The first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament is officially in the books, with the action coming to an end late Friday night, as Maryland beat Houston. From the opening tip of Thursday’s games, fans were treated to some of the most exciting college basketball action in modern tournament history, as 11 of the 32 games were decided by five points or less, with three going into overtime.

With the NCAA Tournament kicking off on Thursday, I took some time this afternoon to chat with Aaron Torres about first-round matchups he’s excited to watch, what high seeds could be booted early from the tournament, what teams are over or under-rated, how Kentucky’s lack of experience in the Tournament will play out and if Texas can regain the form that helped them start the season 17-0.

Look, I know the incentive to join the Hoops Addict March Madness Pool was slim since only bragging rights were on the line. So, to up the ante, we’ve partnered with Coke Zero to give prize packages to the people who finish first and second in the pool.

Coming into the NCAA Tournament, we all know the names of the biggest game-changers in college basketball. But what about everybody else? What about the guys who weren’t All-Americans this year? You need to know about them too. This is why Hoops Addict has identified a group of six players you need to get to know and watch out for, as we head into the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

This year, before you fill out your brackets and enter your office pools, make sure you’re prepared. This Sunday – Selection Sunday for the NCAA’s 65 teams – Hoops Addict editor Ryan McNeill will be joined by Hoops Addict college basketball writer Aaron Torres for a live chat leading up to and during the announcement of the field at 6 p.m. EST.

Are you looking for a March Madness pool to join? Check out the Hoops Addict pool over at Yahoo! Sports.

It’s hard to believe, but we are officially less than a week away from knowing which 65 teams will compose this year’s NCAA Tournament field. Where does the time go?

Over the weekend both No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Kansas lost, and No. 4 Purdue was crippled by a devastating, season altering injury. Yet despite all that, one team remained impressive and then some, and for the first time this season, they headline our Power Rankings.

After a relatively quiet week in college basketball, things will certainly heat up this week. Amongst the must see games are Kentucky-Tennessee, Missouri-Kansas State, BYU-New Mexico and Michigan State-Purdue. Not to mention Saturday’s showdown in the Big East, between No. 7 Villanova and No. 4 Syracuse.

It may have taken six days, but “Rivalry Week,” finally lived up to the hype, as both Syracuse and Georgetown were upset on a shocking Sunday afternoon.