March Madness is upon us. For those still trying to figure which teams to rally around, here is what some of our favorite experts have been writing:

Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com: “(Jim) Calhoun’s Huskies play Thursday against Chattanooga, a team that will likely lose to UConn by a googolplex. Connecticut once again enters the NCAA tournament as a solid favorite to win the entire thing. And just in case anyone forgot how good Calhoun is, the school’s media guide will remind you — it contains 12 pages of fawning stats and adoring photos of Calhoun. My goodness. After reading that, you’d think Calhoun was president of the United Federation of Planets, not a basketball coach. His achievements are admittedly striking. He possesses two national titles, but almost as impressive are the 10 Big East regular-season titles and six tournament championships. He has been dominant in what historically is one of the more brutal conferences.”

(Alas, Freeman noted that Calhoun also has a bit of a PR problem.)

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports: “Did you see Syracuse in the Big East tournament? Did you see the talent? Jonny Flynn is the best point guard in America, the college version of Chris Paul. He’s such a leader he keeps everyone in line, even Eric Devendorf. I’ve even convinced myself Devendorf is just misunderstood. The chest pounding isn’t him being a punk; it’s a sign of competitive fire. This team has size up front, great outside shooting and a deep bench. If they play hard, they can beat anyone.”

Joe Posnanski, SI.com: “I think that Texas team has underachieved all year and could be ready for a breakout. The Longhorns have a guard (A.J. Abrams) who can create his own shot, a swingman (Damion James) who can take over a game, and a big man (Dexter Pittman) who rather suddenly has emerged as a dominant force inside. Of course, it is worth noting that Texas HAS been underachieving all year, so the Longhorns might not even make it to the second round.”

Pat Forde, ESPN.com: “Most coaches would love to trade places with Tom Izzo. His team is 26-6 and carries a No. 2 seed into Midwest Regional play Friday night against Robert Morris. The experienced Spartans guard and board with the very best teams in the nation, and the bench runs as deep as anyone’s. Despite all that, Izzo feels like a guy given 20 minutes to construct a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. He’s running out of days to bring his oft-injured, oft-ill team to its peak. Enough key players have limped or coughed their way out of the lineup at various times that even now, on the cusp of the NCAAs, Michigan State remains a work in progress.”

Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com: “I fully expect UCLA to mail it in. The Bruins know they’re not a Final Four team. Ben Howland isn’t going to pad his contract with a Sweet Sixteen run. Why not cut the trip to Philly short and get back to Cali as soon as possible? Seriously. Meanwhile, Anthony Grant is eying jobs in the SEC (Alabama) and ACC (Virginia). Slapping around UCLA would pretty much cement his BCS resume. You gotta love VCU on the money line.”

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while the Blues regroup in Vancouver:

• Isn’t a little sad that the Western Conference playoff race will be decided by post-game skill competitions? Isn’t it disconcerting that so many big games are being decided in the shootout?
• With Chris Perez coming up sore, does the closer’s role fall to rookie Jason Motte by default?
• Will Mizzou manage a strong first half against Cornell? Or will they come out shooting bricks again?
• Can Illinois ward off a widely predicted upset from Western Kentucky? Can Chester Frazier make a difference with one good hand?

A-ROD LOVES HIMSELF

No, seriously, he really does.

Even for a magazine shoot, what would possess a man to agree to that pose? When did he decide to become a walking caricature of himself?

WHERE NASCAR DRIVERS COME FROM

This looks like a training video for stock car racers.

Nice effort, for sure, but Tipsheet strongly urges you not to try in your own car. Pull over when instructed to.

MEANWHILE, IN THE NBA

Rip Hamilton’s multiple nose breaks prompted him to wear a protective mask, permanently. Public reaction to his unusual look prompted him to have a little fun with his mask selection.

SOBERING NCAA TOURNEY NOTE

I don’t remember much about Austin Carr’s 61-point NCAA tourney outburst. That set the standard for shooting guards for all of time.

But Tipsheet’s favorite NCAA performance was the 43-point outburst by Willie Smith in 1976. The dude almost shot the Tigers into the Final Four all by himself.

Alas, Smith did not gain great fame and fortune in the NBA after his splendid college career. He mostly kicked around the CBA before gravitating back to Columbia.

Here is an update from the Columbia Tribune:

A Columbia man and former University of Missouri basketball player has filed a complaint with the Columbia Police Department stemming from his arrest a week ago.

Willie Smith, 55, said he and his nephew were working early Monday as janitors cleaning a restaurant in southwest Columbia when they accidentally set off the alarm at a neighboring shop while packing up.

Police responding to the alarm at Smokin’ Chick’s BBQ, 4603 John Garry Drive, jumped to the conclusion that he was a burglar, Smith said.

“That conclusion was drawn before they interviewed me or asked me anything,” Smith said yesterday in a phone interview from Las Vegas, where he was visiting family. “No questions were asked.”

Smith declined to discuss many details of the incident but said he and his nephew sat in their vehicle “for a long time” while responding officers had their weapons drawn.

At one point, he said, he was sprayed with pepper spray. Smith was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and obstructing a government operation and released from the Boone County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond.

MEGAPHONE

“We stayed in Toronto for a week and played three games. I don’t know if you ever stayed in Toronto, but it’s not exactly Las Vegas. To say that we were plucking our eyebrows out one at a time would be an understatement.”

Braves star Chipper Jones, ripping the World Baseball Classic to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.