The Northeast is digging out from another foot of snow. The Christmas wreaths still hang in the windows and the outdoor decorations are still plugged in. And until today it's been colder than the reception Yankees fans will give Joe Torre on his next visit to New York. But I've definitely got a bad case of Spring Fever.

This happens every winter, without fail. The NFL consumes this sports fan's life for a solid five months, with only the baseball playoffs and BCS-bashing sprinkled in. Then-as soon as the Super Bowl ends-it's over. My sports life stops on a dime. I spend a few weeks in a deep, dark, wintry depression. I'm left wondering what to do with my Sundays and how to fill the countless hours I usually spend watching NFL recap and pregame shows or reading about all things NFL.

As the weeks go by, I slowly start to crawl out of my sports hibernation. An NBA game here. A college basketball game there. An NHL game-- umm, just kidding. But as the calendar flips to March, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Come April baseball will be in full swing and the NBA playoffs will be upon us. But what truly gives me Spring Fever is one thing: March Madness.

It doesn't just begin with Selection Sunday and the announcement of the brackets. It starts right about now, as conference play winds down and the smaller conference tournaments begin. By the time Selection Sunday arrives, hundreds of meaningful games will be in the books over the span of just two weeks. Tickets to the NCAA Tournament will have already been punched via conference tournament championship games.

And that's where I find myself this weekend. Catching up on the season that is almost over in college hoops. And preparing for the madness ahead.

It's been quite a season in college basketball. Five different teams-North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and UCONN-spent time ranked as the number 1 team in the nation. On four occasions, one of those teams took over the top spot in the rankings only to lose the following week. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Memphis, and Louisville have hovered around the top spot all season.

Last season, the nation's top four teams were easy to select. Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA were all awarded the four #1 seeds in the tournament after spending the final four weeks ranked 1-4. Each team then rolled right through to the Final Four. This marked the first time in the 30-year history of the seeded tournament that all four #1 seeds reached the Final Four. It also meant that these four teams spent the final seven weeks of the season ranked 1-4.

It's not as clear-cut this season. Right now, the top four ranked teams in the nation are UCONN, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Oklahoma. But Oklahoma lost already this week and will definitely drop out of the top 4. (Also, UCONN plays Pittsburgh tomorrow, and if the Huskies win, Pitt might drop out of the top 4 as well.)

And beyond the top 4 are a number of teams-Memphis, Louisville, and Duke just to name a few-who can go toe-to-toe with the top 4. We've seen UCONN and North Carolina each lose home games to teams that might not make the NCAA Tournament. We've got teams such as Memphis and Kansas-who played in the National Championship Game last year-who don't have the resumes of the top teams. But if last season is any indication, they could go deep into the tournament.

And then there are the little guys. Last year Davidson was the little engine that could, marching to the Final Four as a 10-seed. There are a host of Davidsons out there right now. On the bubble, playing through their conference tournaments, and hoping for a chance to go to the Dance.

Last night, Penn State-a school last in the NCAA Tournament in 2001-won a nail-biter in the closing seconds over 23rd-ranked Illinois. The home crowd rushed the floor as if they'd just won the national championship. That unbridled enthusiasm is not found at the pro level. And it was just one important game out of many to be played this March.

This game ended just before ESPN's Sportscenter began, but instead of leading with this game, the top stories of the day were Manny Ramirez's new contract in LA and Terrell Owens' dismissal from the Cowboys. Between those stories and all of the steroids and Joe Torre book talk, college basketball is the saving grace in the month of March.

Now I'm not saying college basketball is without fault-there are issues aplenty surrounding various programs' recruiting violations and whether or not the players receive (or achieve) the education that they should. And the annual gnashing of teeth over the teams that are left out of the tournament will surely ensue once again. But for four weeks every March, college basketball shakes us out of our winter doldrums with a flurry of games that leave us on the edges of our seats, and a tournament settled where it should be settled: on the court.

It's supposed to be close to 60 degrees in the Northeast tomorrow, but I won't be outside. UCONN and Pittsburgh duel for the top spot in the Big East-a conference likely to get seven NCAA Tournament bids and possibly three #1 seeds. Meanwhile, VMI and Radford-who square off in the Big South final-play for the first official spot in the field of 65. And there are about 80 other games on that will either impact someone's chances of making the NCAA Tournament or their seed.

I've got Spring Fever all right. And it can only lead to March Madness.