March Madness is upon us: Are you ready?
March comes in like a lion — and Madness ensues.
For some college basketball fans, the postseason started over the past couple weeks — including the Big South Conference, which crowns its champions this weekend in Charlotte.
For fans of teams in larger conferences, the postseason fun is just beginning.
The ACC men’s tournament begins Tuesday at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Could retiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski face longtime rival North Carolina one last time? The final is set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
The ACC women’s tournament ends this weekend in Greensboro.
Davidson’s Wildcats will head to Washington this week for the Atlantic 10 men’s tournament, while the Charlotte 49ers’ men and women head to Frisco, Texas, for the Conference USA tournaments.
The Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 also will hold their tournaments.
Then, it’s bracket time and Selection Sunday.
The field for the men’s NCAA tournament will be revealed at 6 p.m. on March 13 (CBS), followed by the women’s selection show at 8 p.m. (ESPN).
If you’re looking to attend NCAA tournament games in person, Greenville, S.C., will host first- and second-round men’s games (March 18 and 20), and Greensboro will host the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 on March 25 and 28.
This year’s men’s Final Four will take place at the Superdome in New Orleans, April 2 and 4. The women’s tournament wraps up at Target Center in Minneapolis, April 1 and 3.
Plan to fix Meck jail safety concerns due
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden is expected to submit his plan this week on how he intends to address safety concerns at the uptown detention facility. He’ll then have another 30 days after that to fix them entirely.
In December, the state jail inspector with the Department of Health and Human Services said staff vacancies posed an “imminent threat” to inmates and staff alike and recommended reducing the jail population to under 1,000 — a 30% cut — until staffing returned to normal.
As of Feb. 11, the vacant jail jobs stood at 159, more than a third of the overall number. As of last Wednesday morning, the adult jail population was 1,330, well above the recommended level, the Observer’s Michael Gordon reported.
During a news conference last month, McFadden said the jail was safe and that the safety violations would be corrected.
Will Panthers play NFL game of tag?
The NFL’s annual game of tag ends at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
That means teams have until then to place franchise or transition “tags” on players with expiring contracts. Playing along gives teams until mid-July to work out a new deal with players. Otherwise, those players will work this season under a one-year tender, according to NFL.com.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick took a gamble last offseason and signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Panthers. He went on to lead the team with 11 sacks this past season. He’s been mentioned on CBSSports.com and The Sporting News as a possible tag candidate.
Reddick has said he’s open to returning to Carolina.
“I would love to be back if all the cards fall that way,” he told reporters after the season.
However, the Observer’s Jonathan M. Alexander reported this past week that the team likely won’t be able to afford the big contract Reddick will command.
Come Tuesday, Panthers fans will know if Reddick will “keep pounding” at Bank of America Stadium this season.
City, county government
Charlotte City Council: The council is scheduled to hold its monthly strategy session at 5 p.m. Monday, and its second budget workshop at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The meetings will be broadcast on the Government Channel and the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners: The board is scheduled to have a budget public policy meeting at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting can be watched on the Government Channel or online at watch.mecknc.gov.
From CharlotteFive.com
▪ Spend some time outdoors enjoying a local art walk. Art Walks CLT has various art walks in different neighborhoods. Free. https://artwalksclt.com/walk.
▪ The U.S. National Whitewater Center goes green Saturday for its St. Patrick’s Day celebration, beginning with the Color Me Green 5K Trail Run. The center’s river turns green during the Green River Revival at 1 p.m. Free. Parking $6. https://bit.ly/3H770DJ
Don’t Miss
▪ The Hornets, who are clinging to postseason hopes, will host the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. Tuesday and the Boston Celtics the following night. They’ll head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans at 8 p.m. Friday.
▪ Charlotte FC, Major League Soccer’s newest club, heads to Georgia for a matchup against a potential rival, Atlanta United, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
▪ The soulful voice of Grammy-winning singer Patti LaBelle will fill the Belk Theater at 7 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets begin at $24.50.
Compiled by Rogelio Aranda