kentucky v (5) West Virginia
(3) Notre Dame v (7) Wichita State

LOS ANGELES region
semifinals
(1) Wisconsin v (4) North Carolina
(2) Arizona v (6) Xavier Musketeers

HOUSTON region
semifinals
(1) Duke v (5) Utah
(2) Gonzaga v (11) UCLA

SYRACUSE region
semifinals
(3) Oklahoma v (7) Michigan State
(4) Louisville v (8) North Carolina State

The majority of the regional semifinals and finals are on CBS and tbs, with one game (I think) on truTV. If you have DIRECTV, truTV isn't hard to find, it's on channel 246!

By the way, the March Madness(TM) app, which is great for live streaming is great while you're away from a TV.

Indy is next weekend!

Beyond the Madness: History Made in St. Louis on Saturday

While you've been watching the basketball, yet again history was made!

Ohio State's Logan Stieber won the 141 final against Edinboro's Mitchell Port. This is very historical for a reason: Stieber became the fourth wrestler in Division I to win all four times in his career. Pat Smith (Oklahoma State) was the first to do so, from 1990 to 1994. The second to do so was Cael Sanderson. Sanderson, current Penn State wrestling coach, is the only to finish unbeaten in his career. He to me is the greatest collegiate wrestler of all time. Two years ago, Kyle Dake did it, and in four different weight classes! Stieber will join some great company.

This is why wrestling is pure sport!

The Road to Tampa: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament 2015

Unbeaten Princeton enters this year's NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament as the lone unbeaten. However, the seeding is very tricky. Remember Wichita State on the men's side last year? They were unbeaten and exited from the third round after losing to Kentucky. Will the Lady Tigers exceed?

Connecticut (last year's champions) got the #1 seed overall.

With that in mind, the first round pairings (to be played Saturday and Sunday):

ALBANY region
(1) Connecticut v (16) SFU Brooklyn
(8) Rutgers v (9) Seton Hall
(5) Texas v (12) Western Kentucky
(4) California v (13) Wichita State
(6) South Florida v (11) LSU
(3) Louisville v (14) BYU
(7) Dayton v (10) Iowa State
(2) Kentucky v (15) Tennessee State

SPOKANE region
(1) Maryland v (16) New Mexico State
(8) Princeton v (9) UWGB
(5) Mississippi State v (12) Tulane
(4) Duke v (13) UAlbany
(6) George Washington v (11) Gonzaga
(3) Oregon State v (14) South Dakota State
(7) Tennessee Chattanooga v (10) Pittsburgh Panthers
(2) Tennessee v (15) Boise State

OKLAHOMA CITY region
(1) Notre Dame v (16) Montana
(8) Minnesota v (9) DePaul
(5) Oklahoma v (12) Quinnipiac
(4) Stanford v (13) CSU Northridge
(6) Washington v (11) Miami Hurricanes
(3) Iowa v (14) American University
(7) Northwestern v (10) Arkansas
(2) Baylor v (15) Northwestern State

GREENSBORO region
(1) South Carolina v (16) Savannah State
(8) Syracuse v (9) Nebraska
(5) Ohio State v (12) James Madison
(4) North Carolina v (13) Liberty
(6) Texas A&M v (11) UALR
(3) Arizona State v (14) Ohio University
(7) Florida Gulf Coast v (10) Oklahoma State
(2) Florida State v (15) Alabama State

Remember, it starts Friday! ESPN family of networks will be along the way exclusively!

Predominantly D-III Union College Wins NCAA Men's D-I Ice Hockey Championship!

It's always great to see these little schools win a NCAA Division I title, no matter the sport. Case in point, Union College, Division III in just about every sport (they are in the Liberty League), with the exception of ice hockey, in which they are Division I. Their win in the national title of men's ice hockey on Saturday against the University of Minnesota in Philly is their first national title (I think) in any sport. Remember the University of Minnesota Duluth did the same thing in 2011?

Think about it. Love the little guys. Congrats to Bill Bennett and his coaching staff, and also ECAC going back to back. They are the hockey conference.

Connecticut Wins 'NAACP' Championship?

Fox News' Heather Childers the morning after the University of Connecticut won the NCAA men's Division I basketball championship at at&t Stadium:

Why so many attacks? Why has not been this many attacks on Wolf Blitzer a few years ago for this:

Geez! Some of you are morons stop criticizing and laugh! It's a joke!

Buzzer Beater in (Ice) Hockey! An Occasion That Happens Every 1 in 10,000 Chances!

Epic finish with .6 seconds left in Thursday's national semifinal of NCAA men's Division I ice hockey between Minnesota and North Dakota.

Ironic it was 22 years after that infamous Duke-Kentucky basketball game winner across the street at the old Spectrum.

University of Connecticut Basketball: How 'Sweep' It Is...Again!

2nd year coach (former Maverick & Sonic) Kevin Ollie with a superb job taking Husky basketball back to this point. Paid off for Jim Calhoun's protégé.

Also Geno Auriemma has his ninth D-I title tying Pat Summitt.

Third time it has been done, hopefully football and men's hockey there can have good quality championship runs in the future. Strong recruiting could help.

Philadelphia 2014 Frozen Four Thursday & Saturday!

The last(?) of the NCAA Division I championships will be awarded Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center (pictured) in Philadelphia.

Four teams making their return to the men's Frozen Four of ice hockey this year, not surprising. The best of the matchups is the next chapter in the Minnesota-North Dakota rivalry that goes back to eons. Fights, tension, you name it. But this one is for the next step to a national title. Minnesota is the top seed overall in the NCAA D-I tournament and won the inaugural B1G hockey tournament in their own backyard last month. North Dakota this year is in the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Still doesn't matter as it is yet again going to be added to their storied rivalry.

Also Boston College takes on Union College, both won their respective conference tournaments this year (BC in Hockey East, while UC in the ECAC).

With that in mind...national semifinals!

National Semifinals
(Twin Cities) Minnesota v (Cincinnati) North Dakota
(Bridgeport) Union College v (Worcester) Boston College

Semifinals on ESPN2 Thursday, championship game on Saturday on ESPN!

Two Unbeatens Headline Women's NCAA D-I Final Four Basketball in Smashville!

Bridgestone Arena (pictured) is home to some of the largest crowds in the NHL during the season. And while the Preds are trying to stay in playoff form with a few games left to go in the regular season, all talk in the Music City is on the NCAA women's Division I basketball 'Final Four' which begins Sunday.

Connecticut is among two unbeaten teams in not just women's Division I basketball, but all of Division I basketball. The Lady Huskies--and the men Huskies--are trying to do something they have done before: sweep Division I basketball championships. The men are playing right now while I'm blogging this, and the women take to the court on Sunday against Stanford.

The other unbeaten in D-I basketball is Notre Dame. The Lady Irish have tried the last few years to win a national title in women's basketball, including in 2011, where they lost in the national championship game at Banker's Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis to Texas A&M. The Irish have a surprising Maryland squad making their first(?) national semifinal appearance in eons(?).

Everyone wants a Connecticut-Notre Dame final like me to see who is the real unbeaten in D-I basketball this season. First, we all have to watch the games on Sunday.

With that in mind, the national semifinals on Sunday!

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
Sunday
(1L) Connecticut v (2PA) Stanford
(1SB) Notre Dame v (4L) Maryland

The semifinals on Sunday and the championship on Tuesday are on ESPN the mothership (NOT ESPN2!).

NCAA D-I Men's 'Final Four' Basketball This Weekend: Featuring 'Teamcast'!

The third-to-last of the major winter championships in NCAA Division I comes to a close this weekend at AT&T Stadium Arlington.

For the first time since 1986, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex will host the men's NCAA Division I Final Four. In 1986, it was Duke, Louisville, Kansas and LSU, with Louisville defeating Duke in the championship game at Reunion Arena. 1986 was also a great year of basketball in that area, as Reunion Arena--two months prior--hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend, featuring the world famous Spud Webb dunk in the competition on All-Star Saturday that weekend.

Fast forward to 2014. Most people on twitter want an all Southeastern final between Kentucky and Florida, but Connecticut could begin the first of the D-I title sweeps in basketball. The Huskies have rebuilt under Kevin Ollie's second season (as Jim Calhoun's successor). Ollie is familiar with the Metroplex, considering he signed a 10 day deal with the Mavs during his well-traveled NBA career for the Connecticut alum/product. Not to mention the women are back in their Final Four this weekend (more tomorrow). A Husky sweep is very probable at this time.

With that in mind...the national semifinals!

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
(both Saturday)
(1S) Florida v (7E) Connecticut
(2W) Wisconsin v (8MW) Kentucky

Don't forget, while the national semis are on tbs Saturday (NOT CBS!), "Teamcast" is there on tbs' sister networks TNT and truTV, featuring 'localized' commentary and features. I hope this will work just like the BCS title game on the ESPN networks earlier this year with multiple in game channels, including a film room on ESPN2. Just give it a try.

The national championship game is Monday night on CBS, featuring the one and only "One Shining Moment." The rest is history.

NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament 2014: Regional Semifinals & Finals Weekend

One of the biggest stories of the women's NCAA Division I basketball tournament so far is the courage by LSU, who lost a couple key players before the tourney, and then manage to pull off impressive wins against Georgia Tech, and then the comeback on Tuesday night on home court against West Virginia. Could the Lady Tigers' momentum continue? Louisville is their next opponent, as last year's national runners up could give them their best challenge of the tournament.

Also the two remaining unbeatens in all of Division I basketball can only be found in the regional semifinals, as Connecticut takes on BYU in the first Lincoln semifinal, while Notre Dame has Oklahoma State in the first semifinal at home. BYU became the first #12 to make it to a regional semifinal in a few years.

With that in mind...regional semifinals:

LINCOLN
(1) Connecticut v (12) BYU
(3) Texas A&M v (7) DePaul

PALO ALTO
(1) South Carolina v (4) North Carolina
(2) Stanford v (3) Penn State

SOUTH BEND
(1) Notre Dame v (5) Oklahoma State
(2) Baylor v (3) Kentucky

LOUISVILLE
(1) Tennessee v (4) Maryland
(3) Louisville v (7) LSU

LIVE across the ESPN networks Saturday through Tuesday. It is basketball folks.

The Road to Philadelphia 2014 Starts Friday!

Union College has had its best season ever, capping off its season with another ECAC tournament win and ending the season on top of the USCHO polls. Now they have the top seed in the Bridgeport, Connecticut region (#3 overall), and begin tournament play on Friday against Vermont, one of ten at larges in the field of 16.

Yale probably did not have a good season as they failed to make it in this year's tourney, a big disappointment for the defending national champions, however national runners-up Quinnipiac is in the tournament this year, as the Bobcats take on Providence College, which is also the other game in the Bridgeport region on Friday.

Minnesota is the #1 seed of the entire tournament, and the Gophers has that momentum from their win in the inaugural B1G hockey tourney at Xcel Center. Their first round opponent is Robert Morris. RMU defeated Canisius College in the Atlantic Hockey Association final on Saturday, and is the only AHA school in the tourney.

With that in mind, the matches for the first round:

ST. PAUL (both games Saturday)
(1) Minnesota v Robert Morris
St. Cloud State v Notre Dame

CINCINNATI (both games Friday)
(4) Wisconsin v North Dakota
Ferris State v Colgate

BRIDGEPORT, CT (both games Friday)
(3) Union College v Vermont
Providence College v Quinnipiac

WORCESTER, MA (both games Saturday)
(2) Boston College v U. of Denver
Massachusetts Lowell v Minnesota State Mankato

All the regional semifinals and finals are on the ESPN family of networks. Cawlidge hawkey!

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Regional Semifinals & Finals This Weekend!

Top seeded Virginia in the New York region continues to be one of the Cinderella stories of this year's NCAA men's Division 1 basketball tournament, as regional semifinals begin this weekend.

Tennessee won it's play-in game with Iowa in Dayton and has since won their regional opening round and quarterfinal games. Now the Volunteers have a date with last year's national runners-up Michigan at the 'Drum' in the second Indianapolis region semifinal.

The best regional semifinal game is on Friday in the Indianapolis region as rivals collide--defending national champions Louisville, and Kentucky, who held on to send the top seed (and unbeaten) Wichita State team home on Sunday at Scottrade Center.

With all of this in mind, the regional semifinals:

NEW YORK (both Friday)
(1) Virginia v (4) Michigan State
(3) Iowa State v (7) Connecticut

MEMPHIS (both Thursday)
(1) Florida v (4) UCLA
(10) Stanford v (11) Dayton

INDIANAPOLIS (both Friday)
(4) Louisville v (8) Kentucky
(2) Michigan v (11) Tennessee

ANAHEIM (both Thursday)
(1) Arizona v (4) San Diego State
(2) Wisconsin v (6) Baylor

All the regional semifinal and final action are on CBS and tbs this weekend. Let the winter championship season continue!

The Road to 'Smashville' Begins Saturday!

A resurgent South Carolina team under Dawn Staley could get a lot of attention this year, and why not? The Lady Cocks are 27-4 and are the top seed in the Palo Alto region as they open their tournament campaign with Big West tourney champs CSU Northridge on Sunday night.

Unbeaten Connecticut, defending national champions, are top seed in the Lincoln region. The Lady Huskies start play on Sunday night against SWAC tourney champs Prairie View A&M, which is basically a home game for them.

With that in mind...first round matchups:

LINCOLN
(1) Connecticut v (16) Prairie View A&M
(8) Georgia v (9) St. Joseph's
(5) North Carolina State v (12) BYU
(4) Nebraska v (13) Fresno State
(6) Gonzaga v (11) James Madison
(3) Texas A&M v (14) North Dakota
(7) DePaul v (10) Oklahoma
(2) Duke v (15) Winthrop

PALO ALTO
(1) South Carolina v (16) CSU Northridge
(8) Middle Tennessee State v (9) Oregon State
(5) Michigan State v (12) Hampton
(4) North Carolina v (13) Tennessee Martin
(6) Dayton v (11) Florida
(3) Penn State v (14) Wichita State
(7) Iowa State v (10) Florida State
(2) Stanford v (15) South Dakota

SOUTH BEND
(1) Notre Dame v (16) Robert Morris
(8) Vanderbilt v (9) Arizona State
(5) Oklahoma State v (12) Florida Gulf Coast
(4) Purdue v (13) Akron
(6) Syracuse v (11) Tennessee Chattanooga
(3) Kentucky v (14) Wright State
(7) California v (10) Fordham
(2) Baylor v (15) Western Kentucky

LOUISVILLE
(1) Tennessee v (16) Northwestern State
(8) St John's v (9) Southern California
(5) Texas v (12) Pennsylvania
(4) Maryland v (13) Army
(6) Iowa v (11) Marist
(3) Louisville v (14) Idaho
(7) LSU v (10) Georgia Tech
(2) West Virginia v (15) Albany

Every game is live on the ESPN family of networks.