In sports, home field advantage always plays a crucial element, and it has the potential to decide a contest by itself. For the finalists of the Cricket World Cup, Australia & New Zealand, there really has been no place like home, as the two co-hosts will meet each other Sunday for a championship. But with the final being a one-match affair in Melbourne, does Australia have the edge that could lead to a fifth title?

The Black Caps have been putting a second adage to good use: “the third time is the charm.” After making the semifinals in 2007 & 2011, New Zealand advanced to its first final in 2015. They have yet to lose a match in this year’s Cup, and have already beat the Australians once, in an enticing group stage match. Brendon McCullum and company showed they possess both the ability to dominate a game from the opening overs, and the poise to remain calm and grind out tough wins. But now comes their biggest challenge: all of their first eight matches were on home turf. How will they react to an Australian team playing on its home soil, in front of a pro-Australia crowd, in one of the iconic venues of the sport?

As if the Aussies needed any more motivation to win a fifth World Cup, captain Michael Clarke announced Saturday that he will retire from One Day International matches following Sunday’s final. Clarke had been an injury doubt leading up to the tournament, but is possibly in line to go out in the same fashion as Glenn McGrath eight years ago. The Australians have experienced many highs and lows recently with Clarke as both the ODI and Test captain; from the Ashes whitewash of England to the November death of Phillip Hughes, a player who likely would’ve been in this World Cup squad. After nearly beating New Zealand in group play, can they win a match with higher stakes?

This is the second straight final to feature co-hosts, as India met Sri Lanka in 2011. India prevailed, inspired by the fact that they were playing in Mumbai, and knowing that it was the final World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar – arguably the greatest player ever – did not let him or their fans down. Is that the kind of pressure Australia will face on Sunday? New Zealand may have some pre-match doubts as well; how will they perform in their first final, and should they fall short, how sure are they of making it back in the future? Expect the final to celebrate not just the two sides, but the sport in general.

The second weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin in several hours, with 16 teams still alive for a national championship. The Rounds of 64 & 32 provided plenty of memories for fans – from Georgia State’s Ron Hunter falling his chair to Villanova’s sobbing piccolo player. What will be the defining images of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, as teams continue their quest to reach Indianapolis?

The Midwest regional will draw a lot of attention from one of its matchups in particular: Kentucky vs. West Virginia. On Wednesday, Mountaineers freshman Daxter Miles Jr. said that Kentucky was “gonna be 36-1” after the game. It’s one of those bold statements that can help inspire West Virginia to an upset, or fuel Kentucky’s fire to dominate as they have for almost every game this season. Notre Dame-Wichita State should also be a compelling game as well; if the Shockers win, they may have a chance to get revenge on Kentucky, who spoiled their undefeated season in 2014.

The West regional semifinals also occur on Thursday, with Wisconsin-North Carolina and Xavier-Arizona. It will a unique reunion for Wildcats head coach Sean Miller, who arrived in Tucson following several successful seasons in charge of the Musketeers. For the Badgers-Tar Heels game, expect Wisconsin’s desire to be a key factor. They made the Final Four a season ago, and were given the fourth number-one seed in 2015, so can they continue their run past this weekend?

Friday will see the semifinals for the East and South regions. North Carolina State upset the East’s #1, Villanova, and are now set on getting the better of new ACC rival Louisville. Michigan State continues to excel in March under Tom Izzo, making the Spartans a trendy pick to beat Oklahoma and reach another regional final. Over in the South, Duke meets Utah in a battle of teams that progressed to this stage without much trouble, while UCLA meets Gonzaga. In 2006, the Bruins and Bulldogs met each other in the Sweet 16, with UCLA overcoming a 17-point deficit to get the win en route to the national championship game. Fans will remember the iconic sight of a tearful Adam Morrison following the game, and Bulldogs head coach Mark Few is eager to not be in that situation again.

Has your pick to win the national championship changed?

The Cricket World Cup moves into the knockout round Wednesday, as the quarterfinals start in Australia and New Zealand. All eight remaining teams are full members of the ICC, most of them considered the “big boys” of the sport. The one exception, of course, is England, who managed to win only two of their six group matches, and will be watching from home.

The quarterfinals begin with an intriguing matchup between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The Proteas have been viewed as proverbial underachievers in the World Cup, boasting enough talent to win the tournament but having failed to do so yet. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, finished as the runner-up in 2007 & 2011; will the third time be a charm? Two of their greatest all-time players, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, are retiring later this year, and both men have displayed outstanding performances so far in their final World Cup. Can they go out on top and finish the storybook ending?

Defending champions India had plenty of unanswered questions leading into the tournament. Their response: bowling out every one of their opponents en route to a perfect group record. The highest run total they conceded in six games was 287 – against a Zimbabwe team already eliminated and with nothing to lose. India’s opponents, Bangladesh, will be on a high after clinching a quarterfinal spot with a game to spare and playing New Zealand close in the final group match. The holders may be favorites to advance to the semifinals but don’t write off the Tigers.

Both co-hosts have qualified for the last eight, as Australia will face Pakistan in Adelaide. The four-time champions were not in the final when they last hosted the World Cup in 1992, which gives the current squad plenty of motivation to win on home turf; their semifinal would be in Sydney, with the final in Melbourne. New Zealand also went through group play unbeaten, with no matches rained out. They surprised many when they upset South Africa to make the semifinals in 2011; there is a sense of expectation that they will beat the West Indies on Saturday in Wellington.

Has your pick to win the Cricket World Cup changed? We’ll find out the winner in two weeks.

Manchester United enter the final stretch of the Premier League this weekend, with only 10 games remaining in the 2014/15 season. The slate contains several major clubs who United have yet to face a second time, starting with Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, who won both of their last two visits to Old Trafford.

United will need some positive momentum after Monday’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal. It was a game where many analysts thought Louis van Gaal’s club played rather well, but a fatal mistake by the defense led to the match-winner scored by former United striker Danny Welbeck, who joined the Gunners at the fall transfer deadline. It was Arsenal’s first victory over their rivals in any competition in almost four years, as they keep hope alive for a second straight FA Cup title.

The Red Devils, meanwhile, have an intriguing list of upcoming games, including home dates with Spurs, Manchester City, and an EPL match with Arsenal; they will also travel to Anfield and Stamford Bridge. Through 28 games, Manchester United are fourth in the Premier League, which would put them in the play-off round of Champions League qualifying. Van Gaal says his main concern is getting United back into Europe’s most prestigious club competition, and with the Red Devils out of the FA Cup, the Premier League is the only competition left in the club’s 2014/15 schedule. Some may say finishing fourth – thus making the UCL play-off round – is beneath a club the size of Manchester United. However, optimists have two responses to that argument: it’s better than not making the Champions League at all, which was the case for United this season; the other counter would be that United is currently only one point behind Arsenal for third place, which means automatic entry into the group stage. Again, Arsenal still has to make one more journey to Old Trafford on May 16.

Expect Sunday’s match with Tottenham to be indicative of how United approach the final slate of Premier League fixtures. It will show the character of a team making the best of a less-than-favorable situation, or will leave supporters wondering for at least another year what could have been.

With Monday’s loss to Bangladesh, England have been eliminated from the Cricket World Cup, with one group game still to come. The result proved to be a summary of a disappointing tournament for England, who have only managed one win so far (against minnows Scotland) in five games.

It was always going to be difficult for the Lions, as their first two group matches came against the two co-hosts – Australia and New Zealand. In both games, England posted tame totals and never really looked like a side eager to win. Whether some of the players were still having nightmares about the 2013-14 Ashes, or the triangular series right before the World Cup, remains to be seen, but England seemed to behind the 8-ball right away.

They righted the ship to a degree against Scotland, although a loss would’ve been akin to a Major League Baseball club losing to one of its minor league affiliates. Then came the group match against Sri Lanka. The two had met in the 2011 quarterfinals (in Sri Lanka), with England batting first and posting a decent total. But the bowlers’ inability to take wickets allowed Sri Lanka to cruise to a 10-wicket victory, and four years later it was a case of déja vu. England did well to make over 300, but again their bowlers failed to get enough wickets to put the opponents under pressure, as Sri Lanka cruised to a win.

Monday’s match against Bangladesh was a “do or die” situation for England, and batting second with a target of 276, they crumbled down the stretch to finish 260. One analyst has called this the “worst performance in England’s ODI history,” saying the current format of the World Cup makes it very difficult for the Lions to go out this early. Yet they did, and now there are questions galore about where the team goes from here.

Several positives can be taken from this, though. As mentioned earlier, England played both co-hosts in 2015; they also faced all three co-hosts in 2011. In those five total matches, they lost four and tied once. With the 2019 World Cup being held in England, they will have an advantage of playing in a familiar environment. Also, their final group match comes Friday against Afghanistan, a game that England was always expected to win handily. Now that there’s no pressure, with the team’s fate already sealed, fans might see England adopt a “nothing-to-lose” mentality, one that could have served them well in earlier games. Also, it gives one more chance for some of the younger players to gain valuable experience Down Under (a lot of them have already played in the previous matches), and prepare them for what to expect in four years.

What’s your take on another disappointing result for England in an international sporting event? Leave a comment below!

Friday marks 10 years since the defining moment of Thad Matta’s first season in charge of Ohio State men’s basketball. The Buckeyes were hosting unbeaten, top-ranked Illinois, and looking for their signature win of their 2004-05 season.

OSU had self-imposed a postseason ban after a violation committed by previous head coach John O’Brien, although the team did play in the Big Ten Tournament. In their first year under Matta, the Buckeyes started well, going 11-3 in non-conference play, but struggled against league opponents. Prior to the home game against the Illini, Ohio State had lost three straight, and needed the upset just to finish .500 in Big Ten play.

After trailing by 11 at halftime, the Buckeyes came back in the second half, setting up this memorable finish.

As you may have heard in the video, it marked the second straight season where the #1 team in the country lost to a Thad Matta-coached squad; Xavier upset St. Joseph’s in the 2004 Atlantic 10 Tournament. Matta would then take the Musketeers to the Elite Eight, before arriving in Columbus.

It’s always interesting to wonder what would’ve happened if just one, or neither, of those upsets had taken place. Had the Buckeyes lost to Illinois in 2005, would they have come back to win consecutive regular-season conference titles the following years? Would they have landed the outstanding recruiting class headlined by Greg Oden and Mike Conley? Maybe Matta would’ve pulled both off anyway, but the Illinois game served as a sort of announcement that Ohio State could be considered a legitimate basketball power in the Big Ten.

This marks Matta’s 11th season with the Buckeyes, who under him have made eight trips to the NCAA Tournament, and are highly expected to go this year as well. Fans are more than eager to witness how this second decade unfolds in Columbus.

The 20th season of Major League Soccer kicks off this weekend, with a lot of excitement planned for the new campaign. The league has endured many periods of growth since its inception, and has made a lot of news in the offseason with the planned changes for this year.

The biggest change is the addition of two new clubs: New York City FC and Orlando City SC. The two will actually face each other Sunday evening in the first game for both teams. NYCFC will be the second team in its metropolitan area, along with the New York Red Bulls – one of the original MLS clubs (formerly known as the NY/NJ Metrostars). Orlando is a new market for MLS, but the league is hopeful that its third Florida franchise won’t suffer the same fate as the first two (Miami and Tampa Bay both folded after 2002); Orlando used to have a USL Pro team, which relocated to Louisville for this season. MLS will also lose a franchise in Chivas USA, although there are plans for Los Angeles to regain a second team in 2017, along with a team in Atlanta.

Another major change, although the practice isn’t new, is the amount of world-class talent expected to debut. Former World Player of the Year Kaká has been named Orlando City’s captain, while David Villa and Frank Lampard are both on NYCFC’s roster. Longtime Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will also join MLS in July, having agreed to an 18-month contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. While critics may argue that all four aforementioned players are well into the second half of their careers, their presence could continue to bring exposure to new fans and respect from those outside the U.S. and Canada.

With the new logos also making an appearance in 2015, how will that affect the appeal of MLS to players and fans? As the league celebrates its 20th year, expect this season to be indicative of what executives have planned for the future as it continues to grow.