1. LIKE PULLING TEETH… That’s what it felt like for much of the evening at Viejas Arena, as every shot the Aztecs took against Air Force seem to go in-and-out. But thanks to tenacious defense and constant hustle, SDSU was still able to win a game they absolutely had to have, making it a successful Senior Night for Chase Tapley, James Rahon, and DeShaun Stephens.

2. CRESCENT CITY COMEBACK… Down 25 points in the second half, the Lakers rallied from behind in New Orleans to win a game they really couldn’t afford to lose. Jody Meeks hit five 3-pointers, and Kobe Bryant scored 42 as the Lakers went on a 20-0 run to close out the game and beat the Hornets 108-102. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat extended their franchise-record winning streak to 16, but they needed a lay-up from LeBron James with 3 seconds left to get a 97-96 home win over the Orlando Magic.

3. HALFWAY HOME… Even without Chris here to bang the drum, the Chicago Blackhawks earn a spot in the Big 5 by making it to the halfway point of this shortened NHL season without a loss. Yet another one-goal win, this time 3-2 over the Colorado Avalanche, has Chicago at 21-0-3. Pretty amazing stuff.

4. WILD WEDNESDAY… That’s what it was in college basketball, with tons of mid-week upsets. 6^th-ranked Miami, with a chance to close out the ACC title, blew a double-digit lead at home to Georgia Tech, falling at home 71-69. UCLA likely choked it’s shot at the PAC-12 regular season championship with a dismal 73-61 loss at Washington State. Villanova likely locked up their spot in the NCAA tournament with a 10-point win over Georgetown that probably knocked the Hoyas out of a 1-seed. Iowa State took care of #13 Oklahoma St. 87-76, and Xavier downed #16 St. Louis 77-66 in overtime. March Madness has arrived.

5. ANOTHER RED AND BLACK CHAMP… It’s an outright Mountain West basketball regular season title for Beth Burns and the SDSU women. Dezi Culberson had a career-high 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 73-55 win at Air Force. The Aztecs have dominated conference play with 14 straight wins.