March means many things; one is that the agony of defeat is heightened to unprecedented levels throughout the month. Sure, the joy of victory can reach a similar zenith, but the agony is something that might never go away. Just ask the Richmond Spiders, who will no doubt never forget what transpired on Thursday in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Or — to a lesser extent — ask Kobe Bryant, who vowed never to forget what happened in the recent Lakers-Hawks tilt…not even if it takes him a whole year to get revenge.

This month has already been a tumultuous one for several characters, and there is no reason to think the trend will change over the course of the next two weeks (all odds provided by Sportsbook.ag).

Kobe Bryant. Kobe could barely even speak in his post-game interview he was so incensed. Or maybe he was just putting on a front to emphasize the bush-league nature (in his mind) of Dahntay Jones’ defense at the end of Wednesday’s Lakers-Hawks game. Kobe’s jumper in the final moments went begging and, adding insult to injury (or vice versa), he came down on Jones’ foot and suffered a significant ankle sprain. It is unclear if Kobe will be available for Friday’s contest at Indiana, although L.A.’s +10.5 points in the spread suggest nobody thinks he will. The Lakers (34-32) are +2000 to win the NBA Championship.

Chicago Blackhawks. Inevitably, the streak would end at some point. But the immediate aftermath of the 24-game stretch without a loss could not have been much worse. Chicago allowed six goals in consecutive games during losses to Colorado (6-2) and Edmonton (6-5). The Blackhawks at least got back in the win column with a shootout victory at Columbus on Thursday, but even that performance was not up to their previous standard. Still, the good news is when you begin the season 21-0-3, you can afford more than a few hiccups. The Blackhawks are four points ahead of Anaheim in the Western Conference and 15 points clear of everyone else. They are +450 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Baltimore Ravens. This isn’t exactly a post-championship fire sale of Floridian proportions (see: the Marlins), but players are leaving Baltimore left and right. First, of course, it was the retirement of Ray Lewis. Also gone are Anquan Boldin, Paul Kruger, and Dannell Ellerbe. Even Ed Reed could be on the way out of town via free agency. The Ravens have plenty of room under the cap to make some additions to compensate, but so far they have not pulled any triggers. Baltimore is +2200 to win back-to-back Super Bowls; Denver and New England are the favorites for next season at +600.

Craig Kimbrel. In 63 games last year, the Atlanta Braves’ all-star closer did not allow more than a single run in any outing. Heck, he did not even allow two hits in one appearance. Kimbrel surrendered both on Thursday night in the World Baseball Classic as the Dominic Republic scored two off Kimbrel in the top of the ninth to beat the USA, 3-1. Team USA now has to defeat Puerto Rico (it did, 7-1, earlier in the tournament) on Friday to reach the semifinal round. Kimbrel and company are -290 favorites. As for the Braves, they are +200 to win the NL East and +1800 to win the World Series.

Justin Bieber. What a month it has been for the Biebs…and not in a good way. He collapsed on stage in London, finished the concert against doctors’ orders and ended the night in a hospital, cancelled a show in Portugal, went on an Instagram tirade, bashed Linday Lohan for her financial woes, and he took a physical swipe at paparazzi. Hmmm…kind of sounds like the pop-culture equivalent to the end of Thursday’s Charlotte-Richmond game! In that utter debacle that spiraled completely out of control, the Spiders led 63-60 before being called for three technical fouls in the final five seconds. Yes, you read that right. The contest ended with 11 consecutive free-throw attempts by UNCC’s Pierria Henry, who made eight to account for the final 68-63 margin. St. Louis and VCU are +180 favorites to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

AC Milan. Milan’s premier football club had it all right there to book a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals. The team led Barcelona 2-0 after the first leg of their showdown, but it all went to pieces earlier this week at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi and host Barca thrashed AC Milan 4-0 to win 4-2 on aggregate and steal a place in the last eight. With a new lease on life, FC Barcelona is a +175 favorite to win the Champions League ahead of Real Madrid (+275). Barca has drawn Paris St. Germain in the quarters while Real is going up against Galatasaray.

Denny Hamlin. After being fined $25,000 for "disparaging remarks'' about the new Sprint Cup car, Hamlin went borderline crazy on Twitter (what’s new?). He went off on NASCAR for handing down the punishment and vowed to appeal, but on Thursday he decided to drop the case. Hamlin, who has three Top-15 finishes starting with the Daytona 500 (including a third-place showing in Phoenix), will instead focus his efforts on Bristol this weekend. Hamlin is +700 to win the Food City 500, tied with Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski behind favorite Jimmie Johnson (+500).

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