THE JOCK BLOCK

The place to be this weekend in New England jockworld is the FleetCenter, where the East regional of the NCAAMen's Tournament gets underway on Friday. Starting at noon, eight teams will battle for slots into the next round, including top-10 teams Cincinnati and Miami. On Sunday afternoon, the four remaining squads will look to advance to New Jersey and the Sweet 16 starting at 2:30. Tickets are certainly scant, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Harvard women's hockey is the best, if you haven't heard. And if you haven't heard, shame on you! With offensive powerhouses A.J. Mlezco and Tammy Skewchuk leading the way, the women begin their quest for a national title as the number one seed in the ECAC tournament. Saturday at 2 p.m., they square off against the Cornell Big Red in their first step towards glory. Bright Hockey Center, free with student I.D.

It's getting warmer. Really. And it's always warmer when you move around. So pull on the spandex and jog over to Alewife for the Fresh Pond Weekly Road Race. The 2.5 mile run is held every Saturday--with spring around the corner, this weekend's great time to start. 10 a.m. at the Fresh Pond Reservation, totally free.

On Wednesday, the vastly improved Celtics return from a tough five-game road trip to face the hapless Clippers. If you're looking for a Boston win, tonight's the night with the winless Clippers, who without the immortal Loy Vaught on their roster have no cohesion whatsoever. FleetCenter, 7 p.m., tickets available through TicketMaster.