Rally round the Big Apples March Madness teams

It’s not just St.John’s: As March Madness opens, the Big Apple has championship hopes in both the men’s and women’s tournaments — and not just in Division I.Of course, the city’s loudly rallying behind the Red Storm, led by head coach and native New Yorker Rick Pitino and poised for a deep run.The Big East champs and Big East Player of the Year, R.J.

Luis Jr., are the No.2 seed in the West Region, opening Thursday against the University of Nebraska Omaha in Providence.Over on the women’s side, the Columbia University’s Lions (23-6) make their second straight NCAA tournament appearance; the Ivy League champs square off first against the University of Washington Huskies in Chapel Hill, NC.The Lions are 11-seed; root for a magical Cinderella run.Meanwhile, over in the NCAA Division III tournaments, the No.

1 ranked New York University men’s and women’s teams are Final Four-bound.The 29-0 NYU women — defending national champions — take their remarkable 60-game winning streak to the University of Wisconsin-Stout in the National Semifinal in Salem, Va.; the men play Washington University in their National Semifinal in Fort Wayne, Ind.Let’s pull for all these outstanding student athletes....