Keep your calendars clear for March 17 and 19, 2011, when the Pepsi Center will host the first- and second-round games of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, in which eight teams will vie for college basketball’s top prize (via The Denver Post). Don’t count on any Colorado college teams being able to use home-field advantage. The state’s two big universities—University of Colorado and Colorado State—have not put up good numbers lately. CSU went 9-22 in the 2008-09 year, according to CSURams.com. The Fort Collins Coloradoan made a big deal recently about CSU landing a “big commitment” in Chad Calcaterra, a second-tier Minnesota high schooler. I’m pulling for the kid, but if that’s what counts as a big commitment in Fort Collins, CSU men’s basketball fans will be waiting a long time for their team to be competitive on the national level. CU may have a slightly higher profile, but it’s still woeful. Coach Jeff Bzdelik, a longtime NBA assistant coach and short-time NBA head coach, had some success with the Air Force Academy Falcons, guiding the team to a 50-16 record from 2005 to 2007, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06 and a 2006-07 NIT Final Four appearance. That success hasn’t transferred with him to CU, where he’s led the Buffs to a less-than-mediocre record of 21-42 over two seasons, with each year bringing at least 20 losses. It’s entirely possible that Bzdelik can turn the program around, the same way it’s entirely possible that I will one day run for president of the United States and win.