After notching their fourth consecutive Conference USA tournament title, the Memphis Tigers, riding a 25-game winning streak, roar into NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament as the 2 seed in the West Region. The Tigers’ opening-round tussle tips off today at 11:25 in Kansas City against the Cal State Northridge Matadors, the 15 seed. The underdog Matadors, who snagged a tournament bid by taking the Big West tournament title, enter the contest with a 17-13 record. Having reached at least the Elite 8 the past three seasons, including a run to the title game last year, Memphis knows what it takes for a deep run in the tourney. And it’s not just die-hard Memphis fans who like the Tigers’ chances this year. Of the seven ESPN analysts to post picks on espn.com, four have picked the Tigers to reach the Final Four. Even President Obama has picked them to reach the Final Four!

Psyched about today’s game but bummed it’s in the middle of the day? Here are a few ways to still catch the game, though some may not sit well with your boss.

- Use a personal day.
- Leave work "sick."
- Take an extended lunch break and head to a sports bar or restaurant like Dan McGuiness or Buffalo Wild Wings.
- Watch the game on your computer at www.cbs.com
- If you have TiVo or a DVR, just record the game.

Although the Tigers won’t be returning to the FedEx Forum during the tournament, you can still catch some March Madness action in person when the South Regional (Sweet 16 and Elite 8) comes to town March 27 and 29. With a tournament known for twists and upsets, there’s no way of guaranteeing which teams will vie for a spot in the Final Four, but the South Region features ACC regular-season champs and perennial powerhouse UNC Tarheels (1), the Oklahoma Sooners (2), led by Player of the Year Blake Griffin, the Syracuse Orange (3) who just a week ago won an astounding six-overtime game against UConn in the Big East tourney, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs (4), once an annual Cinderella team, now a regular bracket favorite. Although tickets are officially sold-out, you can still find plenty of tickets at StubHub (http://www.stubhub.com/ncaa-tournament-south-regional-tickets) and other fan ticket-selling sites.