One of the busiest months in the sports year Marches right in.

Basketball, hockey, baseball and off-season football. We’ll crown state high school champions, get close for national collegiate champions,, open the baseball season and get a good look at how NFL teams might shape up for next year. All in four-plus weeks.

So let’s take a look at your dates guide to the Madness:

SUNDAY, MARCH 1

Ohhh the mystery was back and forth. The Boston Celtics game vs. the Sixers that was flexed to an 8 p.m. start so it could be nationally televised with the idea it could be Jayson Tatum’s return. Will it be? No word, so we guess not.

MONDAY, MARCH 2

They’re not wasting any time getting the NHIAA tournaments going as soon as the kids get back to school, as the 16-team Division I girls tournament opens up with its prelims. Wow. Nashua South will be at home vs. Pinkerton, Bishop Guertin home vs.Trinity, North at Bedford and Alvirne at Concord Christian.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY MARCH 2-3

Time for the Division II boys prelims on Tuesday. Hollis Brookline will get a bye as the top seed, with Milford (on the bubble) and Souhegan likely headed on the road.

On Wednesday, the Division I boys hoop and Division II girls parties start. In boys, Nashua South is home vs. Windahm, Bishop Guertin home vs. Manchester Memorial, Alvirne home vs. Keene and Merrimack at Bedford. For Division II girls, Souhegan and Hollis Brookline will host first round games.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MARCH 5-6

The Division I girls hoop tourney moves along to the quarterfinals on Thursday, while the Division II boys have their quarters on Friday with Hollis Brookline playing its final home game of the season.

And, on Friday will be the MASCAC women’s hockey finals with Rivier at Worcester State.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

Welcome to the busiest day of the winter season/postseason. It’s the start of the hockey tourney for local high school teams. It’s simple: Bishop Guertin was looking in Divison I to host a quarterfinal, while Alvirne in Division II will definitely host for a potential Skate 3 local doubleheader. Merrimack-Hollis Brookline-Derryfield, last year’s Division II runnerup, will be on the road.

Meanwhile in hoop, its quarterfinal day/night for Division I boys and Division II girls. Who will be left?

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Want to feel warm? Then head to Myrtle Beach with the Rivier University baseball team, that starts its usual early season southern junket. The Raider week begins vs. Westminster (Pa.).

MONDAY, MARCH 9

The Division I girls hoop semifinals will be held,we just don’t know as of this writing where they’ll be. We do know where the Division II boys semis also set for this night will be: the Rochester Rec Center. Once again, an NHIAA swing and a miss, as they couldn’t pick a more remote location in repeat of a year ago. It’s difficult to get spots to hold it, we understand. Still… We can almost guarantee that HB will be there.

Now, another thing we can guarantee is a lot of NFL news on this day as it’s the first day of the so-called “legal tampering” period of unrestricted free agency. In other words, players will agree to deals on this day without signing the actual contract. That comes 48 hours later. In these eyes, this is the day/week the Patriots a year ago laid the foundation for their Super Bowl run.

And not to be outdone, Rivier softball’s spring trip begins vs. UW-Superior in Melbourne, Fla.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10

The busiest weeknight of the NHIAA tourney season. Another busy night, the Division II girls semis, location to be determined (was Pinkerton last year), and the Division I boys semis, which more less could be called the Portsmouth Invitational, also at Rochester Rec. The odds do favor a local being there, when there were none a year ago.

And if you prefer hockey, we would bet that BG will be in the Division I semis at Manchester’s JFK Coliseum and at least one of the two Division II teams, Alvirne-Milford or MHBDS, will be in the semis at Everett Arena. Would be great if they were facing each other.

And, as we said, it’s signing day for the NFL.The deals you heard about on Monday become official on this day, the first day deals can be signed. But it won’t be the last, especially for the Patritots.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

Championship Day for Division I and II girls basketball at the Univeristy of New Hampshire and all high school hockey and SNHU Arena. The Division II girls hoop game is at noon and the Division I girls game is at 4 p.m. at Lundholm.

As for hockey, it’s 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:45 usually. We think we’ll have a finalist in Division II (Alvirne-Milford?) and possibly BG in Division I again. Yes, we remember the four OT game of 2025 vs. Concord.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

The final day of the NHIAA winter season, Division I boys hoop at 4 p.m. and Division II at noon. While Portsmouth should win in Division I, we think the area will have a champion in Hollis Brookline in Division II. We’ll see.

It’s also Selection Sunday, the NCAA hoop tourney plans for bracketology. The men’s show is on CBS at 6 p.m., the women on ESPN at 8.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

The Bruins – remember them – are at Montreal this night. And in case you haven’t noticed, both teams are good at the same time for the first time in a while.

It’s the First Four, the official start of the NCAA Men’s tourney with its play-in games, this night and Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

The Red Sox and Yankees will be taking each other on at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.Hey, it won’t count, but always a highlight of the Grapefruit League season, right? For the first three or four innings, at least.

The NCAA Women’s First Four is tonight and Thursday.

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

The Madness begins, as the TVs will be on all day, brackets will have been filled out and the NCAA men’s tourney first round is underway.

MONDAY, MARCH 23

Spring begins! Well, high school spring practices, that is. This is the first official day for teams to be able to practice. The question is, where will they do it? Answer thanks to this winter: The gym.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

The Celtics will be hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. Could this be a Finals preview? You know, that could just be.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

Play Ball! The Major League season opens, and your Boston Red Sox will open up at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark vs. the Reds. We think the Sox may be an AL favorite because they have a lot more pitching than you may think.

It’s also Sweet 16 Night for the NCAA Men’s tourney, with Friday being another.

MONDAY, MARCH 30

The Red Sox are at the Astros, always a good matchup, as they’ve had numerous big games. Of course, this is early season, but it’ll be interesting nonetheless as we all overreact to each result.

In two days, it’s April. Can’t come soon enough.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X, formerly known as twitter, @Telegraph _TomK.