There will be no Free Form Friday today, largely because, now that we’re all fans of a basketball school, it’s the postseason, not the offseason! Open comment threads, first for the day’s general NCAA Tournament action, then, later, for the Georgia Bulldogs’ first round game against the Washington Huskies, will appear in this space as the day progresses.

In the meantime, though, a brief update on the status of matters in other sports is warranted. Don’t worry, I’ll be brief, if only to avoid the dreaded "tl;dr" in the comments:

• It’s a big weekend for the Bulldogs on the diamond. The Georgia baseball team opens SEC play at 7:00 tonight with the first outing of a three-game road series against the South Carolina Gamecocks, who are the defending national champions and a top five team. Meanwhile, the Georgia softball team will travel to Tuscaloosa to tangle with Alabama in a weekend battle between the nation’s top two teams. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 this evening.
• The Gym Dogs limp into Birmingham for the SEC Championship meet at 5:00 Saturday. Although the Georgia gymnasts are ranked eighth, they finished the regular season with a disappointing 9-5 ledger and a .500 record against conference competition. The Red and Black will be going up against the top-ranked Florida Gators and the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Frankly, if Georgia doesn’t finish higher than third, I’ll be ready for Greg McGarity to make his second head coaching change.
• At the NCAA Championships in Austin, Tex., Allison Schmitt’s victory in the 500 freestyle landed Georgia in first place in the swimming and diving competition at the end of the opening day on Thursday. Schmitt is the third woman, and the first from a school outside the Pac-10, to win the 500 freestyle thrice. The Bulldogs will return to action in Austin at noon today.

That should get you up to speed for the morning. I’ll see y’all in the comment threads this afternoon and (especially) this evening.

Go ‘Dawgs!