Alright sports fans, strap on your seat belts and get ready for the greatest month – March.

The third month of the year is full of all the excitement a sports fan could hope for. No, there are no championship games in March, but the month marks the beginning of plenty of title runs.

This month’s main event is easily college basketball’s March Madness. It even gets non–sports fans excited. Everyone, whether they have knowledge of the game or not, is on Facebook.com filling out brackets or printing them from CBS.com and making their predictions.

March is when dreams become a reality for small schools and rankings are thrown out the window, when legends are born, as well as one–hit wonders.

March Madness is like a 65–man cage match. Anyone can win at any given moment. Even a MAC team has the opportunity in a given year to make a Final Four run.

Almost all the greatest moments in college basketball history have taken place in March.

Michael Jordan’s shot to knock off Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Championship, his first of many game winners, came on March 29.

Christian Laettner’s turnaround jumper that snuffed out Kentucky’s title hopes in 1992 came March 28.

George Mason’s run to the Final Four in 2006 – all of those wins were in March.

And that barely scratches the surface of memorable moments. Think of any amazing college basketball moment and chances are, it happened in March.

Action in the NBA begins to pick up this month, too. It’s when bubble teams fight for that last playoff spot after the all-star break. Games become much more competitive and the drama starts to heat up – unless you play for the Miami Heat.

It’s the time of the year that can make or break a season. A team can either begin a colossal downfall or start a run that carries them throughout the playoffs and earns them the championship in June.

However, with all the action on the hardwood in March, let’s not forget America’s pastime.

When the snow begins to melt and the birds fly back north, major league baseball teams decide to travel south to begin spring training.

Diehard fans make the trip to witness what they hope is the beginning of a magical season. Now is the time of the year when Cubs fans scream, “This is our year,” only to suffer through another disappointing season. But everyone has a right to dream.

March marks the beginning of all of those dreams, as managers deliver motivational speeches and players compete for a spot on the opening-day roster.

March should be every sports fan’s favorite month. Especially for NIU sports fans. Basketball season is finally over and the NIU baseball and softball teams get back into the swing of things.

As we begin this new month and approach the mid-point of the semester, sit back and enjoy the wild ride that is March.

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