THIS IS MARCH — March Madness has arrived, when stars will rise, stragglers will fall and the internet will explode with every single reaction aired by CBS and Turner Sports until the championship game in two weeks.

Here are some of our favorite moments from the opening weekend of arguably the greatest month in sports.

Northwestern Kid is March Madness

If you haven’t heard, Northwestern’s inaugural NCAA Tournament run ended with a loss to Gonzaga in the Round of 32.

But the Wildcats’ showing in Salt Lake City will live on forever — at least in the form of one of the most passionate young fans we’ve ever seen.

This is reportedly the 11-year-old son of Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips, which explains his undying passion for the Wildcats.

There was a lot of purple in downtown Salt Lake City for the Chicago area university’s run at history. And we’re not here to tell anyone how to be a fan; in fact, this preteen Wildcat probably represents us all in some way, as we go through the roller-coaster emotions of our passion, be they in sports or other ventures.

Admit it — you've probably ridden the exact same wave of emotion as this young man, even if it is on your living room couch instead of in Vivint Arena in front of 10,000 fans and a nationally televised audience.

We’re not here to make fun, Northwestern Kid; in fact, we salute you. You keep doing what you're doing, because the Wildcats aren't going anywhere.

Mark Few salutes BYU fans

After the Zags’ hard-fought win over Northwestern in a hostile Vivint Arena, GU coach Mark Few was asked about the crowd.

He thought it was great; great for the sport of college basketball, great for the Wildcats, and great for the hordes of Zags fans that made Salt Lake City a southern outpost of Spokane, Washington.

And it reminded him of an arena he knows well, just 40 minutes south on I-15.

“I thought Gonzaga had a crowd. I thought Northwestern had a crowd,” Few said. “You need to come to BYU with us some time with a No. 1 ranking, that's all 20,000 of them against you. So I thought this was split pretty evenly.

“It was a great atmosphere. And I think it was one of those NCAA Tournament games that was a great watch.”

Lundquist takes a ball to the nose

When we last checked in with fan-favorite CBS broadcaster Verne Lundquist, we were getting misty-eyed over his retirement from college football.

Well, Uncle Verne is back.

The 76-year-old national treasure was calling the NCAA Tournament for CBS and Turner Sports this weekend, and West Virginia guard Teyvon Meyers welcomed him back with an errant ball to the face.

The G.O.A.T of sports broadcasters took it like a champ.

Welcome back, Uncle Verne; your legend lives on.

Reading Rain-Ball

UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 this weekend, meaning Twitter’s most-hated college basketball dad, LaVar Ball, will be hanging around for another weekend.

But if you respond to the infamous comments of the father of UCLA star Lonzo Ball, make sure you tag him — and not cult icon LeVar Burton.

You may remember Burton from myriad roles, but children of the 90s will remember the host of "Reading Rainbow" and as Geordi La Forge on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

And he’s living long and prospering on Twitter.

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