Hair Band Friday - 3/29/19

1.  "Don't Give Up An Inch" by Poison


2.  "Slip of the Lip" by Ratt


3.  "Coming Home" by Cinderella


4.  "Love and Affection" by Def Leppard


5.  "That's Life" by David Lee Roth


6.  "Dream Warriors" by Dokken


7.  "In Motion" by Britny Fox


8.  "Light Up the Sky" by Van Halen


9.  "Here I Am" by Skid Row


10.  "Baby Be Mine" by White Lion

New Book: Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross

A few weeks ago, I finished reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.  It's a short novel about a 9-year-old girl who gets lost in the woods while on a family hiking in 1998, after she takes a pee break and then can't find her way back to the trail.  She makes a few wrong turns and has to survive for over a week with nothing but a little food, some water, her wits, and her walkman, which she uses to tune into Red Sox games.  She hallucinates that her favorite baseball player, then-Red Sox closer Tom "Flash" Gordon (who was in the midst of an All-Star season that year), comes to talk to her and help guide her through the woods.  But there is something else that lurks in among the trees.  Will it capture our young heroine before she can find her way out or be found?  I'm not telling.

Since then, I started reading Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross.  It's somewhat timely for me, since I was lucky enough to see the Experience Hendrix tour last Friday at Chicago Theatre.  Since I knew that was coming up, I decided to start this book a couple weeks ago.  Other than The Beatles, I have more Jimi Hendrix music in my catalog than any other band or artist.  I know his music inside and out -- and I know about Monterrey Pop, Woodstock, and the legendary stories about legendary guitarists seeing him for the first time and realizing they wouldn't ever be the world's best guitarist -- but I don't really know much about his childhood or personal life.  Turns out his childhood was pretty shitty!  But it got better -- well, until 27.

Books Read in 2019:
-The Anatomy of Evil by Michael H. Stone, M.D.
-The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

Retro Video of the Week: "Round and Round" by Ratt

A mere 35 years ago today, the world learned how to Ratt 'n' Roll, as Sunset Strip rockers Ratt released their debut album, Out of the Cellar.  The iconic cover art featured '80s vixen Tawny Kitaen -- then girlfriend of Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby, and future Whitesnake video queen, brief wife of David Coverdale, dimwitted yet hot actress girlfriend of Jerry Seinfeld on the "The Nose Job" episode of Seinfeld, co-host of America's Funniest People, and Chuck Finley batterer -- crawling towards the enticing lights of an open cellar door in an alley, while dressed in a torn black dress.

The album would peak at #7 on the Billboard album charts and would eventually go triple platinum in the U.S. -- making it the band's best-selling album.  While there are some other great tracks on the album -- "I'm Insane," "She Wants Money," and "Wanted Man" come to mind -- "Round and Round" is the group's most well-known song.  It was the debut single off of Out of the Cellar, and it hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Canadian chart -- the band's highest-charting single in either country.

The video for "Round and Round" got a lot of play on MTV, with its fancy dinner party being invaded by rats and rockers.  It also featured Milton Berle -- who, if you didn't know, is rumored to have had a massive dong.  He was the band's manager's uncle, and he also made a cameo at the end of the "Back For More" video.

Tuesday Top Ten: Fun Facts About This Year's NCAA Tournament

And now, a mere week after the First Four started, we are down to the Sweet 16.  This has been a top-heavy tournament so far, and we have only had 9 games decided by five points or less in the first two rounds (down from 17 last year).  Of course, if the refs could call a charge on Zion Williamson, the #1 overall seed would have been home for the second weekend of the tournament for the second year in a row.

But as David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash once sang in perfect harmony, don't let the past remind us of what we are not now.  Seven of the Sweet 16 teams are repeats from last year, but Michigan is the only one left that made it to the Final Four last year.   Here are the Sweet 16 teams, along with the last time they made the Sweet 16 (and their region, seeds, game time, and what station is televising the game):

West Region (Anaheim)
(1) Gonzaga (2018) vs. (4) Florida State (2018) - Thursday 3/28 7:09 ET CBS
(2) Michigan (2018) vs. (3) Texas Tech (2018) - Thursday 3/28 9:39 ET TBS

South Region (Louisville)
(2) Tennessee (2014) vs. (3) Purdue (2018) - Thursday 3/28 7:29 ET TBS
(1) Virginia (2016) vs. (12) Oregon (2017) - Thursday 3/28 9:59 ET TBS

East Region (Washington, DC)
(2) Michigan State (2015) vs. (3) LSU (2006) - Friday 3/29 7:09 ET CBS
(1) Duke (2018) vs. (4) Virginia Tech (1967) - Friday 3/29 9:39 ET CBS

Midwest Region (Kansas City)
(1) North Carolina (2017) vs. (5) Auburn (2003) - Friday 3/29 7:29 ET TBS
(2) Kentucky (2018) vs. (3) Houston (1984) - Friday 3/23 9:59 ET TBS

If you're like me -- and you better pray to Dr. Zaius that you're not –- you not only love the NCAA Tournament, but you are fascinated with the history and statistical minutiae associated with the tournament.  Like I've done the last couple years, I'm going to drop knowledge bombs on your mind.  Here are 16 fun facts about this year's NCAA tournament.  You know, 16.  For the Sweet 16.

16.  Illinois, while not in the NCAA Tournament, had three former coaches who were coaching in the tournament -- Oklahoma's Lon Kruger, Kansas's Bill Self, and Kansas State's Bruce Weber.  None advanced to the second weekend.  Technically neither did Lou Henson or John Groce, I suppose.  Oh, and just so we're clear, Loyola is still the only school in Illinois to have won an NCAA Division 1 men's basketball championship.

15.  Six schools got their first-ever NCAA Tournament victories:
-7-seed Wofford over 10-seed Seton Hall, 84-68, in the First Round
-9-seed UCF over 8-seed VCU, 73-58, in the First Round
-11-seed Belmont over 11-seed Temple, 81-70, in the First Four
-12-seed Liberty over 5-seed Mississippi State, 80-76, in the First Round
-13-seed UC Irvine over 4-seed Kansas State, 70-64, in the First Round
-16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson over 16-seed Prairie View A&M, 82-76, in the First Four

14.  For the fifth time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, three 12-seeds won their first round games (Liberty, Murray State, and Oregon) -- and the fourth (New Mexico State) came within a buzzer beater of making it four.  All four 12-seeds have never won, but the other years in which three won were 2002, 2009, 2013, and 2014.  Of the 5-seeds that survived the first round in those years (and this year), the only 5-seeds to advance to the Sweet 16 were Indiana in 2002, Purdue in 2009, and Auburn in 2019.  In 2002, the Hoosiers made it all the way to the title game.  We all know damn well Purdue didn't make it past the Sweet 16 in 2009.

13.  For the second time ever (2009 being the other year), the top 3 seeds in all four regions advanced to the Sweet 16.  And everyone's brackets are still intact as a result.  Stupid UCF.

12.  Houston is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since going to their third Final Four in a row in 1984, during the inimitable Phi Slamma Jamma era.  Not to be droughtdone (see what I did there?), Virginia Tech is playing in its first Sweet 16 since going to the Elite Eight in 1967.  Here's how they stack up with the longest-ever droughts between Sweet 16 appearances (since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951):
-58 years:  LaSalle (1955-2013)
-56 years:  Cornell (1954-2010)
-52 years:  Virginia Tech (1967-2019)
-51 years:  Bradley (1955-2006), St. Mary's (1959-2010)
-46 years:  Penn State (1955-2001)
-44 years:  South Carolina (1973-2017)
-42 years:  Oregon (1960-2002)
-41 years:  Butler (1962-2003)
-40 years:  USC (1961-2001)
-39 years:  Davidson (1969-2008), Tulsa (1955-1994)
-38 years:  Ohio (1964-2002)
-35 years:  Houston (1984-2019), West Virginia (1963-1998)

As long as we're looking at droughts, I decided to see which schools have current Sweet 16 droughts of 50 or more years.  Again, it's since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951.  I'm adding a year, since they obviously aren't in this year's Sweet 16 -- and, of course, teams that are no longer Division 1 teams are not included, nor are teams that have never made the Sweet 16.  Here they are:
-69 years (1951):  Montana State, San Jose State
-67 years (1953):  Holy Cross
-66 years (1954):  Rice
-63 years (1957):  Canisius, Lafayette, St. Louis
-62 years (1958):  Dartmouth, Manhattan
-61 years (1959):  Boston University
-59 years (1961):  Morehead State
-57 years (1963):  Bowling Green
-56 years (1964):  Seattle (although they were not D-1 from 1980 to 2008)
-53 years (1967):  Princeton, SMU
-52 years (1968):  Columbia, East Tennessee State, TCU
-51 years (1969):  Colorado, Colorado State, Duquesne
-50 years (1970):  Jacksonville, Niagara, Santa Clara, St. Bonaventure, Utah State

11.  For the first time since the First Four format was introduced in 2011, none of the First Four winners advanced to the Round of 32.  Where for art thou, VCU?

10.  For the first time since 2001 and only the fifth time since the tournament began seeding in 1979, no 8-seeds won (1989, 1994, and 1999 being the years other than 2001 and 2019).  That's a weird fucking stat, isn't it?  Not so weird is that, in all but one of those years, all four 9-seeds lost to 1-seeds in the second round.  The only 9-seed to advance past the second round in any of those years was Boston College in 1994, when the Golden Eagles got to the Elite Eight before losing to Florida.

9.  Only two teams seeded higher than 4 advanced to Sweet 16 -- #5 Auburn in the Midwest and #12 Oregon in the South.  This is only the second time since the tournament began seeding in 1979 that two or fewer teams seeded 5 or lower have advanced to the Sweet 16.  2009 was the other year, and it was also a 5-seed (Purdue) and a 12-seed (Arizona), although neither advanced past the Sweet 16.

8.  The top 4 seeds in two or more regions advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time since the tournament began seeding in 1979.  Here are the other five times (with the number of regions with the top 4 seeds in parentheses):  1982 (3), 1983 (2), 1989 (2), 1991 (2), 2009 (2).

7.  For the first time since 2016, all 1-seeds survived the first weekend and advanced to the Sweet 16.  If all four 1-seeds win their Sweet 16 games, it will only be the 9th time since seeding began in 1979 that all four 1-seeds will have advanced to the Elite 8.  1987, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2016 were the other years.  Of course, 2008 is the only year in which all four 1-seeds advanced to the Final Four.

6.  The ACC, Big Ten, and SEC each have three or more teams in the Sweet 16.  Here are the years in which at least three conferences have had at least three teams in the Sweet 16.  Note that 1980 was the first year in which more than one at-large bid could be awarded to each conference, so that was the starting point:
2019:  ACC (5), Big Ten (3), SEC (4)
2017:  Big 12 (3), Big Ten (3), Pac-12 (3), SEC (3)
2016:  ACC (6), Big 12 (3), Big Ten (3)
2014:  Big Ten (3), Pac-12 (3), SEC (3)
2004:  ACC (3), Big 12 (3), Big East (3)
2003:  Big 12 (3), Big East (4), Big Ten (3)
2000:  Big East (3), Big Ten (3), SEC (3)
1998:  ACC (3), Big East (3), Pac-10 (4)
1989:  ACC (4), Big East (3), Big Ten (4)
1985:  ACC (4), Big East (4), SEC (3)
1983:  ACC (3), Big East (3), Big Ten (3)

5.  Defending champ Villanova got curb-stomped by Purdue in the Round of 32, losing 87-61.  It was the third year in a row that the defending champ lost in the Round of 32 and the 23rd time since seeding began in 1979 that the defending champ failed to make it to the Sweet 16.  If you're counting, that means a defending champ is more likely than not to fail to make it to the Sweet 16.  Setting aside that grammatical garble, here is a breakdown of defending champions who have lost before the Sweet 16 or failed to make the NCAA Tournament since 1979:
2019:  Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
2018:  North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
2017:  Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
2015:  UConn (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2013:  Kentucky (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2012:  UConn (lost in Round of 64)
2010:  North Carolina (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2008:  Florida (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2006:  North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
2005:  UConn (lost in Round of 32)
2000:  UConn (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1996:  UCLA (lost in Round of 64)
1994:  North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
1993:  Duke (lost in Round of 32)
1990:  Michigan (lost in Round of 32)
1989:  Kansas (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1988:  Indiana (lost in Round of 64)
1987:  Louisville (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1986:  Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
1984:  NC State (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1982:  Indiana (lost in Round of 32)
1981:  Louisville (lost in Round of 32)
1980:  Michigan State (did not make the NCAA Tournament)

4.  8 double-digit seeds won their first round games, which is above average.  In the 35 years since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been 215 double-digit seeds that have won their first round games, which is an average of 6.14 per year.  Here is a year-by-year list of every double-digit seed that has won its first round game since 1985:
2019:  8 (#10 Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, #11 Ohio State, #12 Liberty, Murray State, Oregon, #13 UC Irvine)
2018:  6 (#10 Butler, #11 Loyola (IL), Syracuse, #13 Buffalo, Marshall, #16 UMBC)
2017:  5 (#10 Wichita State, #11 Rhode Island, USC, Xavier, #12 Middle Tennessee State)
2016:  10 (#10 Syracuse, VCU, #11 Gonzaga, Northern Iowa, Wichita State, #12 Little Rock, Yale, #13 Hawaii, #14 Stephen F. Austin, #15 Middle Tennessee State)
2015:  5 (#10 Ohio State, #11 Dayton, UCLA, #14 UAB, Georgia State)
2014:  6 (#10 Stanford, #11 Dayton, Tennessee, #12 Harvard, North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin)
2013:  8 (#10 Iowa State, #11 Minnesota, #12 California, Mississippi, Oregon, #13 LaSalle, #14 Harvard, #15 Florida Gulf Coast)
2012:  9 (#10 Purdue, Xavier, #11 Colorado, North Carolina State, #12 South Florida, VCU, #13 Ohio, #15 Lehigh, Norfolk State)
2011:  6 (#10, Florida State, #11 Gonzaga, Marquette, VCU, #12 Richmond, #13 Morehead State)
2010:   8 (#10 Georgia Tech, Missouri, St. Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, Washington, #12 Cornell, #13 Murray State, #14 Ohio)
2009:  8 (#10 Maryland, Michigan, USC, #11 Dayton, #12 Arizona, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, #13 Cleveland State)
2008:  6 (#10 Davidson, #11 Kansas State, #12 Villanova, Western Kentucky, #13 San Diego, Siena)
2007:  2 (#11 Winthrop, VCU)
2006:  8 (#10 Alabama, NC State, #11 George Mason, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, #12 Montana, Texas A&M, #13 Bradley, #14 Northwestern State)
2005:  5 (#10 NC State, #11 UAB, #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, #13 Vermont, #14 Bucknell)
2004:  3 (#10 Nevada, #12 Manhattan, Pacific,)
2003:  5 (#10 Arizona State, Auburn, #11 Central Michigan, #12 Butler, #13 Tulsa)
2002:  7 (#10 Kent State, #11 Southern Illinois, Wyoming, #12 Creighton, Missouri, Tulsa, #13 UNC-Wilmington)
2001:  9 (#10 Butler, Georgetown, #11 Georgia State, Temple, #12 Gonzaga, Utah State, #13 Indiana State, Kent State, #15 Hampton)
2000:  3 (#10 Gonzaga, Seton Hall, #11 Pepperdine)
1999:  8 (#10 Creighton, Gonzaga, Miami (OH), Purdue, #12 Detroit, Southwest Missouri State, #13 Oklahoma, #14 Weber State)
1998:  8 (#10 Detroit, West Virginia, St. Louis, #11 Washington, Western Michigan, #12 Florida State, #13 Valparaiso, #14 Richmond)
1997:  5 (#10 Providence, Texas, #12 Charleston, #14 Tennessee-Chattanooga, #15 Coppin State)
1996:  6 (#10 Santa Clara, Texas, #11 Boston College, #12 Arkansas, Drexel, #13 Princeton)
1995:  6 (#10 Stanford, #11 Texas, #12 Miami (OH), #13 Manhattan, #14 Old Dominion, Weber State)
1994:  5 (#10 George Washington, Maryland, #11 Pennsylvania, #12 Tulsa, Wisconsin-Green Bay)
1993:  4 (#11 Tulane, #12 George Washington, #13 Southern, #15 Santa Clara)
1992:  5 (#10 Iowa State, Tulane, #12 New Mexico State, #13 Southwest Louisiana, #14 East Tennessee State)
1991:  8 (#10 BYU, Temple, #11 Connecticut, Creighton, #12 Eastern Michigan, #13 Penn State, #14 Xavier, #15 Richmond)
1990:  5 (#10 Texas, #11 Loyola Marymount, #12 Ball State, Dayton, #14 Northern Iowa)
1989:  8 (#10 Colorado State, #11 Evansville, Minnesota, South Alabama, Texas, #12 DePaul, #13 Middle Tennessee State, #14 Siena)
1988:  4 (#10 Loyola Marymount, #11 Rhode Island, #13 Richmond, #14 Murray State)
1987:  6 (#10 LSU, Western Kentucky, #12 Wyoming, #13 Southwest Missouri State, Xavier, #14 Austin Peay)
1986:  5 (#10 Villanova, #11 LSU, #12 DePaul, #14 Arkansas-Little Rock, Cleveland State)
1985:  5 (#11 Auburn, Boston College, UTEP, #12 Kentucky, #13 Navy)

3.  The average seed number for Sweet 16 teams this year is 3.0625, making this tied with 2009 for the lowest average seed number in the Sweet 16 since since seeding began in 1979.  Of course, if the seeding played out as it should (i.e., all teams seeded 1-4 advancing to the Sweet 16, which has never happened), the average seed number would be 2.5. Here is the average seed of Sweet 16 teams since 1979:
2019: 3.0625
2018: 5.3125
2017: 4.0625
2016: 4.125
2015: 4.375
2014: 4.9375
2013: 5.0625
2012: 4.5625
2011: 5
2010: 5
2009: 3.0625
2008: 4.375
2007: 3.1875
2006: 4.4375
2005: 4.5
2004: 4.5625
2003: 4.1875
2002: 4.6875
2001: 4.5625
2000: 5.3125
1999: 5.5
1998: 4.75
1997: 4.8125
1996: 3.6875
1995: 3.1875
1994: 4.25
1993: 4.0625
1992: 4.1875
1991: 4
1990: 5.5
1989: 3.125
1988: 4.3125
1987: 4.25
1986: 5.5625
1985: 4.875
1984: 3.8125
1983: 3.5
1982: 3.1875
1981: 4.5625
1980: 4.125
1979: 3.8125

2.  We have two mid-majors in the Sweet 16 -- Gonzaga and Houston.  (I consider schools in conferences other than the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC to be mid-majors, even if a school is now in one of those conferences, so, for instance, Butler and Xavier were mid-majors before joining the Big East a couple years ago, but are no longer mid-majors. It's not a perfect science. Deal with it.)  25 mid-majors have advanced to the Final Four since 1979.  Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the number of mid-major teams that made it to the Sweet 16 since 1979:
2019: 2 (Gonzaga, Houston)
2018: 3 (Gonzaga, Loyola (IL)*, Nevada)
2017: 1 (Gonzaga*)
2016: 1 (Gonzaga)
2015: 2 (Gonzaga, Wichita State)
2014: 2 (Dayton, San Diego State)
2013: 3 (Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle, Wichita State*)
2012: 2 (Ohio, Xavier)
2011: 5 (Butler*, BYU, Richmond, San Diego State, VCU*)
2010: 5 (Butler*, Cornell, Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, Xavier)
2009: 3 (Gonzaga, Memphis, Xavier)
2008: 4 (Davidson, Memphis*, Western Kentucky, Xavier)
2007: 4 (Butler, Memphis, Southern Illinois, UNLV)
2006: 5 (Bradley, George Mason*, Gonzaga, Memphis, Wichita State)
2005: 2 (Utah, UW-Milwaukee)
2004: 4 (Nevada, St. Joseph's, UAB, Xavier)
2003: 2 (Butler, Marquette*)
2002: 2 (Kent State, Southern Illinois)
2001: 2 (Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Temple)
2000: 2 (Gonzaga, Tulsa)
1999: 4 (Gonzaga, Miami (OH), SW Missouri State, Temple)
1998: 3 (Rhode Island, Utah*, Valparaiso)
1997: 3 (St. Joseph's, Utah, UT-Chattanooga)
1996: 3 (Cincinnati, Massachusetts*, Utah)
1995: 3 (Massachusetts, Memphis, Tulsa)
1994: 2 (Marquette, Tulsa)
1993: 4 (Cincinnati, George Washington, Temple, Western Kentucky)
1992: 5 (Cincinnati*, Memphis State, Massachusetts, New Mexico State, UTEP)
1991: 4 (Eastern Michigan, Temple, UNLV*, Utah)
1990: 4 (Ball State, Loyola Marymount, UNLV**, Xavier)
1989: 2 (Louisville, UNLV)
1988: 4 (Louisville, Rhode Island, Richmond, Temple)
1987: 3 (DePaul, UNLV*, Wyoming)
1986: 5 (Cleveland State, DePaul, Louisville**, Navy, UNLV)
1985: 3 (Louisiana Tech, Loyola (IL), Memphis State*)
1984: 6 (Dayton, DePaul, Houston*, Louisville, Memphis State, UNLV)
1983: 4 (Houston*, Louisville, Memphis State, Utah)
1982: 6 (Fresno State, Houston*, Idaho, Louisville*, Memphis State, UAB)
1981: 5 (BYU, St. Joseph's, UAB, Utah, Wichita State)
1980: 2 (Lamar, Louisville**)
1979: 8 (DePaul*, Indiana State*, Louisville, Marquette, Penn*, Rutgers, San Francisco, Toledo)
*Advanced to Final Four
**Won NCAA title

1.  For the first time since 2009, there is only one team seeded 8 or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 -- Oregon, the 12-seed in the South.  Thirteen teams seeded 8 or higher have advanced to the Final Four (Villanova in 1985 was the only national champion).  Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the number of teams seeded #8 or lower that made it to the Sweet 16 since 1979:
2019: 1 (#12 Oregon)
2018: 4 (#9 Florida State, #9 Kansas State, #11 Loyola (IL)*, #11 Syracuse)
2017: 2 (#8 Wisconsin, #11 Xavier)
2016: 2 (#10 Syracuse*, #11 Gonzaga)
2015: 2 (#8 NC State, #11 UCLA)
2014: 4 (#8 Kentucky*, #10 Stanford, #11 Dayton, #11 Tennessee)
2013: 4 (#9 Wichita State*, #12 Oregon, #13 LaSalle, and #15 Florida Gulf Coast)
2012: 3 (#10 Xavier, #11 NC State, and #13 Ohio)
2011: 5 (#8 Butler*, #10 Florida State, #11 Marquette, #11 VCU*, and #12 Richmond)
2010: 4 (#9 Northern Iowa, #10 St. Mary's, #11 Washington, #12 Cornell)
2009: 1 (#12 Arizona)
2008: 3 (#10 Davidson, #12 Villanova, #12 Western Kentucky)
2007: 0
2006: 2 (#11 George Mason*, #13 Bradley)
2005: 2 (#10 North Carolina State, #12 UW-Milwaukee)
2004: 3 (#8 Alabama, #9 UAB, #10 Nevada)
2003: 2 (#10 Auburn, #12 Butler)
2002: 4 (#8 UCLA, #10 Kent State, #11 Southern Illinois, #12 Missouri)
2001: 3 (#10 Georgetown, #11 Temple, #12 Gonzaga)
2000: 4 (#8 North Carolina*, #8 Wisconsin*, #10 Seton Hall, #10 Gonzaga)
1999: 5 (#10 Gonzaga, #10 Miami (OH), #10 Purdue, #12 Southwest Missouri State, #13 Oklahoma)
1998: 4 (#8 Rhode Island, #10 West Virginia, #11 Washington, #13 Valparaiso)
1997: 3 (#10 Texas, #10 Providence, #14 UT-Chattanooga)
1996: 2 (#8 Georgia, #12 Arkansas)
1995: 0
1994: 2 (#9 Boston College, #10 Maryland, #12 Tulsa)
1993: 1 (#12 George Washington)
1992: 2 (#9 UTEP, #12 New Mexico State)
1991: 3 (#10 Temple, #11 Connecticut, #12 Eastern Michigan)
1990: 4 (#8 North Carolina, #10 Texas, #11 Loyola Marymount, #12 Ball State)
1989: 1 (#11 Minnesota)
1988: 2 (#11 Rhode Island, #13 Richmond)
1987: 2 (#10 LSU, #12 Wyoming)
1986: 4 (#8 Auburn, #11 LSU*, #12 DePaul, #14 Cleveland State)
1985: 4 (#8 Villanova**, #11 Auburn, #11 Boston College, #12 Kentucky)
1984: 1 (#10 Dayton)
1983: 1 (#10 Utah)
1982: 1 (#8 Boston College)
1981: 2 (#8 Kansas State, #9 St. Joseph's)
1980: 2 (#8 UCLA*, #10 Lamar)
1979: 2 (#9 Penn*, #10 St. John's)
*Advanced to Final Four
**Won NCAA title

Hair Band Friday - 3/22/19

1.  "Decadence Dance" by Extreme


2.  "What's Next to the Moon" by AC/DC


3.  "Electric Eye" by Judas Priest


4.  "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister


5.  "Heaven's On Fire" by KISS


6.  "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" by Def Leppard


7.  "Lay It Down" by Ratt


8.  "Gypsy Road" by Cinderella


9.  "Nothin' But a Good Time" by Poison


10.  "One In a Million" by Trixter

Retro Video of the Week: "Can I Play With Madness" by Iron Maiden

In honor of tomorrow's beginning of the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament, I give you "Can I Play With Madness," the first single off of Iron Maiden's seventh studio album, 1988's aptly named Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.  The song hit #3 on the UK pop charts.  And to answer the question, yes, you can play with Madness, but there is a good chance she will cut you from crotch to neck with a rusty old dagger she bought from a witch who used to advise Rollie Massimino.

Tuesday Top Ten: NCAA Tournament Edition

This year's NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced, and as always, we look to be in for an exciting NCAA Tournament.  I have already filled out 78 brackets, and they're all horrible.  Here are a couple initial random thoughts:

• Like last year, I think there are 9 teams that could legitimately win it all and about 15-18 teams that could legitimately make it to the Final Four, but at the same time, I wouldn't be shocked if all of them lost by the Sweet 16.
• I think Virginia has the easiest path to the Final Four of any 1-seed, and I think Duke and UNC are tied for the hardest path of any of the 1-seeds.
• I would not be surprised if all of the 12-seeds beat all of the 5-seeds.  Or none.
• Here are some interesting Round of 64 matchups:
• That Marquette-Murray State matchup in the West should be a really fun game to watch, with two star guards -- Marquette's Markus Howard and Murray State's Ja Morant -- leading the way.
• If 11-seed Arizona State wins its First Four game on Wednesday night, the Sun Devils -- who are coached by Bobby Hurley -- will play 6-seed Buffalo, which is where Hurley coached before he traded snow for sun in 2015.
• In the East Region, 7-seed Louisville -- formerly coached by Rick Pitino -- will be facing 10-seed Minnesota, coached by Pitino's son, Richard.
• If 16-seed North Carolina Central beats North Dakota State in tonight's First Four game, the Eagles will get the opportunity to be destroyed by Duke.  Not only are both schools located in North Carolina, but they're both in Durham.  This will be the only potential matchup in the Round of 64 between schools from the same state.
• Fuck Purdue
• Fuck Kentucky

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 alphabetical 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 year.

Teams with the best shot at winning it all (last year, I had Villanova on this list):

1.  Duke (1-seed East).  With a healthy Zion Williamson, it's going to be tough to beat Duke.  The Blue Devils seem like a team of destiny.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  13-5

2.  Virginia (1-seed South).  The Cavaliers are coming off of the wrong end of the biggest upset in NCAA basketball history since they lost to Chaminade in 1982.  That in itself should be plenty of motivation.  This is still a really good basketball team, and I'd expect them to exorcise their UMBC demons.  They only have 3 losses on the season, and their "worst" loss was to Florida State (who is a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament) in the ACC Tournament semis.  On top of that, I think their region is relatively weak.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  10-3

3.  Michigan State (2-seed East).  The Spartans won both the regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles and got rewarded with a 2-seed, which is kind of bullshit.  Top to bottom, I think the Big Ten was the toughest league this year.  The Spartans have a pretty solid chance at getting to the Elite Eight, where they'd likely be matched up with Duke.  The Spartans have enough talent to beat the Blue Devils -- or anyone else in the field, for that matter.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  14-3

4.  North Carolina (1-seed Midwest).  Roy Williams's squad is as talented as any team in the field.  They've beaten Duke twice (albeit both times Duke wasn't at full strength) and Gonzaga.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  9-5

5.  Gonzaga (1-seed West).  The only team in the country that has beaten a fully healthy Duke is Gonzaga -- whose only three losses are to tournament teams, and are neutral court losses to Tennessee and St. Mary's, and at North Carolina.  Don't sleep on the Zags.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  5-3

Final Four sleepers (teams seeded 4 or higher) (last year, I did not have Loyola on this list, but no one did):

1.  Buffalo (6-seed West).  Buffalo is 31-3 and coming off of the school's first NCAA Tournament win -- last year's 21-point thrashing of Arizona as a 13-seed.  The Bulls are legit, and their half of the West region isn't particularly strong.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  1-1

2.  Florida State (4-seed West).  The Seminoles came within five points of going to the Final Four last year as a 9-seed.  Since January 20, their only two losses are at North Carolina and to Duke in the ACC Tournament title game.  They demonstrated in the ACC Tournament that they can beat just about anyone, and after beating a 1-seed in last year's Second Round, they aren't going to be afraid of facing Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  9-5

3.  Virginia Tech (4-seed East).  The Hokies are a great three-point shooting team, and that is never a hindrance come March.  Plus, they were certainly battle-tested in the ACC (and have beaten Duke).

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  5-6

4.  Villanova (6-seed South).  The defending national champs don't appear to have the same panache as last year's squad, but they are still pretty damn good and have the experience.  Plus, they have some potentially favorable matchups in the bottom half of their region.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  6-5

5.  Auburn (5-seed Midwest).  After winning their first SEC Tournament title since Sir Charles was on the team, the Fighting Bruce Pearls have shown they can beat anyone.  They play great defense and force more turnovers than anyone else in the field.  And the SEC isn't as terrible as it usually is, featuring five teams seeded 5 or better, so the Tigers have played some good competition this year.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-7

Teams seeded 4 or lower who may not make it to the second weekend (last year, I correctly put Arizona, Auburn, and Xavier on this list):

1.  LSU (3-seed East).  LSU is kind of a dumpster fire right now with the whole Will Wade debacle.  It's also a young team (albeit very talented, you know, because they pay their players).  They face a sneaky talented Yale team in the First Round, and if they win that, they will face Maryland, Belmont, or Temple, all of which could beat LSU.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  7-4

2.  Michigan (2-seed West).  Michigan is the defending runner-up, and they got a pretty tough draw in the second round.  I am assuming they will get by Montana, but then it's either a very talented and experienced Nevada team or a Florida team that can hit threes and defend.  "But Michigan beat North Carolina and has a ton of wins against good teams," you say.  To that, I say, "It's March, man."

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  11-5

3.  Kansas (4-seed Midwest).  Because it's Kansas.  This is the worst seed for the Jayhawks since a 4-seed in 2003, and it was the first time in 15 years they didn't win the Big 12 regular season title.  They have made it to the Elite Eight or beyond the last three years.  They're due for an earlier exit.  Northeastern isn't a slouch, and either Auburn or New Mexico State is capable of topping the Jayhawks.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  13-7

4.  Purdue (3-seed South).  The Boilermakers have a long and storied history . . . of underachieving in March.  Purdue has been a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament 12 times since seeding began in 1979, Purdue has failed to advance to the Sweet 16 six of those times.  Last year, Purdue made it to the second weekend for the second time since 2010.  The Boilers will likely get past Old Dominion, but a Second Round date with Villanova or St. Mary's could spell trouble.  "But this Purdue team is different!," you say.  To that, I say, "That's what they said in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1995, 1996, and 2011, when Purdue was a 1-, 2-, or 3-seed and didn't make it to the second weekend."

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  8-7

5.  Gonzaga (1-seed West).  Gonzaga is one of the best teams in the country, but that doesn't always equate to success, as Virginia and Xavier found out last year.  Awaiting the Bulldogs in the Second Round will either be Syracuse or Baylor.  The Orange's 2-3 zone is known for giving teams fits in March, and a Baylor team that was riddled with injuries, but is capable of beating anyone when healthy.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  5-3

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

1.  Murray State (12-seed West).  The Racers are led by future NBA lottery pick Ja Morant.  Marquette is very good, but may be without their star Markus Howard, who is nursing an injured wrist.  Even if Howard is go to go, Murray State has a chance to pull off the win.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  1-2

2.  New Mexico State (12-seed Midwest).  For the second year in a row, the Aggies are the 12-seed in the Midwest.  They are 30-4 on the year, and they haven't lost since January 3, marching to their 7th WAC title in the last 8 years.  They are a good shooting team from inside the arc, and their first round opponent is Auburn, who doesn't exactly have a history of performing well in March.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  1-2

3.  UC Irvine (13-seed South).  Two of my three kids are very high on UC Irvine.  Lollipop and Son both have the Anteaters going to the Final Four, and they both watch a lot of Big West basketball.  UC Irvine hasn't lost since January 16.  As you may recall, the last time the Anteaters came to the Big Dance in 2015, they were a 13-seed came within three points of beating Louisville in the First Round.  This year's opponent, Kansas State, is overseeded at a 4-seed and may be without Dean Wade, who is the Wildcats' second-leading scorer and leading rebounder.  Also, this game is in San Jose, which is about 20 hours closer to Irvine than Manhattan.
Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  2-1

4.  Vermont (13-seed West).  The Seminoles send teams to the foul line a lot, and the Catamounts get to the free throw line a lot, which may put FSU in trouble.  On top of that, the game is in Hartford, which is a hell of a lot closer to Burlington than Tallahassee.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  2-2

5.  Yale (14-seed East).  Miye Oni is a potential NBA first-round pick, and his backcourt mate Alex Copeland is pretty good too.  As discussed above, the Bulldogs' First Round opponent is LSU, whose regular season SEC title is a little deceiving because they weren't exactly blowing teams out -- and won an impressive (or concerning) five out of six overtime games.  Add in the uncertainty of how the Tigers will play without head coach Will Wade and how that situation will weigh on the team, and you have a situation ripe for an upset.

Record against NCAA Tournament teams:  0-2

Final Championship Week Predictions: Sunday Bloody Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Selection Sunday!  We have to go with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" today, not only because you probably need a Bloody to help out with that hangover, but also because it's gonna be a brutal Sunday for a lot of college basketball teams and, well, U2 is Irish.  In case you were too Irish yesterday to remember, here's what happened in yesterday's Championship Week action and what we have to look forward to today:

• In the ACC final, 3-seed Duke beat 4-seed Florida State, 73-63.  The Blue Devils will be playing in their 43rd NCAA Tournament and 24th in a row.
• In the America East final, 1-seed Vermont ruined any hopes 3-seed UBMC had of a second 16-1 upset with a 66-49 win.  The Catamounts will be going to their 7th NCAA Tournament and first since 2017.  Somewhere, Taylor Coppenrath is smiling -- probably somewhere in Vermont.
• In the Big 12 final, 5-seed Iowa State topped 3-seed Kansas, 78-66.  The Cyclones will be playing in their 20th NCAA Tournament and first since 2017.
• In the Big East final, 1-seed Villanova downed 3-seed Seton Hall in a 74-72 thriller.  The Wildcats will be defending their national title in their 39th trip to the NCAA Tournament and 7th in a row.
• In the Big Sky final, 1-seed Montana beat 3-seed Eastern Washington, 68-62.  The Grizzlies will be playing in their 12th Big Dance and second in a row.
• In the Big West final, 1-seed UC Irvine left nothing to chance, demolishing 3-seed Cal State Fullerton, 92-64, to earn the Anteaters their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2015.
• In the Conference USA final, 1-seed Old Dominion held off 2-seed Western Kentucky, 62-56.  The Monarchs will be playing in their 12th NCAA Tournament and first since 2011.
• In the miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-MAC final, 1-seed Buffalo squelched a potential bid stealer in 3-seed Bowling Green with a 87-73 win.  The Bulls will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and second in a row.
• In the MEAC final, 3-seed North Carolina Central upset 1-seed Norfolk State, 50-47.  The Eagles will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament berth and third in a row.
• In the Mountain West final, 2-seed Utah State beat 4-seed San Diego State, 64-57, must to the delight of bubble teams.  The Aggies will be playing in their 21st NCAA Tournament and first since 2011.
• In the Pac-12 final, 6-seed Oregon stole a bid by upsetting 1-seed Washington, 68-48.  The Ducks will be playing in their 16th tournament and first since 2017.
• In the Southland final, 2-seed Abilene Christian earned its first ever trip to the Big Dance with a win over 4-seed New Orleans, 77-60.
• In the SWAC final, 1-seed Prairie View A&M beat 2-seed Texas Southern, 92-86, to earn the Panthers their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 1998. 
• In the wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-WAC final, 1-seed New Mexico State crushed 3-seed Grand Canyon, 89-57.  The Aggies will be playing in their 25th Big Dance and third in a row.
• In the AAC semis, 1-seed Houston and 2-seed Cincinnati both were on the right end of 3-point victories.  Both are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Cougars will be playing in their 21st Big Dance and second in a row, while the Bearcats will be playing in their 33rd and 9th in a row.
• In the A-10 semis, 4-seed St. Bonaventure beat 8-seed Rhode Island, 68-51, while 2-seed Davidson was upset by 6-seed St. Louis, 67-44.  The Bonnies will be playing for their 8th NCAA Tournament berth and second in row, and the Billikens will be playing for their 10th berth and first since 2014.
• In the Big Ten semis, the top two seeds advanced easily, as 1-seed Michigan State beat 4-seed Wisconsin, 67-55, and 2-seed Michigan beat 7-seed Minnesota, 76-49.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Spartans will be playing in their 33rd NCAA Tournament and 21st in a row, and the Wolverines will be playing in their 29th and 4th in a row.
• In the Ivy League semis, 1-seed Harvard topped 4-seed Penn, 66-58, and 2-seed Yale beat 3-seed Princeton, 83-77.  The Crimsonis playing for its 6th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2015, while the Bulldogs are playing for their 5th berth and first since 2016.
• In the SEC semis, 8-seed Florida's run has ended, with a 65-62 loss to 5-seed Auburn, and 3-seed Tennessee beat 2-seed Kentucky, 82-78 -- just as I predicted.  Both are locks for the tournament.  The Tigers will be playing in their 10th and second in a row (and first SEC tournament title since 1985), while the Volunteers will be playing in their 22nd and second in a row (and first SEC tournament title since 1979).
• In the Sun Belt semis, 1-seed Georgia State beat 4-seed Texas State, 59-46, and  2-seed UT Arlington beat 3-seed Georgia Southern, 67-58, ending your dream of a GS-GS final.  The Panthers will be playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament berth and second in a row, while the Mavericks will be paying for their 2nd berth and first since 2008.
• The remaining six bids are up for grabs today, and then we have the re-revamped Selection Sunday show.  Don't fuck it up this year, CBS/TBS.
• Bubble teams that won yesterday:  Utah State
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Florida, Memphis, Minnesota, Seton Hall

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 with games today

-AAC
-Atlantic 10
-Big Ten
-Ivy League
-SEC
-Sun Belt

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-Ivy League:  (1) Harvard vs. (2) Yale (12 p.m.; ESPN2)
-Atlantic 10:  (4) St. Bonaventure vs. (6) St. Louis (1 p.m.; CBS)
-SEC:  (3) Tennessee vs. (5) Auburn (1 p.m.; ESPN)
-Sun Belt: (1) Georgia State vs. (2) UT Arlington ( 2 p.m.; ESPN2) 
-AAC:  (1) Houston vs. (2) Cincinnati (3 p.m.; ESPN)
-Big Ten:  (1) Michigan State vs. (3) Michigan (3:30 p.m.; CBS) 

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

-AAC (March 17)

-ACC:  Duke (43)

-America East:  Vermont (7)

-Atlantic 10 (March 17)

-Atlantic Sun:  Liberty (4)

-Big 12:  Iowa State (20

-Big East:  Villanova (39)

-Big Sky:  Montana (12)

-Big South:  Gardner-Webb (1)

-Big Ten:  (March 17)

-Big West:  UC Irvine (2)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (9)

-Conference USA:  Old Dominion (12)

-Horizon:  Northern Kentucky (2)

-Ivy League (March 17)

-MAAC:  Iona (14)

-MAC:  Buffalo (4)

-MEAC:  North Carolina Central (4)

-Missouri Valley:  Bradley (9)

-Mountain West:  Utah State (21)

-Northeast Conference:  Fairleigh Dickinson (6)

-Ohio Valley:  Murray State (17)

-Pac-12:  Oregon (16)

-Patriot League:  Colgate (3)

-SEC (March 17)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (5)

-Southland:  Abilene Christian (1)

-Summit:  North Dakota State (4)

-Sun Belt (March 17)

-SWAC:  Prairie View A&M (2)

-WAC:  New Mexico State (25)

-West Coast:  St. Mary's (10)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 14-17; Memphis)

3/17 – Finals

3 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Houston vs. (2) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  Houston

Atlantic 10 (March 13-17; Brooklyn)

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (4) St. Bonaventure vs. (6) St. Louis.  Predicted winner:  St. Bonaventure

Big Ten (March 13-17; Chicago)

3/17 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan State vs. (3) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

Ivy League (March 16-17; New Haven, CT)

3/17 – Finals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Harvard vs. (2) Yale.  Predicted winner:  Yale

SEC (March 13-17; Nashville)

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Tennessee vs. (5) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  Tennessee

Sun Belt (March 12, 14-17; New Orleans)

3/17 – Finals

2 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Georgia State vs. (2) UT Arlington.  Predicted winner:  Georgia State

Updated Championship Week Predictions: Vehicle

While there weren't any bids clinched yesterday, we had plenty of -- wait for it -- Madness!  Like Caesar, six 1-seeds (Kansas State, LSU, Nevada, Sam Houston State, VCU, Virginia) and seven 2-seeds (Arizona State, Marquette, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T, Purdue, UC Santa Barbara, Utah Valley) met their demise on the Ides of March, so we have to go with "Vehicle" by Berwyn, Illinois's own Ides of March as today's song.  There were no friendly strangers in the black sedan for those 1- and 2-seeds.  That's for damn sure.  Today's gonna be a hell of a fun day of college basketball, so while you're downing Irish car bombs and pints of green beer, don't forget to peer up at the TV every now and then.  But first, here's what happened in yesterday's Championship Week action and what we have to look forward to today:

• In the ACC semis, 4-seed Florida State upset 1-seed Virginia, 79-69, while 3-seed Duke beat archrival 2-seed UNC in a 74-73 thriller.  Both are locks for the tournament, and the Seminoles will be playing in their 17th NCAA Tournament and third in a row, while the Blue Devils will be playing in their 43rd NCAA Tournament and 24th in a row.
• In the Big 12 semis, 5-seed Iowa State dropped 1-seed Kansas State, 63-59, while 10-seed West Virginia's run ended at the hands of 3-seed Kansas, 88-74.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  The Cyclones will be playing in their 20th and first since 2017, and the Jayhawks will be playing in their 48th and 30th in a row.
• In the Big East semis, 1-seed Villanova needed OT to take down 4-seed Xavier, 71-67, and 3-seed Seton Hall beat 2-seed Marquette, 81-79, in a back-and-forth brawl, with three ejections and four foul outs.  Both teams are locks for the NCAA Tournament (Villanova already was, but Seton Hall is now too with the win).  The Wildcats will be defending their national title in their 39th trip to the NCAA Tournament and 7th in a row.  The Pirates will be playing in their 13th NCAA Tournament and 4th in a row.
• In the Big Sky semis, 1-seed Montana demolished 4-seed Weber State, 78-49, while 3-seed Eastern Washington beat 7-seed Southern Utah, 77-61.  The Grizzlies will be playing for their 12th trip to the Big Dance and second in a row, while the Eagles will be playing for their 3rd trip and first since 2015.
• In the Big West semis, 1-seed UC Irvine survived 5-seed Long Beach State, 75-67, while 2-seed UC Santa Barbara fell to 3-seed Cal State Fullerton, 64-58.  The Anteaters will be playing for their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2015, while the Titans will be playing for their 4th and second in a row.
• In the Conference USA semis, 1-seed Old Dominion held on for a 61-59 win over 5-seed UAB, and 2-seed Western Kentucky beat 3-seed Southern Miss, 70-59.  When they play in the final today, the Monarchs will be playing for their 12th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2011, while the Hilltoppers will be playing for their 24th berth and first since 2013.
• In the miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-miggity-MAC quarterfinals, 1-seed Buffalo escaped with an 85-81 win over 5-seed Central Michigan, while 3-seed Bowling Green also escaped with a 4-point win, 71-67, over 7-seed Northern Illinois, clinching its first trip to the MAC title game since 2002.  The Bulls are a lock for the NCAA Tournament and will be playing in their 4th NCAA Tournament and second in a row, and the Falcons will be playing for their 5th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 1968.
• In the MEAC semis, 1-seed Norfolk State beat 4-seed Howard, 75-69, while 3-seed North Carolina Central topped 2-seed North Carolina A&T.  When they face off in today's title game, the Spartans will be playing for their 2nd trip to the Big Dance and first since 2012, when they beat 2-seed Missouri as a 15-seed in the first round.  Man, Missouri is just horrible in March.  But I digress.  The Eagles will be playing for their 4th NCAA Tournament berth and third in a row.
• In the Mountain West semis, 1-seed Nevada was upset by 4-seed San Diego State, 65-56.  2-seed Utah State stomped 3-seed Fresno State, 85-60.  When they meet in the championship game today, the Aztecs will be playing for their 13th NCAA Tournament berth and second in a row, while Aggies should be in the field no matter what now, but regardless, they will be playing in their 21st NCAA Tournament and first since 2011.
• In the Pac-12 semis, 1-seed Washington held off 5-seed Colorado, 66-61.  2-seed Arizona State was upset in OT by 6-seed Oregon, 79-75.  The Huskies are a lock for the NCAA Tournament and will be playing in their 17th tournament and first since 2011.  The Ducks need to win to go to their 16th tournament and first since 2017.
• In the Southland semis, 1-seed Sam Houston State was upset by 4-seed New Orleans, 79-76.  Somewhere, Ervin Johnson -- not to be confused with Earvin Johnson -- is smiling.  The Privateers will be playing for their 6th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2017.  In the other semi, 2-seed Abilene Christian squeaked past 3-seed Southeastern Louisiana, 69-66.  The Wildcats will be playing for their first trip to the Big Dance since making the jump to D-1 in the 2013-2014 season.
• In the SWAC semis, 1-seed Prairie View A&M beat 4-seed Grambling State, 81-71, and 2-seed Texas Southern topped 6-seed Alabama State, 80-66.  When these archrivals meet, the Panthers will be playing for their 2nd NCAA Tournament berth and first since 1998, while the Tigers will be playing for their 9th berth and third in a row. 
• In the wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-WAC semis, 1-seed New Mexico State beat 4-seed UT Rio Grande Valley, 79-72, while 2-seed Utah Valley was dropped by 3-seed Grand Canyon, 78-74.  The Aggies will be playing for their 25th trip to the Big Dance and third in a row, while the Antelopes will be playing for their first ever trip.
• In the AAC quarterfinals, 1-seed Houston spanked 9-seed UConn, 84-45, 2-seed Cincinnati beat 10-seed SMU, 82-74, 5-seed Memphis downed 4-seed UCF, 79-55, and 6-seed Wichita State upset 3-seed Temple, 80-74.
• In the A-10 quarterfinals, 1-seed VCU was upset by 8-seed Rhode Island, 75-70, 2-seed Davidson topped 10-seed St. Joseph's, 70-60, 4-seed St. Bonaventure beat 5-seed George Mason, 68-57, and 6-seed St. Louis upset 3-seed Dayton, 64-55.
• In the Big Ten quarterfinals, 1-seed Michigan State beat 8-seed Ohio State, 77-70. 2-seed Purdue was upset by 7-seed Minnesota, 75-73, proving once again that Purdue cannot be trusted in March.  3-seed Michigan beat up on 6-seed Iowa, 74-53, and 4-seed Wisconsin narrowly beat 13-seed Nebraska, 66-62, to end the Cornhuskers' cinderella hopes.
• In the SEC quarterfinals, the dumpster fire that is 1-seed LSU was upset by 8-seed Florida, 76-73, to the chagrin of other bubble teams.  2-seed Kentucky destroyed 10-seed Alabama, 73-55, 3-seed Tennessee beat 6-seed Mississippi State, and 5-seed Auburn dropped 4-seed South Carolina, 73-64.
• In the Sun Belt quarterfinals, 4-seed Texas State beat 8-seed South Alabama, 79-67, while 3-seed Georgia Southern downed 7-seed Louisiana-Monroe, 81-67.
• We have an astounding 14 bids up for grabs today.
• The last of the conference tournaments starts today -- the Ivy League, which has been dealing with some shit this week -- and 20 tournaments have games, including 14 finals and 6 semifinals.  We have 26 games over 14+ hours, with the first games tipping off at 11 a.m. Eastern and the last game tipping off at Midnight Eastern.  Erin Go Bragh!
• Bubble teams that won yesterday:  Florida, Minnesota, Seton Hall, Utah State
• Bubble teams that lost yesterday:  Alabama, Arizona State, Iowa, Ohio State, Temple, VCU, Xavier

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 Sky
-Big Ten
-Big West
-Conference USA
-Ivy League
-MAC
-MEAC
-Mountain West
-Pac-12
-SEC
-Southland
-Sun Belt
-SWAC
-WAC

Bids up for grabs today (all times Eastern)

-America East:  (3) UMBC at (1) Vermont (11 a.m.; ESPN2)
-MEAC:  (1) Norfolk State vs. (3) North Carolina Central (1:00 p.m.; ESPN2) 
-Big East:  (1) Villanova vs. (3) Seton Hall (5:30 p.m.; Fox)
-Big 12:  (3) Kansas vs. (5) Iowa State (6 p.m.; ESPN)
-Mountain West:  (2) Utah State vs. (4) San Diego State (6 p.m.; CBS)
-SWAC:  (1) Prairie View A&M vs. (2) Texas Southern (6 p.m.; ESPN2)
-MAC:  (1) Buffalo vs. (3) Bowling Green (7:30 p.m.; ESPN2)
-Big Sky:  (1) Montana vs. (3) Eastern Washington (8 p.m.; ESPNU)
-ACC:  (3) Duke vs. (4) Florida State (8:30 p.m.; ESPN)
-Conference USA:  (1) Old Dominion vs. (2) Western Kentucky (8:30 p.m.; CBSSN)
-Southland:  (2) Abilene Christian vs. (4) New Orleans (9:30 p.m.; ESPN2)
-WAC:  (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Grand Canyon (10 p.m.; ESPNU)
-Pac-12:  (1) Washington vs. (6) Oregon (10:30 p.m.; ESPN)
-Big West:  (1) UC Irvine vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton (11:59 p.m.; ESPN2)

Already clinched automatic berths (I will add in parentheses the NCAA tournament appearances for each school, including the bid just clinched, 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:  Liberty (4)

-Big 12 (March 16)

-Big East (March 16)

-Big Sky (March 16)

-Big South:  Gardner-Webb (1)

-Big Ten:  (March 17)

-Big West (March 16)

-Colonial:  Northeastern (9)

-Conference USA (March 16)

-Horizon:  Northern Kentucky (2)

-Ivy League (March 17)

-MAAC:  Iona (14)

-MAC (March 16)

-MEAC (March 16)

-Missouri Valley:  Bradley (9)

-Mountain West (March 16)

-Northeast Conference:  Fairleigh Dickinson (6)

-Ohio Valley:  Murray State (17)

-Pac-12 (March 16)

-Patriot League:  Colgate (3)

-SEC (March 17)

-Southern Conference:  Wofford (5)

-Southland (March 17)

-Summit:  North Dakota State (4)

-Sun Belt (March 17)

-SWAC (March 16)

-WAC (March 16)

-West Coast:  St. Mary's (10)

Remaining Tournaments (all times are Eastern)

AAC (March 14-17; Memphis)

3/16 – Semifinals

3 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Houston vs. (5) Memphis.  Predicted winner:  Houston

5:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Cincinnati vs. (6) Wichita State.  Predicted winner:  Cincinnati

3/17 – Finals

3 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Houston vs. (2) Cincinnati.  Predicted winner:  Houston

ACC (March 12-16; Charlotte)

3/16 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Duke vs. (4) Florida State.  Predicted winner:  Duke

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

3/16 – Finals

11 a.m. (ESPN2) (3) UMBC at (1) Vermont.  Predicted winner:  Vermont

Atlantic 10 (March 13-17; Brooklyn)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBSSN) (4) St. Bonaventure vs. (8) Rhode Island.  Predicted winner:  St. Bonaventure 

3:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (2) Davidson vs. (6) St. Louis.  Predicted winner:  Davidson

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (CBS) (2) Davidson vs. (4) St. Bonaventure.  Predicted winner:  Davidson

Big 12 (March 13-16; Kansas City)

3/16 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Kansas vs. (5) Iowa State.  Predicted winner:  Kansas

Big East (March 13-16; New York)

3/16 – Finals

5:30 p.m. (Fox) (1) Villanova vs. (3) Seton Hall.  Predicted winner:  Villanova

Big Sky (March 13-16; Boise)

3/16 – Finals

8 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Montana vs. (3) Eastern Washington.  Predicted winner:  Montana

Big Ten (March 13-17; Chicago)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan State vs. (4) Wisconsin.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (3) Michigan vs. (7) Minnesota.  Predicted winner:  Michigan

3/17 – Finals

3:30 p.m. (CBS) (1) Michigan State vs. (3) Michigan.  Predicted winner:  Michigan State

Big West (March 14-16; Anaheim)

3/16 – Finals

11:59 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) UC Irvine vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton.  Predicted winner:  UC Irvine

Conference USA (March 13-16; Frisco, TX)

3/16 – Finals

8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) (1) Old Dominion vs. (2) Western Kentucky.  Predicted winner:  Old Dominion

Ivy League (March 16-17; New Haven, CT)

3/16 – Semifinals

12:30 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) Harvard vs. (4) Penn.  Predicted winner:  Harvard

3 p.m. (ESPNU) (2) Yale vs. (3) Princeton.  Predicted winner:  Yale

3/17 – Finals

12 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Harvard vs. (2) Yale.  Predicted winner:  Yale

MAC (March 11, 14-16; first round at campus of higher seed and remaining rounds in Cleveland)

3/16 – Finals

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Buffalo vs. (3) Bowling Green.  Predicted winner:  Buffalo

MEAC (March 11-16; Norfolk, VA)

3/16 – Final

1:00 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Norfolk State vs. (3) North Carolina Central.  Predicted winner:  Norfolk State

Mountain West (March 13-16; Las Vegas)

3/16 – Finals

6 p.m. (CBS) (2) Utah State vs. (4) San Diego State.  Predicted winner:  Utah State

Pac-12 (March 13-16; Las Vegas)

3/16 – Finals

10:30 p.m. (ESPN) (1) Washington vs. (6) Oregon.  Predicted winner:  Washington

SEC (March 13-17; Nashville)

3/16 – Semifinals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (5) Auburn vs. (8) Florida.  Predicted winner: Auburn

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) (2) Kentucky vs. (3) Tennessee.  Predicted winner: Tennessee

3/17 – Finals

1 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Tennessee vs. (5) Auburn.  Predicted winner:  Tennessee

Southland (March 13-16; Katy, TX)

3/16 – Finals

9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) (2) Abilene Christian vs. (4) New Orleans.  Predicted winner:  Abilene Christian

Sun Belt (March 12, 14-17; New Orleans)

3/16 – Semifinals

4 p.m. (ESPN+) (1) Georgia State vs. (4) Texas State.  Predicted winner: Texas State

6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) (2) UT Arlington vs. (3) Georgia Southern.  Predicted winner: Georgia Southern

3/17 – Finals

2 p.m. (ESPN) (3) Georgia Southern vs. (4) Texas State.  Predicted winner:  Texas State

SWAC (March 12, 15-16; quarterfinals at campus of higher seed, remaining games in Birmingham, AL)

3/16 – Finals

6 p.m. (ESPN2) (1) Prairie View A&M vs. (2) Texas Southern.  Predicted winner:  Prairie View A&M

WAC (March 14-16; Las Vegas)

3/16 – Finals

10 p.m. (ESPNU) (1) New Mexico State vs. (3) Grand Canyon.  Predicted winner:  New Mexico State