NCAA BASKETBALL — If this weekend is any indication of what’s to come in March, we might as well throw out our brackets now. Syracuse, ranked number one in the country, entered the game 20-0 on the season, but left South Bend with their first loss after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-8) defeated the Orangemen 67-58, backed by strong three-point shooting. Florida State is finding success against teams from North Carolina, as they capped off another upset weekend by taking down fourth-ranked Duke exactly one week after defeating North Carolina. Unranked Tennessee forced the defending champion UCONN Huskies into some tough shots and prevailed 60-57. Finally, in likely the best game of the weekend, two top-five teams squared off, with fifth-ranked Missouri thwarting third ranked Baylor’s late comeback to prevail by a point. Yup, March should be fun.
FOOTBALL — The NFL playoffs continue to roll on, with this weekend featuring both conference championship games. In the AFC, the top-seeded New England Patriots faced their playoff foil, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens embarrassed the Patriots in New England during 2010 NFL playoffs, and a hot topic during the week was the Pats’ chance to get revenge. New England, led by their suspect defense, held the Ravens on their final comeback drive, capped off by a terrible miss by Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff. The result earned Pats quarterback Tom Brady his 16th playoff victory, tying him with Joe Montana for the most playoff victories by a quarterback. Brady and the Patriots advance to play the New York Giants. Sound familiar? The two met in 2008, when the Giants pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Superbowl history, ruining the Patriots’ perfect regular season record. New York heads to the big game on the foot of their kicker, Lawrence Tynes, who also kicked the game-winning field goal to send the Giants to the Superbowl in 2007. Tynes should give Cundiff some pointers in the off-season.
TENNIS — Week One of the Australian Open is in the books and the quarterfinals are set. On the men’s side, only seeded players made the top eight. The biggest surprise so far has to be Lleyton Hewitt’s resurgence. Entering the tournament ranked 181st following an injury-marred 2011, home crowd favourite Hewitt beat Andy Roddick and Canadian Milos Raonic on his way to a fourth round loss to Novak Djokovic. The women’s tournament has been more exciting in terms of upsets. Early losses for Francesca Sciavone and Vera Zvonareva were surprising, but nothing as shocking as Aussie Sam Stosur being upset in the first round to 59th ranked Sorana Cirstea. The women’s side also showcased the best match of the week as Kim Clijsters staved off four match points to beat Li Na.
NCAA FOOTBALL — Legendary coach Joe Paterno passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 85 after a battle with lung cancer. Paterno was relieved of his duties last November amid the Penn State child sex scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky. JoePa built the Penn State program to become one of the premier college football schools in America, leading them to two national championships. He is the winningest head coach in NCAA football history and coached more than 250 players who went on to play in the NFL. To some, JoePa’s reputation became tarnished with the news of the child sex scandal, despite massive student support back in State College. However, the news of his death has led both fans and the media to reevaluate how much he meant to Penn State and the college football world. For many, there is no doubt he will be remembered for his positive legacy, which outweighs the scandal that inundated the final days of his life.
