Despite all the hoopla surrounding the Big Ten and Big East basketball tournaments, another championship run is heating up in Milwaukee, and Sunday is a big day.

Only six games remain in the season, and on March 15 at 2 p.m. the Wave (8-6) and Detroit (8-6) play in Milwaukee to determine who gets the league lead going into the final quarter of the season. It will be the best crowd of the season, as advance ticket sales are already ahead of the 4,700-plus that were present for Michael King’s jersey retirement on Feb. 15.

Notes for this week:

THE YOUNG GUARD: Everyone remembers Todd and Troy, Michael and Greg, but there is a great crop of young players — fast, skilled, enthusiastic — making its mark on the team this year. Rookies Marco Terminesi (28 points), Travis MacKenzie (20 points), Jacek Przednowek (17 points) and 21-year-old Chad Burt (11 points), along with second-year defender J.P. Rodrigues (20 points), are giving a new identity to the team.

THE NEW ERA: The recession has been tough on sports teams and leagues — Arena Football canceled 2009, the NBA is taking out loans, the NFL is cutting jobs. The Xtreme Soccer League did all their restructuring before the recession hit, and it has helped them avoid desperate measures during it. The Wave continue to draw solid crowds, webcasting has been a success and the league continues to lay the foundation for steady, focused, long-term growth.

KEITH’S MILESTONE: Coach Keith Tozer won the 600th regular season game of his 25-year indoor soccer coaching career back on Feb. 15. He is far and away the winningest coach in the history of this sport, and shows no signs of losing interest or slowing down. He’s having fun coaching a team with new players — guys who haven’t heard every story before.