| The clock on the college basketball season is ticking down.
The NCAA Tournament starts in just one month — if you're not counting First Four games — with the men tipping off on March 21 and the women on March 22.
There is a lot at stake in the coming weeks, and the pressure of that certainly was felt in Queens over the weekend.
Teams will try to close out the regular season as cleanly as possible before heading into conference tournaments to punch guaranteed tickets to the Big Dance. Others have lofty expectations beyond that, such as chasing a second consecutive title or closing out their senior years on a high note.
Here are the storylines we will be watching as March Madness inches closer.
Caitlin Clark
The all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball still has more she wants to accomplish.
Clark, who has become the face of the game, will lead Iowa's chase for the first national championship in program history after falling short a year ago against LSU and Angel Reese.
 Angel Reese and LSU spoiled Caitlin Clark's quest to lead Iowa to a national championship last year.
AP
She's only continued to improve throughout her four years and has averaged a career-best 32.1 points per game this season, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 39 percent on 3-pointers, many of the highlight-reel variety.
After surpassing Kelsey Plum's NCAA record of 3,527 points in a 49-point game against Michigan last week, Clark is on pace to approach 4,000 career points, depending on how deep of a run Iowa can make in the tournament.
Clark has led No. 4 Iowa (23-3, 12-2 Big Ten) to second place in the Big Ten in a tight race with No. 2 Ohio State (22-3, 13-1) and No. 14 Indiana (21-4, 12-3). She will face both teams for a second time this season before the Big Ten tournament begins.
After the season, Clark could return for a fifth year of eligibility, but she is expected to enter April's WNBA Draft as the top prospect — and likely is headed to the Indiana Fever, who have the No. 1 pick.
UConn
The defending men's champs will be after a repeat by the end of March, which would make them the first team to do it since Billy Donovan's Florida accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2007.
Led by Dan Hurley, the No. 1 Huskies (24-3, 14-2) had been dominating the Big East for two months until Tuesday night's stunning road loss to No. 15 Creighton. They were on a nation-leading 14-game winning streak after securing a 28-point win this weekend over then-No. 4 Marquette, the largest margin of victory in a top-five matchup in conference play in the history of the AP poll.
 Dan Hurley and UConn would become the first team since Florida in 2007 to repeat as national champions.
Getty Images
In their first two losses of the season, the Huskies weren't at full strength. They lost to Kansas by four points without star freshman Stephon Castle. Center Donovan Clingan played just 15 minutes because of a foot injury against Seton Hall.
The Huskies began the week ranked third in the country in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency, and they were selected as the East region's No. 1 seed when the selection committee revealed its projected top 16 seeds.
St. John's
Is there any hope left for the Johnnies this season?
After the ninth-place team in the Big East was just berated by head coach Rick Pitino after he deemed his first year in Queens "the most unenjoyable experience I've had since I've been coaching," things seem bleak.
 Rick Pitino's first season at St. John's hit a low point Sunday with a blown 19-point lead and eventual loss to Seton Hall.
Noah K. Murray for the NY Post
On Sunday after a 68-62 loss to Seton Hall, Pitino lost all patience with his group, which he said lacks "toughness" as a whole while also taking a shot at some players individually.
It's difficult to imagine a locker room coming back from the tirade, which also was critical of his staff's recruiting efforts and the university's facilities.
But in an interview with The Post's Zach Braziller on Tuesday, Pitino acknowledged that he does, in fact, deserve blame for losing — even as he thinks the Red Storm are "maximizing everything we can possibly maximize."
Pitino's previous teams didn't experience quick turnarounds in his first year either, and he seems to believe St. John's needs another purge to make things work more smoothly. When asked Sunday if he was second-guessing taking the job, Pitino said: "It's not St. John's. It's my team."
The Johnnies (14-12) have to face third-place Creighton in addition to winnable games against Butler and DePaul, sandwiched between two games against hapless Georgetown, before the Big East tournament.
Purdue
The top pick in the selection committee's projections will be out for revenge this year after suffering a first-round loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.
They will be chasing the legacy of Virginia in 2019, when the Cavaliers earned the title over Texas Tech after losing to a No. 16 seed in the opening round the previous year.
 Zach Edey will play a pivotal role in helping Purdue try to advance further in the NCAA Tournament this year.
Getty Images
The Boilermakers have yet to win a national championship and have not appeared in the final since 1969, when they fell to UCLA.
With a 23-3 record and an unstoppable force in 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey (23.3 points per game), this isn't a team anyone would want to face in the tournament.
But Purdue again showed its slip-up tendency in Sunday's 73-69 loss to Ohio State, which had lost nine of its previous 11 games and had just fired head coach Chris Holtmann.
Possible local appearances
There are a few local teams to follow in the upcoming month that may make their ways into the tournament.
Shaheen Holloway and Seton Hall have been keeping up with the top teams in the Big East, sitting in fourth with a 10-5 record in conference play (17-9 overall). After making a run in 2022 with Saint Peter's, Holloway will be searching for another March breakthrough.
The Pirates own wins over UConn and No. 7 Marquette as well as a triple-overtime loss to No. 15 Creighton.
 Shaheen Holloway has already led Saint Peter's on an NCAA Tournament run, and he might have another chance with Seton Hall this year.
Getty Images
Both of Princeton's teams have a shot as well. The No. 25-ranked women (20-3) are at the top of the Ivy League with a 10-0 record while the men (19-3, 7-2) sit a game out of first place behind Yale and Cornell.
In Philadelphia, the St. Joseph's women (sporting their best record since 1996-97 at 24-2) are a projected tourney team and the Villanova men and women are on the bubble.
Today's back page  New York Post
Tipping their hand? There may be more moves coming from the Yankees ahead of their March 28 opener against the Astros.
In his first media availability this spring, Aaron Judge was cryptic — or just hopeful — when asked about potential Yankees moves with a number of top free agents still available.
"I definitely feel like there might be another move on the way, but you never know," Judge said Tuesday at Steinbrenner Field. "We'll see."
 Aaron Judge seemed to drop a hint that the Yankees might make another move before the season starts.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
He added that he hopes the Yankees bolster the roster before trying to avenge last season's fourth-place finish.
"They're always working," Judge said. "That's the thing that's amazing about being here with the Yankees. They're always trying to improve. They're always trying to make moves, be it a trade or free agency."
Potential options for the Yankees include top free-agent starters Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery and White Sox ace Dylan Cease, a trade candidate.
The Yankees made an offer to Snell earlier in the offseason before signing Marcus Stroman. They may try to re-engage if the lefty's price drops.
 Blake Snell remains unsigned and could become a last-minute add for the Yankees' rotation.
AP
Other big names still on the market include two-time All-Star and 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger and third baseman Matt Chapman, a four-time Gold Glove winner.
Yet, it seems likely that if the Yankees are going to add, it will be toward improving their rotation.
"That's the most important part," GM Brian Cashman said last week. "You can score as much as you want, but the pitching is always the key to the kingdom."
The Messi encore The MLS season kicks off Wednesday and it will be one full of Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian star will start off this season with Inter Miami against Real Salt Lake.
Upon Messi's arrival last year, Miami turned around after dwelling at the bottom of the East. They won the 2023 Leagues Cup on penalties against Nashville SC.
 Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami FC turn around its season in his first few months in MLS in 2023. Now he's back.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The Red Bulls will begin their season on Sunday against Nashville with their big offseason signing of Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg, who arrived from sister club RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.
With Leipzig, the 32-year-old Forsberg tallied 71 goals in 324 appearances. He also was part of Sweden's World Cup team in 2018. Forsberg was made a captain ahead of the season, the team announced Tuesday (defender Sean Nealis and goalkeeper Carlos Coronel were named vice-captains).
Last season, the Red Bulls finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with an 11-10-13 record and were eliminated by top-seeded FC Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs.
It's expected to be another long year for 2021 champions NYCFC, which finished in 11th place in the East last year and open with a match against Charlotte FC on Saturday. Santiago Rodríguez, who played a key role for the title team two years ago, will be NYCFC's leading returning scorer after contributing five goals last season.
The scoreboard Rangers 3, Stars 1: Eight in a row. Igor Shesterkin (41 saves) was sensational, especially in preserving the lead in the third period. Kaapp Kakko scored the game-winning goal.
 Igor Shesterkin shuts the door on the Stars' Tyler Seguin during the Rangers' streak-extending win at the Garden.
Getty Images
Islanders 5, Penguins 4 (OT): Adam Pelech scored the winner in overtime after the reeling Islanders had squandered a two-goal third period lead in Pittsburgh. They're now four points out of a playoff spot.
USWNT 5, Dominican Republic 0: In the CONCACAF W Gold Cup opener, Gotham FC's Midge Purce set up the first three goals — two by teenager Olivia Moultrie, one by Gotham FC's Lynn Williams — before Gotham FC's Jenna Nighswonger and late roster addition Alex Morgan added penalties. Notice a theme?
What we're reading 👀 🏀 Get to know Jalen Brunson, the student. The Post's Stefan Bondy has the story on how the Knicks star earned his Villanova degree in three years and how he's putting that communications major to use.
🏀 The Knicks have reinforcements coming, and OG Anunoby chimed in to say he'll be back in the next few weeks as well.
⚾ The Post's Jon Heyman on what Brett Baty has to prove — example: can he hit fastballs? — to claim the Mets' troublesome third-base job.
🏒 The Post's Larry Brooks reports the Rangers are targeting the Kraken's Alex Wennberg as a potential third-line center. "[GM Chris] Drury and the hierarchy have to be approaching this with a 'Why not us?' attitude," Brooks writes of the upcoming trade deadline.
🏀 Nets GM Sean Marks said he'll take a little blame for the roster, sure, but the problem is really "loose balls" as he installs yet another coach in Kevin Ollie.
🏈 Why we may never hear what Travis Kelce yelled at Andy Reid during the Super Bowl.
🏀 Sneaky-good signing for the Liberty in bench piece Kennedy Burke.
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