March Madness has arrived, the greatest postseason tournament in American sports. These brackets, both men's and women's, are always beautiful. They're regionally all-encompassing, symmetrically pleasing and completely unruly.
It's the rare tournament where everyone truly does have a shot. Every Division-I school in America conceivably could get in and win a few games.
That's what keeps me going as a college basketball fan every March: the Davids against Goliaths. The only thing better than seeing the two best teams in the country face off is seeing the little guy take down the big one.
This potential for shock and awe combined with the tournament's sheer size makes it the most unpredictable playoff in all of sports. You're statistically more likely to get struck by lightning four times than guess a perfect bracket.
So why even try? Why study all the numbers and listen to all the experts? Why not just pick teams arbitrarily based on an off-court quality?
My girlfriend made her bracket based on which school has the cuter mascot (she's got the Jackrabbits and Badgers going far). As a junior in high school, I filled out a bracket based on how likely I'd be to apply there for college.
This year, I'm turning to music, picking an entire March Madness men's bracket based on which team's home city has my favorite set of musicians. The University of Florida gets Tom Petty, the University of Houston gets Beyonce, etc...
It got a little dicey at times. Many musicians were born one place and raised somewhere else. But we made it work.
I chose the men's bracket, because on the women's side, USC and UCLA getting every Los Angeles musician would be simply unfair. And even jokingly, I wouldn't dare pick against Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Here's how my music-driven men's March Madness bracket shook out.
East Region
From a hoops perspective, Connecticut is the top dog in the East region. And they reach the Sweet Sixteen in the music bracket, too, with Storrs-raised singer Rivers Cuomo, frontman for Weezer, enough to get them past Florida Atlantic's duo of Creed and Ariana Grande.
Second-seeded Iowa State gets to the Sweet Sixteen, thanks to a weaker bottom part of the bracket and former Ames resident John Darnielle, of the folk-punk band The Mountain Goats. There, they lose to Duquesne, a small school in Pittsburgh, the home of Mac Miller, Ethel Cain and killer small acts like feeble little horse and Short Fictions.
The juggernaut in this corner of the bracket, though, is San Diego State. Ron Burgundy's city has range: Frank Zappa, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits and blink-182 are all San Diego-born. Some personal favorites like flatsound, Jean Dawson and Pinback are from there, too. Stay classy, Aztecs.
Winner: San Diego State
West Region
The west coast continues to reign supreme in this corner of the bracket, where Long Beach State — with Snoop Dogg, Vince Staples, Sublime — breezes to the Sweet Sixteen. As does 16-seed Howard, an HBCU in D.C., led by Marvin Gaye, Fugazi, Bartees Strange and rappers Wale, Oddisee, Billy Woods and redveil.
Baylor sneaks into the Sweet Sixteen off the strength of Waco-proud Willie Nelson, though it's not enough to get the Bears past Snoop and the Long Beach crew.
All that said, the winner of this region comes from a city I'm familiar with: Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University, which boasts musicians like Jimmy Eat World, Injury Reserve, Danielle Durack, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Stevie Nicks. As a former Phoenician, I can't help myself.
Did you know Oakland University is not in Oakland? I sure didn't!
It's actually on the outskirts of Detroit, a music city like no other. That means, for the purposes of this bracket, the Grizzlies get the power of Eminem, Sufjan Stevens, Stevie Wonder, Danny Brown, Motown and The White Stripes. That's enough to get them past Tom Petty and the Florida Gators.
The top half of the region has another heavyweight: Houston, led by performers like Beyonce, Blue October, Megan Thee Stallion, Robert Glasper and Narrow Head. There's also a sleeper team in Duke — Durham has my favorite of the non-Asheville music scenes in North Carolina with Iron & Wine, Sylvan Esso and Fust.
At the end of the day though, can anybody really beat the versatility of that Oakland (a.k.a. Detroit) lineup?
Winner: Oakland
Midwest Region
In the Midwest, two underdogs reach the Elite Eight. There's former Cinderella squad Saint Peter's, whose Jersey City musicians include Queen Latifah, Frank Sinatra and Interpol. And then there's Birmingham small school Samford, who has a rangy trio of Waxahatchee, Gucci Mane and Emmylou Harris.
Oregon vs. Creighton is the toughest round-of-32 matchup. It's a battle for alt-folk legend Elliott Smith, who was born in Omaha but started making music in Portland. Japanese Breakfast gives the Ducks the edge, and Axl Rose isn't enough to save top-seeded Purdue.
Sinatra and the Peacocks take this region.
Winner: Saint Peter's
Final Four
We've got Saint Peter's vs. Oakland and San Diego St. vs. Grand Canyon.
It's close, but my pro-Phoenix bias can only go so far, considering San Diego State's breadth of musical offspring. Indie bands like TV Girl and Wavves are enough of a tiebreaker to send San Diego St. to the title game. On the other side, Saint Peter's is no match for Detroit's Motown history, meaning Oakland is championship bound as well.
So... Detroit or San Diego? The Golden Grizzlies or Aztecs?
It's really a matter of personal preference. But when I add up all the small things and balance the even flow of talent coming from both cities, the answer is clear to me.
A year after almost winning the title, the Aztecs are meant to live as champions of this bracket.
Champions: San Diego State
Concert of The Week: Sun June, Wild Pink & Sinai Vessel at Raccoon Motel
I'll be stepping away from the TV screen this weekend to see a Sunday night show at the Raccoon Motel. This is one I've been looking forward to for a while, because I truly love all three artists on the bill. Carolina alt-rocker Sinai Vessel opens the show, with co-headliners Wild Pink and Sun June.
Wild Pink has three albums to their name, including 2022's "ILYSM," which has a feature from Julien Baker and a beautiful collection of spacious, gentle and incisive indie rock. Sun June release one of my dozen favorite albums of 2023, "Bad Dream Jaguar," a blanketing indie folk record tailored perfectly for a sunny day after a week of overcast.
I predict both acts will sound even better at the Motel. Tickets for the show are $26.45, and doors open at 6 p.m.
On This Daytrotter: Open Mike Eagle on March 23, 2017
I'm always going to find an excuse to shout out Daytrotter sessions by rappers. It's a genre that lends itself so well to the quietness of a Daytrotter recording, and Open Mike Eagle, a Southern Illinois alum, has a mellow brand of art rap that fits the environment like a glove.
I highly recommend checking this session out — and the rest of his work — between March Madness games this weekend. Until then, I'll see you next week when everyone's brackets are busted.
Biggest March Madness upsets since 1982
Biggest March Madness upsets since 1982
2023 ties for 3rd-highest number of upsets in March Madness history
Gannon Hanevold took on the ultimate pop music challenge — ranking all 11 Taylor Swift albums, including the latest, "The Tortured Poets Department."
Nov 27, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Jaedon LeDee (13) defends Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions guard Coby Barnes (4) during the first half at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Jamal Shead (1) dribbles against Texas State Bobcats guard Kaden Gumbs (11) in the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, June 11, 2016, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
With the opening of his Detroit-based label, Berry Gordy began churning out soul hits that left lasting imprints in the hearts of Americans everywhere. Over the decades, the label would go on to produce chart-topping musicians and groups like Diana Ross, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.
Saint Peter's Jaylen Murray, left, and Latrell Reid celebrate after Saint Peter's won a college basketball game against Purdue in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, Friday, March 25, 2022, in Philadelphia.