Retro Video of the Week: "Here Comes Your Man" by Pixies

Today is the 35th anniversary of the release of alt rockers Pixies' second studio album, Doolittle.  Back then, we called this kind of music "college rock," though it was basically a term given to "underground" alternative rock bands like REM, Pixies, The Replacements, and the like who weren't played much on Top 40 radio (at least at that time).

Back in 1989, I was certainly not listening to college rock, but if I were to give you what I assumed college rock sounded like, it would be something like "I Will Dare" by The Replacements or Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" off of Doolittle.

The song is far more poppy than their usual fare, and the riff kind of harkens surf rock.  Lead singer and songwriter Black Francis originally wrote the song as a teenager, and as expected, it's about train-hopping hobos who pee themselves while dying during an earthquake.  The band and Francis didn't want to record it, but the album's producer really liked it, so it ended up on the album and it became one of the band's signature songs.  It reached #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, which was essentially Billboard's attempt to categorize the burgeoning alternative rock scene.  The album itself only reached #98 on the Billboard album chart, but it did hit #8 on the UK album chart, and it has since gone platinum in the U.S.

Anywho, the song is great, and the video is expectedly weird.

Hair Band Friday - 4/12/24

1.  "It's Not Love" by Dokken

2.  "Under One Condition" by Winger

3.  "Sometimes at Night" by Gorky Park

4.  "Kickstart My Heart" (demo) by Mötley Crüe

5.  "Reign of Love" by Hurricane

6.  "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" by Y&T

7.  "Second Wind" by Cinderella

8.  "What Keeps Me Loving You" by XYZ

9.  "Ready or Not" by Europe

10.  "The Mission" (live) by Queensrÿche

Retro Video of the Week: "Violet" by Hole

Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the release of Hole's second studio album, Live Through This.  Of course, Hole's lead singer is/was Courtney Love, who was married to Kurt Cobain, who shot himself in the head with a shotgun a week earlier (and whose body was found only four days before Live Through This was released).  Presumably, these were not the circumstances under which Love and her band wanted to release the album.

I remember thinking around this time how much of a mess Love was, or at least appeared to be.  But who wouldn't be?  She had just lost her husband -- who was already lionized as Gen X's version of John Lennon -- to a horrific suicide.  She had a 20-month-old daughter that she now needed to raise alone, while also trying to maintain a band that had released their breakthrough album.  Then Hole's bassist, Kristen Pfaff, died of a heroin overdose two months later, on June 16, 1994, right before Hole was supposed to go on tour to support the album.  And to top it all off, there were false rumors swirling around that Cobain ghostwrote Live Through This.

Regardless, Live Through This is a fantastic grunge album.  It's a great combination of angst, punk, and hooks, which is basically how I would sum up grunge.  The album only reached #52 on the Billboard album chart (which was a little surprising to me), but it eventually went platinum in the U.S.  Four singles were released from the album, and three had videos that were pretty prominently featured on MTV:  "Miss World," "Doll Parts," and "Violet."

I've always liked "Violet" the best because it's just a brutal, angst-ridden hard rocker.  The song was inspired by Love's brief, but apparently not so great, relationship with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins.  And I just learned recently that my favorite bar in Chicago, Delilah's, was the site of where Love and Cobain allegedly started dating after a show Nirvana played at the Metro in October 1991.  Before it was Delilah's, it was Crash Palace, and legend has it that Love was in town to visit Corgan, but walked in on him with another woman, so she and some others went to Crash Palace, and she plotted her plan to court Cobain.  After the show (which Love attended), Nirvana came to Crash Palace, where she and Cobain hit it off (though they had met previously), and then went to another legendary Chicago late-night bar, the now defunct Marie's Riptide Lounge.  And the rest is history.

Hair Band Friday - 4/5/24

1.  "Blind Faith" by Warrant

2.  "Gonna Walk" by Faster Pussycat

3.  "Sign of the Times" by Europe

4.  "Tough Guys" by King Kobra

5.  "Same Ol' Situation" (live) by Mötley Crüe

6.  "Round and Round" by Ratt

7.  "Call My Name" by Night Ranger

8.  "Ten Boots (Stompin') by Dangerous Toys

9.  "I Don't Believe in Love" by Queensrÿche

10.  "Shake Me" by Cinderella

Retro Video of the Week: "Lit Up" by Buckcherry

This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the release of hard rockers Buckcherry's self-titled debut album.  I've always liked Buckcherry.  In the era of post-grunge and nu metal, it was refreshing to hear some straightforward hard rock.  I've seen them a few times live, and it's definitely a fun show.

The album went gold in the U.S., and the band's debut single, "Lit Up," gave the world a glimpse into the hard rocking, party-forward attitude of the band.  "Lit Up" is an unabashed ode to Bolivian marching powder, inspired by the first time lead singer Josh Todd snorted up.  Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones plays guitar on the song, and if the riff sounds familiar, it's because it's based off of Ace Frehley's riff on KISS's "Shock Me."

The song went to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three weeks, and it has since been ranked by VH1 as #98 on its list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.

Interesting tidbit I just learned:  during COVID, Todd became a certified phlebotomist, so next time you're getting your blood drawn and the guy doing it has tattoos up to his neck, it could be the lead singer of Buckcherry!

Tuesday Top Ten: Fun Facts About the Final Four

We've gone from a chalky Sweet 16 -- only the 6th time since seeding began in 1979 that all four 1-seeds and 2-seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 -- to a less chalky Final Four.

In the East, in a rematch of last year's title game, 1-seed UConn won its Sweet 16 game over 5-seed San Diego State by 30, and then followed that up with a ludicrous 30-0 run to blowout 3-seed Illinois in the Elite 8. The Huskies are in their 7th Final Four and are playing for their 6th national title, looking to become the first back-to-back champ since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

In the West, 4-seed Alabama ousted 1-seed UNC in the Sweet 16 and held off 6-seed Clemson in the Elite 8, clinching the Crimson Tide's first-ever Final Four appearance.

In the South, 11-seed NC State upset 2-seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 and then topped ACC rival 4-seed Duke in the Elite 8 to clinch the Wolfpack's 4th Final Four and first since 1983, when Jim Valvano led them to their second national championship in one of the most memorable title games ever. They are tied for the lowest seed to ever make the Final Four, becoming the sixth 11-seed to do so (the others were LSU in 1986, George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011, Loyola in 2018, and UCLA in 2021). Their 14 losses is a record for the most losses by any Final Four team ever.  It bears mentioning that NC State was 17-14 heading into the ACC Tournament -- losers of four in a row and six of seven -- before reeling off nine straight wins to get to the Final Four.

In the Midwest, 1-seed Purdue exorcised its Final Four demons, beating 5-seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 and getting by 2-seed Tennessee in the Final Four. The Boilermakers are in the Final Four for the third time ever and first time since 1980. They have never won an NCAA championship.

Here is the schedule for this Saturday's semifinal games (times ET).  Both games are on TBS:

(MW1) Purdue vs. (S11) NC State - 6:09 p.m.

(E1) UConn vs. (W4) Alabama - 8:49 p.m.

As I do this time of year, I'm going to drop some Final Four statistical knowledge on you.  Get ready for it.  This is the kind of minutiae that makes me giddy.

11.  If Alabama and Purdue win on Saturday, it will be only the second time since 1990 that two teams without a previous national championship will be playing for the title.  Here are the years in which both teams meeting in the championship game had not previously won an NCAA title (excluding the first tournament in 1939), with an asterisk for years in which both teams played in the title game for the first time and a double asterisk for years in which both teams playing in the title game were playing in their first Final Four:

-2019*:  Virginia over Texas Tech

-1990:  UNLV over Duke

-1989:  Michigan over Seton Hall

-1984:  Georgetown over Houston

-1979*:  Michigan State over Indiana State

-1974*:  NC State over Marquette

-1964*:  UCLA over Duke

-1959*:  Cal over West Virginia

-1954:  LaSalle over Bradley

-1952:  Kansas over St. John's

-1950*:  CCNY over Bradley

-1948*:  Kentucky over Baylor

-1947*:  Holy Cross over Oklahoma

-1945**:  Oklahoma A&M over NYU

-1944:  Utah over Dartmouth

-1943**:  Wyoming over Georgetown

-1942**:  Stanford over Dartmouth

-1941**:  Wisconsin over Washington State

-1940**:  Indiana over Kansas

10.  While it will be tough to top Oregon's 78-year span between Final Fours (1939-2017), Purdue and NC State have managed to crack the Top 10 on the list of longest spans between Final Four appearances at 44 and 41 years, respectively.  Here are both the longest current Final Four droughts and longest all-time droughts between appearances.

Here are the longest current Final Four droughts for teams that have previously played in at least one Final Four (and are currently Division 1 schools –- sorry CCNY fans).  Half of them are "major" conference teams.  I'm adding a year, since the earliest these teams could make the Final Four would be 2025:

1.  Duquesne:  85 years (1940)

2 (tie).  Pittsburgh and Washington State:  84 years (1941)

4.  Wyoming:  82 years (1943)

5 (tie).  Dartmouth and Iowa State:  81 years (1944)

7.  Holy Cross:  77 years (1948)

8.  Santa Clara:  73 years (1952)

9.  Washington:  72 years (1953)

10 (tie).  Bradley, Penn State, and USC:  71 years (1954)

Here are the ten all-time longest droughts between Final Four appearances:

1.  Oregon:  78 years (1939-2017)

2.  Baylor:  71 years (1950-2021)

3 (tie).  Stanford:  56 years (1942-1998)

3 (tie).  Texas:  56 years (1947-2003)

5.  Loyola (IL):  55 years (1963-2018)

6.  West Virginia:  51 years (1959-2010)

7 (tie).  Oklahoma State:  44 years (1951-1995)

7 (tie).  Purdue:  44 years (1980-2024)

9 (tie).  NC State:  41 years (1983-2024)

9 (tie).  Oklahoma:  41 years (1947-1988)

10.  Georgetown:  39 years (1943-1982)

9.  Since 2000, the ACC has sent 8 different schools to the Final Four, for a total of 19 appearances.  Both are the most of any conference this millennium.  Here are the conferences ranked by number of teams that have made it to the Final Four since 2000:

1.  ACC - 8 schools for 19 appearances:  North Carolina (7), Duke (5), Maryland (2), Georgia Tech (1), Miami (1), NC State (1), Syracuse (1), Virginia (1)

2.  Big Ten - 7 schools for 17 appearances:  Michigan State (7), Wisconsin (3), Michigan (2), Ohio State (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Purdue (1)

3 (tie).  Big East - 6 schools for 15 appearances:  UConn (5), Villanova (4), Louisville (2), Syracuse (2), Georgetown (1), West Virginia (1)

3 (tie).  SEC - 6 schools for 12 appearances:  Florida (4), Kentucky (4), Alabama (1), Auburn (1), LSU (1), South Carolina (1)

3 (tie).  Big 12 - 6 schools for 12 appearances:  Kansas (6), Oklahoma (2), Baylor (1), Oklahoma State (1), Texas (1), Texas Tech (1)

6.  Conference USA - 4 schools for 4 appearances:  FAU (1) Louisville (1), Marquette (1), Memphis (1)

7.  Pac-10/Pac-12 - 3 schools for 6 appearances:  UCLA (4), Arizona (1), Oregon (1)

8 (tie):  Colonial - 2 schools for 2 appearances:  George Mason (1), VCU (1)

8 (tie):  Missouri Valley - 2 schools for 2 appearances:  Loyola (IL) (1), Wichita State (1)

8 (tie).  American Athletic Conference - 2 schools for 2 appearances:  UConn (1), Houston (1)

11 (tie).  West Coast - 1 school for 2 appearances:  Gonzaga (2)

11 (tie):  Horizon - 1 schools for 2 appearances:  Butler (2)

11 (tie).  Mountain West - 1 school for 1 appearance:  San Diego State (1)

8.  With Alabama making its first Final Four appearance, this leaves only 16 schools from the six "power" conferences -- ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC -- that have never been to a Final Four.  Here are the remaining teams, as well as the furthest they've ever gotten in the NCAA Tournament and the year(s) they got the furthest:

ACC

-Boston College (Elite Eight in 1967, 1982, 1994)

-Clemson (Elite Eight in 1980, 2024)

-Virginia Tech (Elite Eight in 1967)

Big 12

-BYU (Elite Eight in 1950, 1951, 1981)

-Central Florida (Round of 32 in 2019)

-TCU (Elite Eight in 1968)

Big East

-Creighton (Elite Eight in 1941, 2023)

-Xavier (Elite Eight in 2004, 2008, 2017)

Big Ten

-Nebraska (Round of 64 in 1986, 1991-1994, 1998, 2014, 2024)

-Northwestern (Round of 32 in 2017, 2023, 2024)

Pac-12

-Arizona State (Elite Eight in 1961, 1963, 1975)

SEC

-Missouri (Elite Eight in 1944, 1976, 1994, 2002, 2009)

-Mississippi (Sweet 16 in 2001)

-Tennessee (Elite Eight in 2010 and 2024)

-Texas A&M (Sweet 16 in 1951, 1969, 1980, 2007, 2016, 2018)

-Vanderbilt (Elite Eight in 1965)

7.  This year's Final Four features three coaches who are coaching in their first-ever Final Fours:  Alabama's Nate Oats, NC State's Kevin Keatts, and Purdue's Matt Painter.  This is a relatively rare occurrence, as this is only the 9th time it has happened since seeding was instituted in 1979, and 20th time overall since 1944 (all of the five Final Fours before that featured four first-time coaches).  Here are the years since 1944 in which three or more coaches made their Final Four debut:

2024:  3:  Kevin Keatts (NC State), Nate Oats (Alabama), Matt Painter (Purdue)

2023:  3:  Brian Dutcher (San Diego State)**, Dan Hurley (UConn)*, Dusty May (FAU)

2019:  3:  Tony Bennett (Virginia)*, Chris Beard (Texas Tech)**, Bruce Pearl (Auburn)

2017:  3:  Mark Few (Gonzaga)**, Dana Altman (Oregon), Frank Martin (South Carolina)

2006:  3:  Ben Howland (UCLA)**, John Brady (UCLA), Jim Larrañaga (George Mason)

1999:  3:  Jim Calhoun (UConn)*, Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Jim O'Brien (Ohio State)

1998:  4:  Tubby Smith (Kentucky)*, Rick Majerus (Utah)**, Bill Guthridge (North Carolina), Mike Montgomery (Stanford)

1985:  3:  Rollie Massimino (Villanova)*, Lou Carnesecca (St. John's), Dana Kirk (Memphis State)

1979:  3:  Jud Heathcote (Michigan State)*, Bill Hodges (Indiana State)**, Bob Wienhauer (Penn)

1978:  3:  Bill Foster (Duke)**, Digger Phelps (Notre Dame), Eddie Sutton (Arkansas)

1973:  3:  Gene Bartow (Memphis State)**, Dave Gavitt (Providence), Bob Knight (Indiana)

1971:  3:  Jack Kraft (Villanova)**, Johnny Oldham (Western Kentucky), Ted Owens (Kansas)

1970:  3:  Joe Williams (Jacksonville)**, Lou Henson (New Mexico State), Larry Weise (St. Bonaventure)

1967:  3:  Bob Donoher (Dayton)**, Guy Lewis (Houston), Dean Smith (North Carolina)

1959:  4:  Pete Newell (California)*, Fred Schaus (West Virginia)**, Peck Hickman (Louisville), George Smith (Cincinnati)

1955:  3:  Phil Woolpert (San Francisco)*, Bebe Lee (Colorado), Bucky O'Connor (Iowa)

1954:  3:  Ken Loeffler (LaSalle)*, Elmer Gross (Penn State), Forrest Twogood (USC)

1947:  3:  Doggie Julian (Holy Cross)*, Nat Holman (CCNY), Jack Gray (Texas)

1945:  3:  Henry Iba (Oklahoma A&M)*, Howard Cann (NYU)**, Eugene Lambert (Arkansas)

1944:  3:  Vadal Peterson (Utah)*, Earl Brown (Dartmouth)**, Louis Menze (Iowa State)

*Won NCAA championship

**Advanced to title game

6.  On a similar note, if anyone but UConn wins the national title, it will be the 29th time that a first-time Final Four coach will have won the championship.  Of course, those numbers are heavily skewed towards the beginning decades of the NCAA Tournament.  Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, it has only happened 10 times, though in three of the last four tournaments.  Here is everyone (including before 1985), in reverse chronological order:

-Dan Hurley (UConn, 2023)

-Scott Drew (Baylor, 2021)

-Tony Bennett (Virginia, 2019)

-Kevin Ollie (UConn, 2014)

-Bill Self (Kansas, 2008)

-Jim Calhoun (UConn, 1999)

-Tubby Smith (Kentucky, 1998)

-Jim Harrick (UCLA, 1995)

-Steve Fisher (Michigan, 1989)

-Rollie Massimino (Villanova, 1985)

-Jim Valvano (NC State, 1983)

-Jud Heathcote (Michigan State, 1979)

-Norm Sloan (NC State, 1974)

-Don Haskins (Texas Western, 1966)

-George Ireland (Loyola (IL), 1963)

-Ed Jucker (Cincinnati, 1961)

-Fred Taylor (Ohio State, 1960)

-Pete Newell (California, 1959)

-Phil Woolpert (San Francisco, 1955)

-Ken Loeffler (LaSalle, 1954)

-Doggie Julian (Holy Cross, 1947)

-Henry Iba (Oklahoma A&M, 1945)

-Vadal Peterson (Utah, 1944)

-Everett Shelton (Wyoming, 1943)

-Everett Dean (Stanford, 1942)

-Harold E. Foster (Wisconsin, 1941)

-Branch McCracken (Indiana, 1940)

-Howard Hobson (Oregon, 1939)

5.  Last year, NC State was also an 11-seed, losing in the First Round to Creighton, and Purdue, of course, famously lost in the First Round as a 1-seed to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson.  The Wolfpack and Boilermakers join a list of now 54 teams who made the Final Four the year after losing their first game of the NCAA Tournament.  21 of those teams have gone onto the title game, with 7 winning it all.  Here are the others who have done it (this does not include teams that made the Final Four a year after not participating in the NCAA Tournament):

2024:  NC State, Purdue

2023:  UConn*, San Diego State**

2022:  North Carolina**

2019:  Virginia*

2015:  Duke*

2014:  Wisconsin

2013:  Michigan**, Wichita State

2012:  Louisville

2010:  Butler**, West Virginia

2009:  UConn

2006:  UCLA**, LSU

2005:  Louisville, Michigan State

2003:  Marquette

2002:  Indiana**, Oklahoma

2000:  North Carolina, Wisconsin

1995:  UCLA*

1994:  Arizona

1990:  Georgia Tech

1988:  Arizona

1987:  Indiana*

1986:  LSU

1985:  St. John's

1983:  NC State*

1982:  Georgetown**, Louisville, Houston

1981:  North Carolina**

1980:  Iowa

1978:  Arkansas

1977:  North Carolina**

1976:  Michigan**, Rutgers

1975:  Louisville, Syracuse

1974:  Marquette**

1973:  Providence

1971:  Western Kentucky

1964:  UCLA*

1961:  St. Joseph's, Utah

1959:  West Virginia**, Cincinnati

1956:  SMU

1955:  Colorado

1944:  Dartmouth**

1942:  Dartmouth**

*Champions

**Advanced to championship game

4.  There are 10 schools with 8 or more Final Fours (including vacated appearances):  North Carolina (21), UCLA (19), Duke (17), Kentucky (17), Kansas (16), Ohio State (11), Louisville (10), Michigan State (10), Indiana (8), and Michigan (8).  This is the second year in a row, the second time since 1985, and only the third time since the Eisenhower Administration that at least one of those ten teams is not in the Final Four.  In fact, one of those teams has been in all but 10 of 85 Final Fours (1941, 1943, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1985, 2023, 2024).

3.  As noted above, there are two 1-seeds in the Final Four, which is about average.  Here is a breakdown of how many #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four each year since 1979.

2024:  2 (UConn, Purdue)

2023:  0

2022:  1 (Kansas*)

2021:  2 (Baylor*, Gonzaga**)

2019:  1 (Virginia*)

2018:  2 (Villanova*, Kansas)

2017:  2 (North Carolina*, Gonzaga**)

2016: 1 (North Carolina**)

2015: 3 (Duke*, Wisconsin**, Kentucky)

2014: 1 (Florida)

2013: 1 (Louisville*)

2012: 1 (Kentucky*)

2011: 0

2010: 1 (Duke*)

2009: 2 (North Carolina*, Connecticut)

2008: 4 (Kansas*, Memphis**, North Carolina, UCLA)

2007: 2 (Florida*, Ohio State**)

2006: 0

2005: 2 (North Carolina*, Illinois**)

2004: 1 (Duke)

2003: 1 (Texas)

2002: 2 (Maryland*, Kansas)

2001: 2 (Duke*, Michigan State)

2000: 1 (Michigan State*)

1999: 3 (Connecticut*, Duke**, Michigan State)

1998: 1 (North Carolina)

1997: 3 (Kentucky**, North Carolina, Minnesota)

1996: 2 (Kentucky*, Massachusetts)

1995: 1 (UCLA*)

1994: 1 (Arkansas*)

1993: 3 (North Carolina*, Michigan**, Kentucky)

1992: 1 (Duke*)

1991: 2 (UNLV, North Carolina)

1990: 1 (UNLV*)

1989: 1 (Illinois)

1988: 2 (Oklahoma**, Arizona)

1987: 2 (Indiana*, UNLV)

1986: 2 (Duke**, Kansas)

1985: 2 (Georgetown**, St. John's)

1984: 2 (Georgetown*, Kentucky)

1983: 2 (Houston**, Louisville)

1982: 2 (North Carolina*, Georgetown**)

1981: 2 (LSU, Virginia)

1980: 0

1979: 1 (Indiana State**)

*Champions

**Advanced to championship game

2.  The average seed for this year's Final Four is 4.25, which is only the ninth time since seeding began in 1979 that the average seed is four or above.  Here are the average seeds for the Final Four since 1979 (with the years it was 4 or higher bolded):

2024:  4.25

2023:  5.75

2022:  3.25

2021:  3.75

2019:  2.75

2018:  4

2017:  3

2016: 3.75

2015: 2.5

2014: 4.5

2013: 4.5

2012: 2.25

2011: 6.5

2010: 3.25

2009: 1.75

2008: 1

2007: 1.5

2006: 5

2005: 2.75

2004: 2

2003: 2.25

2002: 2.25

2001: 1.75

2000: 5.5

1999: 1.75

1998: 2.25

1997: 1.75

1996: 2.75

1995: 2.25

1994: 2

1993: 1.25

1992: 3.25

1991: 1.75

1990: 3

1989: 2.25

1988: 2.5

1987: 2.5

1986: 3.75

1985: 3

1984: 2.75

1983: 3

1982: 2.75

1981: 1.75

1980: 5.25

1979: 3.5

1.  With NC State advancing to the Final Four as an 11-seed, they are the sixth 11-seed to make it to the Final Four (no team seeded 12 or higher has ever made it to the Final Four).  This is the 11th tournament in a row in which at least one team seeded 5 or higher has made it to the Final Four.  Of the prior 36 teams to have accomplished the feat, only 4 have won it all, another 9 have been runners up, and the remaining 23 have lost in the semis (including all five of the prior 11-seeds to make it to the Final Four).  Here are the years in which there have been any teams seeded 5 or higher in the Final Four since 1979:

2024:  1:  11-seed NC State

2023:  3:  5-seed Miami, 5-seed San Diego State**, 9-seed FAU

2022:  1:  8-seed North Carolina**

2021:  1:  11-seed UCLA

2019:  1:  5-seed Auburn

2018:  1:  11-seed Loyola (IL)

2017:  1:  7-seed South Carolina

2016:  1: 10-seed Syracuse

2015:  1: 7-seed Michigan State

2014:  2: 7-seed UConn* and 8-seed Kentucky**

2013:  1: 9-seed Wichita State

2011:  2: 8-seed Butler** and 11-seed VCU

2010:  2: 5-seeds Butler** and Michigan State

2006:  1: 11-seed George Mason

2005:  1: 5-seed Michigan State

2002:  1: 5-seed Indiana**

2000:  3: 5-seed Florida**, 8-seeds North Carolina and Wisconsin

1996:  1: 5-seed Mississippi State

1992:  1: 6-seed Michigan**

1988:  1: 6-seed Kansas*

1987:  1: 6-seed Providence

1986:  1: 11-seed LSU

1985:  1: 8-seed Villanova*

1984:  1: 7-seed Virginia

1983:  1: 6-seed NC State*

1982:  1: 6-seed Houston

1980:  3: 5-seed Purdue, 6-seed Iowa, 8-seed UCLA**

1979:  1: 9-seed Penn

*Champions

**Advanced to championship game

Retro Video of the Week: "Our House" by Madness

We're only about 15 hours from the first round of the NCAA Tournament, so a song related to madness seems appropriate.  Or, in this case, a song by a band named Madness.  English new wave/ska band Madness has had 30 Top 40 hits in their native UK, including 16 Top 10s and one #1.  In the U.S., however, they only had two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100:  1981's "It Must Be Love" (#33) and 1982's "Our House" (#7).

If you're British, you may be very familiar with Madness, but probably don't know much about March Madness.  If you're American, it's likely the opposite.  But world's collide here on Give Me Your Handrew, and the band with the most appropriate name for March in the U.S. gives us this week's Retro Video of the Week."

Not only was "Our House" a Top 10 hit in the U.S. (#7) and UK (#5), but it was a big hit in other countries on both sides of the pond, hitting #1 on the pop charts in Canada, Denmark, and Sweden, and reaching the Top 10 on the pop charts in Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and West Germany.

The video is a classic early '80s British video, mixing humor -- or humour, if you will -- with street shots of London and scenes from other places in southeast England, shots of confused onlookers, and, of course, band members wearing pancake hats.

Tuesday Top Ten: NCAA Tournament Edition

This year's NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced, and like the last few years, I think this will be another unpredictable NCAA Tournament.  While there are a handful of top teams, I still think this thing is wide open, and there are about ten teams who I think could legitimately win it all.  Or they could all lose before the end of the first weekend.  I have already filled out 95 brackets, and I don't feel good about a single one.  

Here are a couple initial random thoughts and fun facts:

• As with last year, I don't think any 1-seeds have an easy path to the Final Four.  I wouldn't be surprised if none of them make it to Glendale or if all four of them do.
• As always, I would not be surprised if all of the 12-seeds beat all of the 5-seeds.  Or none.  But I would be more surprised if none of them win.
• Of the 15 schools with 35 or more NCAA Tournament appearances (including this year) -- Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Duke, Syracuse, Indiana, Louisville, Villanova, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan State, UConn, Arkansas, and Marquette -- seven didn't receive bids to this year's NCAA Tournament (UCLA, Syracuse, Indiana, Louisville, Villanova, Notre Dame, and Arkansas).
• A-10 champion Duquesne (the 11-seed in the East Region) is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977!  Amazingly, the 47-year span between NCAA Tournament appearances is not the longest span between appearances.  Here are the schools that have gone 40 or more years between NCAA Tournament appearances:
• 66 years:  Harvard (1946-2012)
• 54 years:  Yale (1962-2016)
• 47 years:
• Brown (1939-1986)
• Duquesne (1977-2024)
• Stanford (1942-1989)
• Wisconsin (1947-1994)
• 43 years:  Furman (1980-2023)
• 42 years:  Air Force (1962-2004)
• 41 years:  Iowa State (1944-1985)
• Of the 1-seeds, only UConn won its conference tournament, while the other three 1-seeds (Houston, North Carolina, and Purdue) got at-large bids.  This is only the fourth time this has happened, as far as I can tell.  Here are the other times it has happened.  Notably, the lone automatic bid 1-seed did not make it to the Final Four in any of those three years:
• 2009
• Louisville was the lone automatic bid 1-seed, and they lost in the Elite 8 to Michigan State
• At-large 1-seed North Carolina won the title
• 2012 
• Michigan State was the lone automatic bid 1-seed, and they lost in the Sweet 16 to Louisville
• At-large 1-seed Kentucky won the title
• 2019 
• Duke was the lone automatic bid 1-seed, and they lost to Michigan State in the Elite 8
• At-large 1-seed Virginia won the title
• One of the March Madness factoids that gets thrown around every year -- but which is still true -- is that no team that lost in the quarterfinals of its conference tournament has ever won the national championship.  Of course, before 2018, no 16-seed ever beat a 1-seed, but it's happened twice now.  But if you're someone who takes these kinds of things into account, here are this year's NCAA Tournament teams that lost in their conference tournament quarterfinals (or before, as noted):
• Midwest 2-seed Tennessee
• Midwest 3-seed Creighton
• South 3-seed Kentucky
• Midwest 4-seed Kansas (lost in second round of Big 12 Tournament)
• South 4-seed Duke
• West 4-seed Alabama
• Midwest 6-seed South Carolina
• East 6-seed BYU
• West 6-seed Clemson (lost in second round of ACC Tournament)
• Midwest 7-seed Texas (lost in second round of Big 12 Tournament)
• West 7-seed Dayton
• East 9-seed Northwestern
• Midwest 9-seed TCU
• West 9-seed Michigan State
• South 10-seed Boise State
• West 10-seed Nevada
• Here are the ten teams in this year's NCAA Tournament with the most tournament appearances, but no NCAA championship.  I'm including the team's seed and region in this year's tournament, the number of NCAA Tournament appearances, the overall rank in number of appearances, and last Final Four appearance, if applicable (* means a team has lost in a national title game, ** means the furthest the team has gone is the Final Four, and *** means the team has never been to a Final Four):
• Texas** - 7-seed Midwest:  38 appearances (9th overall); 2003
• Illinois* - 3-seed East:  34 appearances (T-16th overall); 2005
• Purdue* - 1-seed Midwest:  34 appearances (T-16th overall); 1980
• BYU*** - 6-seed East:  31 appearances (T-23rd overall); No Final Four
• Gonzaga* - 5-seed Midwest:  26 appearances (T-37th overall); 2021
• Tennessee*** - 2-seed Midwest:  26 appearances (T-37th overall); No Final Four
• Creighton*** - 3-seed Midwest:  25 appearances (T-42nd overall); No Final Four
• Houston* - 1-seed South:  25 appearances (T-42nd overall); 2021
• Alabama*** - 4-seed West:  24 appearances (T-44th overall); No Final Four
• Utah State*** - 8-seed Midwest:  24 appearances (T-44th overall); No Final Four
• Fuck Purdue

Anyway, as I do every year, here are a couple lists of five teams each in a few categories that you should consider when filling out your brackets.  Expect there to be some contradictions, since that's the nature of predicting the NCAA Tournament.  Teams are in seed order.  So you don't think I'm entirely full of shit (or perhaps to prove that I am), I'll put in parentheses what I correctly predicted last years.

Teams with the best shot at winning it all (last year, I did not have UConn on this list):

1.  Houston (1-seed South).  With 30 wins, Kelvin Sampson's Cougars have won 27+ games six times in the last seven years.  They are the best defensive team in the country, leading the nation in opponents' points per game (giving up a paltry 57 points per game), field goal percentage (opponents shoot only 37%), and turnover margin, as well as Top 20 in defensive three-point field goal percentage, steals, and turnovers forced (and they turn the ball over the seventh-fewest of any team in the country).  In their first year in the Big 12, they won the regular season title outright before losing to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament title game.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  12-4

2.  UConn (1-seed South).  As the #1 overall seed and defending national champs, the Huskies are 31-3.  In a top-heavy Big East, they won the regular season title by four games, and they followed that up with a Big East Tournament title.  We all know that repeating as a national champ is very difficult to do -- since UCLA won 7 in a row from 1967 to 1973, only Duke in '91 and '92 and Florida in '06 and '07 have repeated -- but this team has the tools to join those rare ranks.  They're Top 25 in points per game, sixth in the nation in field goal percentage, fourth in assists per game, tenth in blocks per game, and Top 35 in three point percentage.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-2

3.  North Carolina (1-seed West).  The Tar Heels were the ACC outright regular season champs, and they have several players on the roster who were part of their Cinderella run to the national title game two years ago.  After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, seniors Armando Bacot and ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis are surely going to be hungry to cement their legacies.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-4

4.  Arizona (2-seed West).  The Wildcats won the Pac-12 regular season title outright, and they played a strong non-conference schedule.  They're big, scoring the third-most points in the paint in the country.  On top of that, they're third in the country in scoring (87.9 points per game), Top 25 in both field goal percentage and three point percentage, third in rebounds per game, second in assists per game, and Top 40 in steals per game.  There's no one in their region that they can't beat.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  9-5

5.  Tennessee (2-seed Midwest).  The Vols have been a Top 5 team for much of the year, and they won the regular season title outright in a strong SEC.  Northern Colorado transfer and SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht is a potential NBA lottery pick.  They don't have history on their side, as they lost in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, and no team that has ever lost in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament has won the NCAA title the same year.  That said, I think the Midwest Region is the weakest region, and Tennessee is good enough to beat anyone in the field.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  11-8

Final Four sleepers (teams seeded 4 or higher) (last year, I had UConn on this list, but did not have Florida Atlantic, Miami, or San Diego State on this list):

1.  Auburn (4-seed East).  SEC Tournament champ Auburn is on a six-game win streak heading into the tournament, beating three NCAA Tournament teams in the SEC Tournament.  They are a team that could give UConn trouble in the Sweet 16, especially if you consider the relatively weak schedule UConn played (only nine total games against NCAA Tournament teams).  They match up well with UConn, and Bruce Pearl has taken the Tigers to a Final Four before (in 2019).
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-6

2.  Alabama (4-seed West).  The Crimson Tide are kind is the nation's highest-scoring team, so they can run teams out of the gym.  They're also Top 40 in three point percentage, Top 10 in free throw percentage (shooting over 78% as a team), and Top 25 in rebounds per game.  After losing in the Sweet 16 as a 1-seed last year, Alabama is undoubtedly going to be hungry to prove themselves this year.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-10

3.  San Diego State (5-seed East).  The Aztecs made it to the NCAA title game last year as a 5-seed, so they know how to win, and they know how to win as an underdog.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  8-9

4.  Gonzaga (5-seed Midwest).  As noted above, I think the Midwest is the weakest region.  Mark Few always has the Bulldogs prepared in March, and I could see them knocking off Purdue in the Sweet 16 and then winning one more to get to Glendale.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  3-5

5.  Dayton (7-seed West).  The Flyers have been a Top 25 team for most of the year, and they have to be stinging from their A-10 Tournament quarterfinal loss to eventual tournament champ Duquesne.  They're solid on both sides of the ball  They are third in the country in three point percentage, Top 35 in field goal percentage, Top 30 in points allowed, and Top 50 in opponents' field goal percentage
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  5-3

Teams seeded 4 or better who may not make it to the second weekend (last year, I had Purdue and Virginia on this list):

1.  Purdue (1-seed Midwest).  The Boilermakers have a long and storied history . . . of underachieving in March.  Purdue has been a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament 16 times since seeding began in 1979, failing to advance to the Sweet 16 eight of those times.  Last year, they became the second 1-seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose to a 16-seed in the first round.  The year before, they made it the Sweet 16, only to be ousted by 15-seed St. Peter's.  The year before that, they lost to 13-seed North Texas in the first round.  Zach Edey is the likely national player of the year (again), but as Fairleigh Dickinson showed last year, if an opponent can limit his production and the role players on the team aren't hitting shots, the Boilers can be beaten.  Assuming they get past the winner of the Grambling/Montana State game, a second round matchup with either Utah State -- which won an outright regular season title in a very strong Mountain West and has been a Top 25 team for much of the year -- or TCU -- which finished in the middle of the Big 12, which is probably the strongest conference this year.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  14-3

2.  Iowa State (2-seed East).  The Cyclones won the Big 12 Tournament and are riding high, but they also have a spotty NCAA Tournament history.  Since 2000, they have been to 11 NCAA Tournaments.  During that time, they've lost to double-digit seeds in the first round more times (four) than they have been to the Sweet 16 (three).  Assuming they beat 15-seed South Dakota State in the first round -- and I don't think that's a guarantee -- they will face 7-seed Washington State (the runner-up in the Pac-12 regular season, who is probably underseeded) or 10-seed Drake (which won the MVC Tournament and has a big time player in Tucker DeVries).
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  10-4

3.  Alabama (4-seed West).  The Crimson Tide are kind of an enigma.  They've played some really good basketball this year in a strong SEC and they're the nation's highest-scoring team, but they've also lost four of their last six games.  First round opponent Charleston is no slouch, and if the Crimson Tide get past the Cougars, they will face either 5-seed St. Mary's -- which can slow any team down -- or 12-seed Grand Canyon -- which has only lost four games all year by a combined 23 points.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-10

4.  Auburn (4-seed East).  While the Tigers beat three NCAA Tournament teams in the SEC Tournament, the best seed they faced was SEC Tournament 5-seed South Carolina.  Ivy League champ Yale is their first round opponent, and the Bulldogs are, you know, smart.  If Auburn gets past Yale, they'll face either 5-seed (and defending national runner-up) San Diego State or 12-seed UAB, which won the AAC Tournament and has beaten a few NCAA Tournament teams this year.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-6

5.  Duke (4-seed South).  Duke is always a team that can either win it all or lose in the first round.  The ACC is down this year (only five bids, and NC State only got in because they won the ACC Tournament).  The Blue Devils' first-round matchup against Vermont is not a gimme, but they'll likely win that won and have to face 5-seed Wisconsin -- who is playing well lately and proved they could beat anyone on a neutral court with their Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Purdue -- or 12-seed James Madison -- who won 31 games this year and hasn't lost since January 27.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  5-4

Teams seeded 12 or higher with the best chance of pulling an upset in the first round (last year, I did not have Fairleigh Dickinson, Furman, or Princeton on this list):

1.  James Madison (12-seed South).  As mentioned above, the Dukes have won 31 games this year, currently have the nation's longest winning streak at 13, and were ranked as high as #18 earlier in the year.  They haven't lost since January, and their three losses this season came by a combined 20 points.  They're Top 10 in the country in scoring (84.4 points per game), 16th in steals per game, 24th in assists per game, 26th in field goal percentage, 38th in rebound margin, 39th in three point percentage, and 41st in rebounds per game.  Their opponent in the first round, 5-seed Wisconsin, is beatable.  The Badgers were middle of the pack or below in a less-than-stellar Big Ten in most statistical categories, don't rebound the ball well, have lost in the first round as a 5-seed in 2013 and 2019 (and lost to 11-seed Iowa State in the second round last year), and haven't made it to the second weekend since 2016.  Also, if you recall, the Dukes knocked off then-#4 Michigan State in East Lansing to start the season.  And here's another weird but fun fact:  the last three Sun Belt teams who were 12-seeds won their first round games, including two over Big Ten teams:  (1) Western Kentucky in 2008 over Drake; (2) Western Kentucky in 2009 over Illinois; and (3) Little Rock in 2016 over Purdue.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  3-0

2.  McNeese (12-seed Midwest).  The Cowboys are one of only a handful of teams that have won 30 games this season, currently sitting at 31-3.  Their three losses were by a combined 14 points, and they have only lost once since Thanksgiving.  They're also tied for second in the country in opponents' field goal percentage (holding their opponents to 38.5% from the field), third in turnover margin, and fifth in defensive scoring (allowing only 61.5 points per game).  First round opponent 5-seed Gonzaga is good, but not great, this year.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  0-0

3.  Samford (13-seed Midwest).  The Bulldogs cruised through the A-Sun and have a 29-5 record.  They turn teams over, play at a fast pace, are fifth in the country in scoring (86 points per game), and are top 15 in the country in point differential.  Their first round opponent is 4-seed Kansas, who is dealing with some major injuries.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  0-1

4.  Colgate (14-seed West).  The Raiders are playing in their fourth NCAA Tournament in a row, and they have only lost twice in 2024.  They play good defense, and more importantly, they're a balanced team that shoots well from long range.  Baylor is their first round opponent, and since winning the NCAA championship in 2021, the Bears have bowed out in the second round each of the last two years to lower seeds. 
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  1-3

5.  Morehead State (14-seed East).  Admittedly, this is a longshot, but after a three-game losing streak in mid-February, the Eagles finished strong, winning their next six, en route to an OVC Tournament championship.  They play 3-seed Illinois in the first round.  The Illini have not advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since they lost in the 2005 title game.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  0-2

Final Championship Update: "Eye of the Tiger"

I didn't have time to post this morning, but Championship Week is complete!  We've reached March Christmas -- Selection Sunday.  Between yesterday and today, even more top seeds lost before they should have:

• AAC 1-seed South Florida and 2-seed Florida Atlantic in the semifinals
• ACC 1-seed North Carolina in the title game
• Big 12 1-seed Houston in the title game
• Big Ten 1-seed Purdue in the semifinals
• Ivy League 1-seed Princeton in the semifinals

Today's song is Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," in honor of the Grambling Tigers' SWAC championship win, clinching the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Here's what happened in yesterday's and today's action and what we have to look forward to:

• In the AAC title game, 4-seed UAB toppled 11-seed Temple, 85-69, to clinch the Blazers' 17th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2022.
• In the ACC championship, 10-seed NC State stole a bid by beating 1-seed North Carolina topped, 84-76.  The Wolfpack will be playing in their 29th NCAA Tournament and second in a row.
• In the America East title game, 1-seed Vermont held off 2-seed UMass Lowell, 66-61, to clinch the Catamounts' 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and their second in a row.
• In the A-10 title game, 6-seed Duquesne held off 5-seed VCU, clinching the Dukes' 6th NCAA Tournament appearance and first of my lifetime.  Their last appearance was in 1977!
• In the Big 12 championship, 2-seed Iowa State dominated 1-seed Houston, 69-41.  The Cyclones will the be playing in their 23rd NCAA Tournament and third in a row.
• In the Big East championship game, 1-seed UConn easily beat 3-seed Marquette, 73-57.  The Huskies -- who secured the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament -- will be playing in their 37th NCAA Tournament and fourth in a row.
• In the Big Ten title game, 3-seed Illinois outlasted 5-seed Wisconsin, 93-87.  The Illini will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and 4th in a row.
• In the Big West title game, shit got crazy, as 4-seed Long Beach State upset 2-seed UC Davis, 74-70.  The Beach (f/k/a the 49ers) will be playing in their 10th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2012.
• In the C-USA championship, 3-seed Western Kentucky topped 5-seed UTEP, 78-71. The Hilltoppers will be playing in their 24th NCAA Tournament and first since 2013.
• In the Ivy League title game, 2-seed Yale scored the last five points of the game and got a bucket at the buzzer to beat 4-seed Brown, 62-61.  The Bulldogs will be playing in their 7th NCAA Tournament and first since 2022.
• In the MAAC title game, 5-seed St. Peter's eked by 2-seed Fairfield, 66-63, clinching the Peacocks' 5th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2022 (when they became the first 15-seed to advance to the Elite Eight, beating Kentucky and Purdue on the way).
• In the MAC championship, 2-seed Akron beat archrival 8-seed Kent State, 62-61, on two free throws with five seconds left.  The Zips will be playing in their 6th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2022.
• In the MEAC title game, 4-seed Howard held off 6-seed Delaware State, 70-67.  The Bison will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row.
• In the Mountain West championship game, 6-seed New Mexico topped 5-seed San Diego State, 68-61  The Lobos will be playing in their 16th NCAA Tournament and first since 2014.
• In the Pac-12 title game, 4-seed Oregon dropped 3-seed Colorado, 75-68.  The Ducks will be be playing in their 18th appearance and first since 2021.
• In the SEC championship game, 4-seed Auburn crushed 6-seed Florida, 86-67.  The Tigers will be playing in their 13th NCAA Tournament and third in a row.
• In the SWAC semis, 1-seed Grambling slayed the dragon, beating 3-seed Texas Southern, 75-66, to earn the Tigers their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
• In the WAC semifinals, top seed Grand Canyon dominated 3-seed UT Arlington, 89-74, giving the Antelopes their 3rd NCAA Tournament berth and second in a row.
• Here is how all the bubble teams fared in their conference tournaments:
• Boise State (lost in Mountain West quarterfinals)
• Cincinnati (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• Colorado (lost in Pac-12 title game)
• Colorado State (lost in Mountain West semifinals)
• Drake (MVC champ)
• Florida Atlantic (lost in AAC semifinals)
• Indiana State (lost in MVC title game)
• Iowa (lost in Big Ten second round)
• James Madison (Sun Belt champ)
• Kansas State (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• McNeese (Southland champ)
• Memphis (lost in AAC second round)
• Michigan State (lost in Big Ten quarterfinals)
• Mississippi State (lost in SEC semifinals)
• Nebraska (lost in Big Ten semifinals)
• Nevada (lost in Mountain West quarterfinals)
• New Mexico (Mountain West champs)
• Northwestern (lost in Big Ten quarterfinals)
• Oklahoma (lost in Big 12 second round)
• Oregon (Pac-12 champ)
• Pittsburgh (lost in ACC semifinals)
• Princeton (lost in Ivy League semifinals)
• Providence (lost in Big East semifinals)
• Seton Hall (lost in Big East quarterfinals)
• South Florida (lost in AAC semifinals)
• St. John's (lost in Big East semifinals)
• Syracuse (lost in ACC second round)
• TCU (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• Texas (lost in Big 12 second round)
• Texas A&M (lost in SEC semifinals)
• Texas Tech (lost in Big 12 semifinals)
• Utah (lost in Pac-12 quarterfinals)
• Villanova (lost in Big East quarterfinals)
• Virginia (lost in ACC semifinals)
• Wake Forest (lost in ACC quarterfinals)

Clinched automatic berths 

Here is your final list of the automatic bid winners (in parentheses is the NCAA tournament appearances for each school, including the bid just clinched and last NCAA Tournament appearance where applicable):

-AAC:  UAB (17; 2022)

-ACC:  NC State (29; 2023)

-America East:  Vermont (11; 2023)

-Atlantic 10:  Duquesne (6; 1977)

-Atlantic Sun:  Stetson (1)

-Big 12:  Iowa State (23; 2023)

-Big East:  UConn (37; 2023)

-Big Sky:  Montana State (6; 2023)

-Big South:  Longwood (2; 2022)

-Big Ten:  Illinois (34; 2023)

-Big West: Long Beach State (10; 2012)

-Coastal:  Charleston (7; 2023)

-Conference USA:  Western Kentucky (24; 2013)

-Horizon:  Oakland (4; 2011)

-Ivy League:  Yale (7; 2022)

-MAAC:  St. Peter's (5; 2022)

-MAC:  Akron (6; 2022)

-MEAC:  Howard (4; 2023)

-Missouri Valley:  Drake (7; 2023)

-Mountain West:  New Mexico (16; 2014)

-Northeast Conference:  Wagner (2; 2003)

-Ohio Valley:  Morehead State (9; 2016)

-Pac-12:  Oregon (18; 2021)

-Patriot League:  Colgate (7; 2003)

-SEC:  Auburn (13; 2023)

-Southern Conference:  Samford (3; 2000)

-Southland:  McNeese (3; 2002)

-Summit:  South Dakota State (7; 2022)

-Sun Belt:  James Madison (6; 2013)

-SWAC:  Grambling (1)

-WAC:  Grand Canyon (3; 2023)

-West Coast:  St. Mary's (13; 2023)

Updated Championship Week Predictions: "May the Living Be Dead (In Our Wake)"

Yesterday gave us some close games and some upsets.  Once again, multiple high seeds -- including six 1-seeds! -- lost earlier than they should have:

• AAC 3-seed Charlotte in the quarterfinals
• Big Ten 4-seed Northwestern in the quarterfinals
• Big West 1-seed UC Irvine in the semifinals
• CUSA 1-seed Sam Houston State in the semifinals
• MAAC 1-seed Quinnipiac in the semifinals
• MEAC 1-seed Norfolk State and 2-seed North Carolina Central in the semifinals
• Mountain West 1-seed Utah State in the semifinals
• Pac-12 1-seed Arizona and 2-seed Washington State in the semifinals
• SEC 1-seed Tennessee, 2-seed Kentucky, and 3-seed Alabama in the quarterfinals
• WAC 2-seed Tarleton in the semifinals

Today, we have another 15 or so hours of college basketball to watch whilst pounding Guinness, beginning at 11 a.m. ET with the tip of the America East title game between Vermont and UMass Lowell and the first Ivy League semifinal game between Princeton and Brown, and continuing all the way to the end of the WAC title game between Grand Canyon and UT Arlington that tips off at 11:30 p.m. ET.  Thirteen (!) automatic bids will be clinched today, so buckle up for another drama-filled day of college basketball action.

Today's song is both relevant to Championship Week and St. Patrick's Day weekend.  With the number of top seeds that have been smote during the last few days -- before many of us get smote by Guinness, Smithwick's, Harp, and Jameson today and/or tomorrow -- I went with Celtic punk stalwarts Flogging Molly's "May the Living Be Dead (In Our Wake)."

Here's what happened in yesterday's action and what we have to look forward to:

• In the ACC semifinals, 1-seed North Carolina topped 4-seed Pittsburgh, 72-65, and 10-seed NC State continued it's Cinderella run, surviving and advancing by beating 3-seed Virginia, 73-65 in OT.  When they face off tomorrow night in the title game, the Tar Heels are a lock for the NCAA Tournament and will be playing in their 53rd NCAA Tournament and first since 2022 (when they lost in the title game to Kansas), while the Wolfpack -- who need to win to get into the NCAA Tournament -- are playing for their 29th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row.
• In the Big 12 semifinals, top seed Houston crushed 4-seed Texas Tech, 82-59, and 2-seed Iowa State easily beat 3-seed Baylor, 76-62.  They'll meet tonight for the championship game.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament, and Houston will likely be a 1-seed, win or lose, and could be the overall 1-seed if they win.  The Cougars will be playing in their 25th NCAA Tournament and fourth in a row, while the Cyclones will the playing in their 23rd NCAA Tournament and third in a row.
• In the Big East semis, 1-seed UConn ousted 5-seed St. John's, 95-90, and 3-seed Marquette finished off 7-seed Providence, 79-68.  They will face off tonight in the title game.  Both UConn and Marquette are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The defending national champion Huskies are also likely a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of the result, and they'll be playing in their 37th NCAA Tournament and fourth in a row, while the Golden Eagles will be playing in their 36th NCAA Tournament and fourth in a row.
• In the Big West semifinals, 4-seed Long Beach State upset 1-seed UC Irvine, 83-79, and 2-seed UC Davis nearly gave up a double-digit lead in the last four minutes before holding off 3-seed Hawaii, 68-65.  When they meet in tonight's championship game, the Beach (f/k/a the 49ers) will be seeking their 10th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2012, and the Aggies will be seeking their 2nd berth and first since 2017.
• In the C-USA semis, 5-seed UTEP went on a huge second-half run to upset 1-seed Sam Houston State, 65-63, and 3-seed Western Kentucky dumped on 7-seed Middle Tennessee State, 85-54.  When they play this evening for the title, the Miners will be playing for their 18th trip to the Big Dance and first since 2010, while the Hilltoppers will be playing for their 24th bid and first since 2013.
• In the MAAC semifinals, 5-seed St. Peter's got a tip-in at the buzzer to upset 1-seed Quinnipiac, 62-60, and 2-seed Fairfield held off 3-seed Marist, 65-61.  When they clash in tonight's championship game, the Peacocks will be playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2022 (when they became the first 15-seed to advance to the Elite Eight, beating Kentucky and Purdue on the way), and the Stags are playing for their 4th appearance and first since 1997.
• In the MAC semifinals, 2-seed Akron survived 3-seed Ohio, 65-63, and 8-seed Kent State downed 5-seed Bowling Green, 73-60, to set up an all-Northeast Ohio championship game.  This will be the fifth time the Zips and the Golden Flashes will have faced off in the MAC Tournament championship game (they're 2-2, by the way).  The Zips will be playing for their 6th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2022, and the Golden Flashes will be playing for their 8th berth and second in a row.
• In the MEAC semis, the top two seeds fell, as 4-seed Howard upset top seed Norfolk State, 80-74, and 6-seed Delaware State upset 2-seed North Carolina Central, 71-58.  When they play in this afternoon's title game, the Bison will be playing for their 4th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row, and the Hornets will be playing for their 2nd appearance and first since 2005.
• In the Mountain West semifinals,  5-seed San Diego State made easy work of 1-seed Utah State, 86-70, and 6-seed New Mexico topped 7-seed Colorado State, 74-61.  Both teams should be locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Aztecs (who made it to their first Final Four and title game last year) will be playing in their 16th NCAA Tournament and 4th in a row, while the Lobos will be playing in their 16th and first since 2014.
• In the Pac-12 semis, the top two seeds also lost, as 4-seed Oregon took down top seed Arizona, 67-59, and 3-seed Colorado beat 2-seed Washington State, 58-52.  The Ducks need to win to get into the NCAA Tournament, and they'll be playing for their 18th appearance and first since 2021.  The Buffaloes are likely in regardless, so they'll be playing in their 16th NCAA Tournament and first since 2021.
• In the SWAC semis, 1-seed Grambling dropped 5-seed Bethune Cookman, 65-53, and 3-seed Texas Southern staved off 7-seed Alabama A&M, 72-65.  When they meet in tonight's title game, the Tigers will be seeking their first ever NCAA Tournament bid, while the other Tigers will be seeking their 13th bid and fourth in a row (and 7th SWAC Tournament title in the last ten years).
• In the WAC semifinals, top seed Grand Canyon bounced 4-seed Seattle, 80-72, and 3-seed UT Arlington got a game-winning three with five seconds left to beat 2-seed Tarleton, 87-84.  When they play in the last of today's 13 championship games, the Antelopes will be playing for their 3rd NCAA Tournament appearance and second in a row, and the Mavericks will be playing for their 2nd appearance and first since 2008.
• In the AAC quarterfinals, 1-seed South Florida ensured they didn't fall off the bubble by thumping 8-seed East Carolina, 81-59, 2-seed Florida Atlantic eked out a win over 7-seed North Texas, 77-71, 11-seed Temple upset 3-seed Charlotte, 58-54, and 4-seed UAB dropped 12-seed Wichita State, 72-60, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Big Ten quarters, 1-seed Purdue got a scare before holding off 8-seed Michigan State, 67-64, 2-seed Illinois barely survived 10-seed Ohio State, 77-74, 3-seed Nebraska demolished 6-seed Indiana, 93-66 (making sure the rest of my March is anxiety-free), and 5-seed Wisconsin took down 4-seed Northwestern, 70-61, to advance to today's semifinals.
• In the Second Round of the SEC, 9-seed Mississippi State handily beat top seed Tennessee, 73-56, 7-seed Texas A&M significantly helped its NCAA Tournament hopes by beating 2-seed Kentucky, 97-87, 6-seed Florida bounced 3-seed Alabama, 102-88, and 4-seed Auburn annihilated 5-seed South Carolina, 86-55, to advance to today's semifinals.
• The final conference tournament starts today (Ivy League), and 18 conference tournaments have games today.
• 13 conference tournaments have title games today (ACC, America East, Big 12, Big East, Big West, C-USA, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, SWAC, WAC), and five conference tournaments have semifinals today (AAC, A-10, Big Ten, Ivy League, SEC).
• Here are the teams still playing in the conference tournaments that have never been to the NCAA Tournament (not including teams who are ineligible for this year's NCAA Tournament):
• America East:  2-seed UMass Lowell
• SWAC:  1-seed Grambling
• Bubble teams that won yesterday (in conference tournaments):  Colorado, Florida Atlantic, Mississippi State, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, South Florida, Texas A&M
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday (in conference tournaments):  Colorado State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John's, Texas Tech, Virginia
• Bubble teams that did not play yesterday (in conference tournaments) or whose conference tournaments have not yet started:  Princeton
• Bubble teams whose regular seasons are done (and how they finished in their conference tournaments):  
• Boise State (lost in Mountain West quarterfinals)
• Cincinnati (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• Colorado State (lost in Mountain West semifinals)
• Drake (MVC champ)
• Indiana State (lost in MVC title game)
• Iowa (lost in Big Ten second round)
• James Madison (Sun Belt champ)
• Kansas State (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• McNeese (Southland champ)
• Memphis (lost in AAC second round)
• Michigan State (lost in Big Ten quarterfinals)
• Nevada (lost in Mountain West quarterfinals)
• Northwestern (lost in Big Ten quarterfinals)
• Oklahoma (lost in Big 12 second round)
• Pittsburgh (lost in ACC semifinals)
• Providence (lost in Big East semifinals)
• Seton Hall (lost in Big East quarterfinals)
• St. John's (lost in Big East semifinals)
• Syracuse (lost in ACC second round)
• TCU (lost in Big 12 quarterfinals)
• Texas (lost in Big 12 second round)
• Texas Tech (lost in Big 12 semifinals)
• Utah (lost in Pac-12 quarterfinals)
• Villanova (lost in Big East quarterfinals)
• Virginia (lost in ACC semifinals)
• Wake Forest (lost in ACC quarterfinals)

With that, here are the tournaments starting today, the tournaments with games today, bids up for grab today, who has already clinched an automatic berth, and my predictions for the remaining conference tournaments.

Tournaments starting today

-Ivy League

Tournaments with games today

-AAC

-ACC

-America East

-Atlantic 10

-Big 12

-Big East

-Big Ten

-Big West

-Conference USA

-Ivy League

-MAAC

-MAC

-MEAC

-Mountain West

-Pac-12

-SEC

-SWAC

-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-America East (11 a.m.; ESPN2):  (2) UMass Lowell at (1) Vermont

-MEAC (1:00 p.m.; ESPN2):  (4) Howard vs. (6) Delaware State

-Big 12 (6 p.m.; ESPN):  (1) Houston vs. (2) Iowa State

-Mountain West (6 p.m.; CBS):  (5) San Diego State vs. (6) New Mexico

-Big East (6:30 p.m.; Fox):  (1) UConn vs. (3) Marquette

-MAAC (7:30 p.m.; ESPNU):  (2) Fairfield vs. (5) St. Peter's

-MAC (7:30 p.m.; ESPN2):  (2) Akron vs. (8) Kent State

-ACC (8:30 p.m.; ESPN):  (1) North Carolina vs. (10) NC State

-Conference USA (8:30 p.m.; CBSSN):  (3) Western Kentucky vs. (5) UTEP

-Pac-12 (9 p.m.; Fox):  (3) Colorado vs. (4) Oregon

-Big West (9:30 p.m.; ESPN2):  (2) UC Davis vs. (4) Long Beach State

-SWAC (9:30 p.m.; ESPNU):  (1) Grambling vs. (3) Texas Southern

-WAC (11:30 p.m.; ESPN2):  (1) Grand Canyon vs. (3) UT Arlington

Already clinched automatic berths (I will add in parentheses the NCAA tournament appearances for each school, including the bid just clinched and last NCAA Tournament appearance where applicable, and for conferences whose tournaments have not yet ended, I'll list the date of the championship game)

-AAC (March 17)

-ACC (March 16)

-America East (March 16)

-Atlantic 10 (March 17)

-Atlantic Sun:  Stetson (1)

-Big 12 (March 16)

-Big East (March 16)

-Big Sky:  Montana State (6; 2023)

-Big South:  Longwood (2; 2022)

-Big Ten (March 17)

-Big West (March 16)

-Coastal:  Charleston (7; 2023)

-Conference USA (March 16)

-Horizon:  Oakland (4; 2011)

-Ivy League (March 17)

-MAAC (March 16)

-MAC (March 16)

-MEAC (March 16)

-Missouri Valley:  Drake (7; 2023)

-Mountain West (March 16)

-Northeast Conference:  Wagner (2; 2003)

-Ohio Valley:  Morehead State (9; 2016)

-Pac-12 (March 16)

-Patriot League:  Colgate (7; 2003)

-SEC (March 17)

-Southern Conference:  Samford (3; 2000)

-Southland:  McNeese (3; 2002)

-Summit:  South Dakota State (7; 2022)

-Sun Belt:  James Madison (6; 2013)

-SWAC (March 16)

-WAC (March 16)

-West Coast:  St. Mary's (13; 2023)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 13-17; Fort Worth)

3/16 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) South Florida vs. (4) UAB.  Predicted winner:  South Florida

5 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Florida Atlantic vs. (11) Temple.  Predicted winner:  Florida Atlantic

3/17 – Finals

3:15 p.m. (ESPN) (1) South Florida vs. (2) Florida Atlantic.  Predicted winner:  Florida Atlantic

ACC (March 12-16; Washington, DC)

3/16 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (ESPN) (1) North Carolina vs. (10) NC State.  Predicted winner:  North Carolina

America East (March 9, 12, 16; campus of higher seed)

3/16 – Finals

11 a.m. (ESPN2) (2) UMass Lowell at (1) Vermont.  Predicted winner:  Vermont

Atlantic 10 (March 12-14, 16-17; Brooklyn)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBSSN) (9) St. Joseph's vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

3:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (7) St. Bonaventure vs. (6) Duquesne.  Predicted winner:  Duquesne

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (6) Duquesne vs. (5) VCU.  Predicted winner:  VCU

Big 12 (March 12-16; Kansas City)

3/16 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Houston vs. (2) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Houston

Big East (March 13-16; New York)

3/16 – Finals

6:30 p.m. (Fox) (1) UConn vs. (3) Marquette.  Predicted winner:  UConn

Big Ten (March 13-17; Minneapolis)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Purdue vs. (5) Wisconsin.  Predicted winner:  Wisconsin

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (2) Illinois vs. (3) Nebraska.  Predicted winner:  Nebraska

3/17 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (3) Nebraska vs. (5) Wisconsin.  Predicted winner:  Nebraska

Big West (March 13-16; Henderson, NV)

3/16 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) Long Beach State vs. (2) UC Davis.  Predicted winner:  UC Davis

Conference USA (March 12-16; Huntsville, AL)

3/16 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (5) UTEP vs. (3) Western Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Western Kentucky

Ivy League (March 16-17; New York)

3/16 - Semifinals

11 a.m. (ESPNU) (1) Princeton vs. (4) Brown.  Predicted winner:  Princeton

2 p.m. (ESPNews) (2) Yale vs. (3) Cornell.  Predicted winner:  Cornell

3/17 - Finals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Princeton vs. (3) Cornell.  Predicted winner:  Princeton

MAAC (March 12-16; Atlantic City, NJ)

3/16 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Fairfield vs. (5) St. Peter's.  Predicted winner:  Fairfield

MAC (March 14-16; Cleveland)

3/16 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Akron vs. (8) Kent State.  Predicted winner:  Akron

MEAC (March 13-16; Norfolk, VA)

3/16 – Final

1:00 p.m. (ESPN2) (4) Howard vs. (6) Delaware State.  Predicted winner:  Delaware State

Mountain West (March 13-16; Paradise, NV)

3/16 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (5) San Diego State vs. (6) New Mexico.  Predicted winner:  San Diego State

Pac-12 (March 13-16; Paradise, NV)

3/16 – Finals

9 p.m. (Fox) (1) Arizona vs. (3) Colorado vs. (4) Oregon.  Predicted winner:  Colorado

SEC (March 13-17; Nashville)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (9) Mississippi State vs. (4) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  Auburn

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) (6) Florida vs. (7) Texas A&M.  Predicted winner:  Florida

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (4) Auburn vs. (6) Florida.  Predicted winner:  Auburn

SWAC (March 13-16; Birmingham, AL)

3/16 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Grambling vs. (3) Texas Southern.  Predicted winner:  Texas Southern

WAC (March 13-16; Paradise, NV)

3/16 – Finals

11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Grand Canyon vs. (3) UT Arlington.  Predicted winner:  Grand Canyon