Big East Tournament, Wednesday, noon, ESPN
First-round action should allow Georgetown fans a chance to see if the Hoyas will be able to get back on track before heading to the NCAA Tournament. Broadband on ESPN360 for those at work.

ACC Tournament, Thursday, noon, my20
For Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech and the other area ACC fans, the madness begins. Both day and night sessions mean a couple of days full of basketball as we find out who will be the next ACC Tournament champ. Raycom.com and ESPN360 will have the broadband broadcast for those at work. — Jim Williams

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. The Big East Tournament will be all chalk » The jury is still out whether the convoluted method of getting 16 teams to Madison Square Garden is good or bad. One thing is certain: life-altering, six-overtime showdowns are definitely worth it. But the tournament itself is more of a precursor of what a 96-team NCAA Tournament will look like: there are more invites, but it doesn’t change who has the best chance to win. And this year, there won’t be any upsets. No bottom-four team will live to see Wednesday, none of the next four seeds will make it to Thursday, and so on. Last year, Syracuse clawed its way through two overtime games into the championship, where it ran out of a gas against a superior Louisville team. By next weekend, ESPN will find itself promoting the top-seeded Orange, who will ride Andy Rautins, Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph to the title and the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. — Craig Stouffer

2. End of North Carolina’s ACC monopoly » Since the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament began in 1954, four schools from North Carolina have dominated — winning 48 of 56 championships. Only once has the final not included a team from the Tar Heel State. That came in 1990 when Georgia Tech defeated Virginia. Get set for another Halley’s Comet-like event. This year’s final will be a non-Carolina affair. UNC (17 ACC titles) doesn’t have the heart. Duke (17 titles) doesn’t play well outside of Cameron Indoor. N.C. State (10 titles) doesn’t have the talent. And fading Wake Forest (4 titles) has lost four straight. Greensboro, the site of this year’s ACC Tournament, is a short drive from all of the state’s ACC schools and has hosted nine all-Carolina finals in 21 years. But this year’s final will include two of the following: Maryland, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Clemson or Virginia Tech. Predicting the opponents in the title game is impossible until pairings are set after the final regular season games Sunday. — Kevin Dunleavy

3. A sports movie will win an Oscar » OK, it won’t be for best picture, but there will be a major category that rewards someone in a sports movie Sunday night. And it will be Sandra Bullock for best actress, thanks to her starring role in the movie, “Blind Side.” Washington-Lee High’s own will beat out a number of acting heavyweights to claim the award. The movie, as you likely know by now, is the story of Michael Oher and his rise from being a homeless teenager. Bullock’s character eventually takes in Oher, an African-American and eventually gets him to play football. Next thing he knows, he’s a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and he starts every game for the Baltimore Ravens. It’s a terrific story and one that deserves to be honored. Hollywood can’t ignore this riveting, and uplifting, sports story. — John Keim

PLAYER TO WATCH

Aroldis Chapman, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Monday will be the first step in a career that could either comeback to haunt the Nationals or give them a sigh of relief (and $25 million-plus extra in the bank). The Nats reportedly finished second in this past offseason’s Chapman sweepstakes to the Reds’ six-year, $30.25 million deal. The Cuban defector will make his Cactus League debut Monday following Thursday’s impressive scoreless inning (touched 97 mph twice) during an intrasquad game. The fireballing southpaw is still a raw talent with a big upside and is likely to start in the minors. Nats bench coach John McLaren compared him to a young Randy Johnson. So sit back and enjoy the spring action when Chapman toes the rubber on Monday and his right-handed counterpart, Stephen Strasburg, makes his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday. — Leon Saffelle

FIVE UP & FIVE DOWN


UP

1. Scott Walker » New Caps forward scored two goals in a game for the first time since 2007 in Thursday’s win over the Lightning.

2. College Basketball fans » The greatest time of year started this week as the smaller conference tournaments got underway.

3. Phoenix Coyotes » The NHL’s version of the Expos actually added a major piece at trade deadline. Forward Wojtek Wolski scored the game-winner Thursday.

4. Andray Blatche » Wizards forward continues to impress after trades cleared roster. He’s averaging 25.5 ppg over the last eight games.

5. Notre Dame » The Irish put themselves back on NCAA Tournament bubble with a pair of top-20 wins.


DOWN
1. Jake Delhomme » In 14 months, the Carolina Panthers quarterback went from the star of a 12-4 division winner to released.

2. Freedom Hall » The venerable Louisville arena has hosted many great teams, players and moments in college hoops history. It closes this weekend.

3. Allen Iverson » Difficult year for AI, who has battled injuries, his daughter’s serious illness and now the end of his marriage.

4. Brandon Webb » Diamondbacks ace is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, but he’s unhappy with his progress so far in spring training.

5. USA Soccer » Needs USA hockey’s magic. They looked shaky in a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in a World Cup prep.

— Brian McNally