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THE MADNESS — March Madness is here.
Tickets are being punched to the NCAA Tournament left and right, beginning this past weekend and continuing through this week’s Selection Sunday.
But before we get to the real matters of the week, let’s take a brief detour into football. As always, click the video above for more Great Clips of the Week.
Keep it, Colby
A former BYU football star from Idaho is making headlines in the pros in March. But while quarterback Taysom Hill was signing first-round tenders with the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, wide receiver Colby Pearson was making big plays in the “other” professional league, the XFL.
Pearson caught five passes for a game-high 95 yards and a touchdown Saturday in the New York Guardians’ 30-12 win over the Bob Stoops-led Dallas Renegades.
That included a slippery, tackle-busting 80-yard score from quarterback Luis Perez during a 24-6 run for the Guardians (3-2), who won their second-straight game.
🚨 80 YARDS TO THE CRIBBBB 🚨@colbyp04 breaks free and goes the distance for 6 PTS! #OnDuty | #ForTheLoveOfFootballpic.twitter.com/nLboGX2JIe
— New York Guardians (@XFLGuardians) March 8, 2020
Pearson has been amongst the top receivers in the inaugural season of the revamped XFL. The Blackfoot, Idaho, native has caught 16 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, ranking 12th in the league and tops on the Guardians.
He also had this separating TD in the corner of the end zone in the opening week of the season.
The Guardians host the Houston Roughnecks at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
Can Obi fly?
Back to the real reason we are here in March: college hoops.
Obi Toppin has been lighting up college basketball and has third-ranked Dayton on pace for a No. 1 seed in March.
But can the 6-foot-9 forward fly, too?
During the sophomore’s 27-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game against George Washington in the Atlantic 10 regular-season finale, Toppin put on a show, including this eye-catching, between-the-legs slam dunk at top speed that was the delight of the arena (and social media).
RIDICULOUS 😵😵😵@otoppin1 In-between the legs dunk. pic.twitter.com/wVT06jqQa7
— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) March 8, 2020
Toppin is averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Flyers, who will bust a lot of unknowing brackets this month.
The Aggies are dancing … literally
Utah State is going back to the NCAA Tournament with the Aggies’ second-straight victory over San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament championship.
Sam Merrill had the last-second gamewinner to beat the Aztecs, but the post-game MVP goes to Alphonso Anderson, Neemias Queta, Justin Bean and newcomer Liam McChesney for this viral Tik Tok.
That’s what freshmen are for.
