Preview: The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks find themselves in the toughest of the four regions and will have to rely on their experience and leadership if they want to make it to the Final Four for the second time in three years. Headlined by Big East finalist Georgetown and second-seeded Ohio State, the Midwest promises to provide some serious excitement in the early rounds.
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The latest in McGill and world sports.
MARCH MADNESS: WEST
Preview: The West is potentially the easiest region to predict in the entire tournament, but could just as well prove the most surprising. Kansas State and Syracuse seem locked on a collision course and will likely meet up in the Elite Eight, but the West also features a number of strong upset possibilities.
Mixed results: Martlets take silver, Redmen hoist Queen’s Cup
Four years ago, the McGill men’s hockey team travelled to the western shores of Lake Superior and came home empty-handed. On Saturday night, the Redmen reversed history, capturing the OUA Queen’s Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The win marked McGill’s second Queen’s Cup in the last three years, and the team’s 15th since winning the inaugural competition in 1903.
THIRD MAN IN: Capless, not hapless
It’s official. There will be no salary cap in the NFL next season. At first glance, it would appear that richer, more successful teams will start spending more money on the players they want to keep, and the league’s average salaries and team payrolls will undoubtedly rise.
MARCH MADNESS: SOUTH
Preview: Mike Krzyzewski’s team finds itself with the top seed in the South after a tremendous team effort propelled Duke to its 18th ACC title this past weekend. The Blue Devils have shown that they can be absolutely dominant at times, but they lack a go-to player in the post.
MARCH MADNESS: EAST
Preview: Top-seeded Kentucky and freshman sensation John Wall cast a long shadow over the East bracket, though they’ll need to play better than they did against Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Final in order to advance. West Virginia, the No. 2 seed, has the most momentum after winning the Big East title in dramatic fashion over the weekend.
Patriotes pulverized as Redmen complete series sweep of rivals
McGill hockey fans broke out the brooms on Friday night, as the Redmen eliminated a longtime rival – the UQTR Patriotes – by a score of 7-4 to sweep the Ontario University Athletics East Division Final. A standing-room-only crowd was energized from the opening faceoff until the final buzzer, and the celebration continued in the Redmen locker room after the game.
THIRD MAN IN: Nothing to Cheer About
With March Madness upon us, spectators sometimes forget that there will actually be two sports on display throughout the competition: basketball and cheerleading. NCAA cheerleaders, unlike their compatriots in the NFL and the NBA, deserve that name. Professional sports “cheerleading” would in reality be more properly referred to as dancing, since these teams’ performances are more akin to what you might see on a Saturday night at a gentleman’s club than what goes on at cheerleading national championships.
McGill dominates Carabins to win fifth straight Quebec crown
The McGill women’s hockey team continued its domination of CIS competition last week, finishing off the Montreal Carabins on the road after winning the series opener at home on Wednesday. With Friday’s series-clincher, the Martlets celebrated their 84th straight win in CIS play, as well as their fifth consecutive conference championship.
McGill bounced in QUBL semis
If there is one thing the McGill men’s basketball team made clear to spectators and scouts this year, it’s that the Redmen can play with anyone in Quebec. Stacked with young talent, the future of McGill’s men’s basketball program appears to be in good hands, and if Head Coach Craig Norman can figure out a way to get his team to perform with some consistency, the Redmen could be a force to be reckoned with as early as next season.
