Hot Dates: ACC tournament kicks off March Madness

Tuesday: It’s the second week of March, so the yearly madness begins Tuesday with the ACC mens basketball tournament at the 22,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum.

There was a time when the Atlantic Coast Conference was more of an intimate family affair, and tournament Fridays were our only office distractions. Now with 15 teams – ACC member Syracuse has recused itself from post-season play – those daytime games begin Tuesday with the 62-year-old conference’s four bottom dwellers playing to advance. Friday’s semi-finals will be played at night, with the championship game Saturday at 8:30 p.m., instead of on Sunday.

So a note to bosses: if work suffers on Wednesday and Thursday – just look for the nearest office TV with an understanding eye.

The tournament will answer many questions, with five ACC teams in the country’s top-20 in the country. Virginia and Duke have had stellar seasons, but the tournament has typically been unpredictable.

The Cavaliers haven’t been a serious threat in “the big dance” since the early 1980s, when they lost in the Final Four in 1981 (to North Carolina) and 1984 (to Houston in overtime).

They won last year’s ACC tournament, beating Duke. Could there be a rematch Saturday? Some 2014 highlights:

Printable tournament bracket, click here.

Tickets are still available for all rounds. A few ticket services: For Vividseats.com click here. For Stubhub, here and the Charlotte-based Tickget, here.

Will Davidson College be dancing? The Wildcats, too, have had a memorable season (did you see Thursday’s whooping of VCU?) headed into their first Atlantic 10 basketball tournament (starts Wednesday) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – a homecoming of sorts for Queens-raised Coach Bob McKillop.

On the tube: To follow Davidson through the conference tournament, second round (Thursday) and quarter-final (Friday) games will be televised on NBC Sports Network; Saturday’s semifinals on CBS Sports Network. CBS is set to broadcast Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship game. For anything A-10 tournament-related, click here.

Consider it another reminder: Charlotte is host for the second and third rounds of the NCAA mens tournament on March 20 and 22. So while you’re searching for ACC tickets, you might pony up the plastic for the games at Time Warner Cable Arena, too. The earlier, the cheaper.

Hot dates off the court

Tuesday: Peking Acrobats, 7:30 p.m. at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.: Musicians play traditonal Chinese instruments during this show of trick cycling, pagoda building – with chairs – tumbling, somersaulting, gymnastics and foot juggling. Details, click here.

Sleeper of the week: Nature program, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Mooresville: Winter’s starting to fade. We got a taste last week. To launch the spring planting season, head to Mooresville Public Library, 304 S. Main St., where the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists will host award-winning Lake Norman landscape designer Jan Enright for its next free nature program.

Sleeper II: Tuesday and Wednesday: Human rights artist Todd Drake will be in Charlotte Tuesday and Wednesday for a free lecture (Tuesday at 7 p.m. at UNC Charlotte Center City) and photography workshop . He’ll also judge a “selfie” contest, involving contestants shooting selfies in front of his images at his “Just Us: Breaking Boundaries with Images” exhibit at the UNCC student union and UNCC Center City, 320 E. 9th St. uptown. The workshop will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the student union. Receptions a hour before each event. Details: Lisa Merriweather at 704-687-8740, or lmerriwe@uncc.edu.

Thursday and Friday: Two productions of “Peter Pan” open. The first is a kid-friendly, 100-minute version starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday by the Charlotte Ballet at Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. uptown. Details, click here.

The second on Friday is the Broadway musical version by the Northwest School of the Arts at 7 p.m. at CPCC’s Halston Theater, 1206 Elizabeth Ave. Two more performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets, click here.

Opening Friday at a theater near you: “Cinderella,” a live-action retelling of the fairy tale about the neglected stepdaughter (Lily James) and her Prince Charming (Richard Madden).

“Cinderella” trailer:

Also “Run All Night,” with Liam Neeson defending his endangered family – yes, for the hundredth time – against hit men.

“Run All Night” trailer:

Saturday: St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival. The 19th yearly parade starts at 11 a.m. at North Tryon and Ninth streets uptown. The procession of pipes, drums, musical groups, cheerleaders, neighborhood associations, schools, alumni associations and elected officials marches south and takes a left on Third Street to Caldwell Street. More details, click here.

R&B star Chris Brown, 7:30 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena: The recording artist, dancer and actor finally comes to town after he postponed a Feb. 9 concert. Tyga will open. Trey Songz, on the bill in February, is off.

This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Hot Dates: ACC tournament kicks off March Madness."