The San Diego State men's basketball team begins March Madness and the 2010 NCAA Championship on Thursday, March 18, with a first-round game against 15th-ranked Tennessee in Providence, R.I. The Aztecs earned the No. 11 seed, while the Volunteers are the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. Game time will be announced later.

The Aztecs earned the Mountain West Conference's automatic NCAA bid by beating UNLV, 55-45, on Saturday night in Las Vegas.  SDSU (25-8, 11-5 MWC) is making its sixth trip to the NCAA Division I tournament. The Aztecs' last NCAA appearance was in 2006.

San Diego State women earned the league's automatic bid, after winning its first Mountain West Conference tournament title with a 70-60 overtime victory over Utah on Saturday in Las Vegas. This is the second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament for the Aztecs and eighth in school history. Brackets for the women's tournament will be announced on Monday.

For more news on SDSU Aztec sports, visit the school website here.

Visit About.com's Marh Madness site here.

Aztec Men and Women Win Conference Tournaments, Earn Automatic Berths to NCAA Tournament originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 20:19:17.

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The 2010 San Diego Latino Film Festival takes place March 11-21 at the Ultrastar Cinemas Mission Valley at Hazard Center.

The 2010 San Diego Latino Film Festival will screen such feature films as ARRANCAME LA VIDA (Daniel Gimenez Cacho), TRASPATIO (Ana de la Reguera), CINCO DIAS SIN NORA (Cecilia Suarez), NIKTE (Pedro Armendariz Jr.), PARADAS CONTINUAS (Silverio Palacios), AMAR A MORIR (Bruno Bichir), MORENITA EL ESCANDALO (Maya Zapata), COSAS INSIGNIFICANTES (Barbara Mori), SOLO QUERIO CAMINAR (Diego Luna) and many more.

For more information about the 2010 San Diego Latino Film Festival, visit the official website here.

2010 San Diego Latino Film Festival Continues This Weekend, Runs Through March 21 originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 14:17:38.

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Grown from a bulb, which were introduced to the area by English horticulturist John Gage nearly 70 years ago, the ranunculus splash the hillsides in a rainbow of colors ranging from reds, oranges, whites, pinks and yellows. These two and a half months in spring are when the fields are open to the public, although the farm is a 12-month operation. The Carlsbad Flower Fields recently opened and will remain open to the public through May 9, 2010.

Read more about the Carlsbad Flower Fields in my article here.

Color is Blooming at the Carlsbad Flower Fields originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 10:00:10.

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Speculation is that the Conan show will be a "revue," with O'Brien's longtime sidekick, Andy Richter, and band leader and E Street Band drummer, Max Weinberg, both on board. Tickets reportedly will go on sale Wed., March 10 through Ticketmaster.

Conan O'Brien to Perform at Civic Theatre, April 29 originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 01:25:39.

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When will the flowers bloom? It all depends. According to the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce, each year's bloom is unique in its variety, profusion, and timing. From late February through March, you can find blossoms on the desert floor. For up-to-date information, call the Wildflower Hotline at 760-767-4684 which is updated weekly.

Read more about the Borrego wildflowers here.

With This Rainy Winter, Blooming Borrego's Wildflowers Should Add Extra Color to Stark Desert Landscape originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 10:00:15.

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According to a report by KGTV news, Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher said searchers found Amber's skeletal remains early Saturday on the Pala Indian Reservation, a sparsely populated area that occupies more than 12,000 acres in the northeast corner of San Diego County. The county medical examiner's office confirmed later in the day the remains were Amber's through dental records, Maher said.

The search for Amber Dubois had produced few leads until 17-year-old Chelsea King disappeared Feb. 25. John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arrested in connection with the King murder. Authorities resumed several searches for Dubois after King's body was found in a shallow grave at Lake Hodges.

Read the Channel 10News report here.

Remains Of Amber Dubois Found and Positively Identified originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 02:10:02.

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Recently, the Union-Tribune ran an article pointing out the worst rush-hour spots in San Diego County. And if you drive on these particular freeways, you can probably agree with the results. Eastbound state Route 78 at Barham Drive in San Marcos was the most congested rush-hour spot in San Diego County in 2009, bypassing notorious choke points such as northbound Interstate 5 through Del Mar and Solana Beach which surprisingly came in at number 7.

The highway at Barham Drive was backed up during rush hour 243 days last year, or just about every workday. The length of each slowdown averaged more than four miles, according to an analysis of state traffic data by The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The top - or worst - choke points in San Diego County are:

1. State Route 78 at Barham Drive in San Marcos - eastbound afternoon
2. Interstate 15 at Citracado Parkway - northbound afternoon
3. I-805 at Nobel Drive - southbound afternoon
4. I-805 at Clairemont Mesa Blvd - northbound morning
5. SR-52 at Mast Blvd. in Santee - eastbound afternoon
6. I-805 at Sorrento Valley Road - southbound aftrernoon
7. I-5 at Via de la Valle - northbound afternoon
8. i-15 at Miramar Way - northbound afternoon
9. I-5 at Lomas Santa Fe Drive - northbound afternoon
10. SR-78 at Broadway/Lincoln Parkway - westbound morning

Read the entire article here.

Rush Hour Isn't a Rush at These San Diego Freeway Locations originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 01:02:29.

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The body was found at approximately 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The body was found in an area not far from where searchers had previously discovered a piece of evidence, a shoe. The body was covered in a shallow grave in an area that had been searching extensively, about ten feet from the waterline.

On Tuesday evening, thousands of mourners gathered in Poway for a candlelight vigil.

John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arrested Sunday  on suspicion of murder and rape in connection with the missing girl. He will be arraigned on rape and murder charges Wednesday.

Chelsea King Body Found, Thousands Mourn In Candlelight Vigil originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 23:25:31.

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John Albert Gardner III, 30, of Lake Elsinore, was taken into custody in front of an Escondido business at 4:20 p.m. on Lake Drive near Rancho Drive in Escondido, Gore said.

Numerous pieces of physical evidence led them to Gardner, Gore said. The sheriff said the hunt for Chelsea King will continue overnight and will expand beyond the Rancho Bernardo park and adjacent Lake Hodges, which search teams have been combing since the teen disappeared Thursday.

The sheriff also there was "a strong possibility" Gardner may be connected to an attack on a lone female jogger in Rancho Bernardo Community Park that occurred the morning of Dec. 27.

For information about Chelsea King, go to the Help Find Chelsea King website.

Lake Elsinore Man Taken Into Custody In Connection With Chelsea King Disappearance originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 00:45:35.

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Although the warning is the lowest-level alert, San Diego lifeguards are advising the public to stay out of the ocean and away from the immediate coast during the warning period. People should not go to local harbors or beaches to view the event, lifeguards said.

Strong currents are expected along the shorelines with the potential for some minor flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

Ocean levels are expected to rise by 2.5 feet with waves of 2 feet to 4 feet at about noon, lifeguards said.

For details, go to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center website.

Massive 8.8 Quake Rocks Chile, Tsunami Warnings Issued for San Diego originally appeared on About.com San Diego on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 14:27:09.

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