K-Rock's March Bracket Brawl

For those of you who are either Rock fans and/or live in the NY area, K-rock radio (NY's number one rock station) is holding a March Madness-esque bracket matching up the greatest bands in rock history. The regions are: '70's, 80s, '90s, Modern Rock. Really, really tough. Some of my favorites:



Here's some thoughts:

• My Final Four: Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and Chili Peppers. Kind of a no brainer.
• Some good match-ups in the '70s: Sweet 16 saw Hendrix vs. Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd vs. Led Zeppelin. Does it get much better?
• '80s: I love U2, probably one of my favorites, but Guns n' Roses had to get the nod to go to the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, they saw Metallica.
• '90s Sweet Sixteen: Pearl Jam vs. Chili Peppers and Sublime vs. Nirvana. Love it.
• Modern Day had some good match-ups from the outset, probably since big time bands are still establishing themselves. For me, it came down to Foo Fighters and Green Day (Linkin Park gave a run, though)

Head on over to Krockradio.com to try one yourself. Any thoughts?

Change of Plans

Not many people read the 'Mirror Sports Blog'. Sad, but true. Even less read my own personal blog. As a result, I'm changing the running NCAA blog over to our main page (hopefully we'll pick up a few RSS feeders and stuff Cleary's Gmail box). So head on over there for more coverage. I'll just stick to random thoughts and Duke on this page.

More to come, though.

Surprises Abound in Noon Games

I'm a little shocked to say the least at a few of these games. It's currently halftime all around, so let's do a quick run down:

• Tennessee leads American, 29-22 - That's it? I'm a little surprised with the Vols. This is the same team that our Stags defeated handily a few months ago. I'd expect a big half from Bruce Pearl and Co. coming out of the half.
• Gonzaga leads Davidson, 41-36 - Disclaimer: I'm one of the few that picked Davidson as a sexy sleeper in my bracket. That being said, I'm expecting better from Davidson in the second. The 'Zags have been out of their mind shooting in the first half. Almost too good. Gray has 15 on 5-of-5 from three alone! I expect a drop off. At least I hope.
• St. Mary's leads Miami, 32-27 - Not too shocked by this one. Miami seemed like the big conference school that had a few big wins to sneak in (cough, Duke). St. Mary's is a legitimate team from the WCC, an extremely underrated conference that has produced three (count 'em, three) NCAA teams. Mary's should win.
• SHOCKER OF THE DAY: Western Kentucky leads Drake, 47-38 - It's come to this. Now it's a shock when a little darling school like Drake is losing. Personally, I liked Drake so much that I had them taking down UConn (don't tell Cleary) in the second round. What's the story here? The Hilltoppers are shooting the lights out. 60% from the field and seven threes to boot. The Gonzaga effect may kick in here too.

Much more to come. Stay tuned

Mid-Majors All Around

It's another great day to be a hoop fan (obviously), but it is a particularly good morning to be a fan of mid major teams. I'm splitting my time between a Cinderella 7/10 battle between Gonzaga and Davidson. On my laptop, I'm checking out St. Mary's trying to upset Miami in the East Region's 7/10 game.

If that's not enough for you, American (yes, the same American that Fairfield beat earlier this season) is giving Tennesse a run for its money early on. I'm not sure how far that will last, but so far they've looked good.

I guess Belmont inspired everyone a little.

Updates at the half.

Cats' Show Fight, but Marquette Moves On

Ramel Bradley's three pointer with 24 seconds pulled the Wildcats to within two, but it was just not enough. The Golden Eagles pulled away with some late free throws, and they're moving on up in the tournament.

A plus for KU: Joe Crawford was an absolute monster in this game - 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting. He single handily kept Kentucky in this game. The stats do not even do justice considering some of these points were during Marquette's two second-half runs.

Marquette's guard play and fast-break offense are downright scary. Jerel McNeal and Dominic Jaynes (with Lazar Hayward at the 3) were fantastic - scoring 20, 15, and 16 respectively.

It'll be interesting to see how Marquette's quickness and speed matches up with (presumably) Stanford' two big boys.

Two Things I'm Lovin'

It's only a few hours into the '08 Tourney, but here's two things I already love about this year (and it has nothing to do with the actual Dance itself):

1) Jordan's Nike Jumpman 23 commercial. "There are no Cinderellas". So intense, from start to finish. I love seeing practice, sprints, weight lifting.. it's a great message and some amazing scenes. I loved the cameo clips of J.T.III with a whistle in a Georgetown gym and Boise State practicing the 'Statue of Liberty' play.

2) Pat Forde has a great column on ESPN today. I always love satirical writing (Bill Simmons and Rick Reilly are two of my favorites). Forde does a great job putting his spin on all 64 teams and their dreams/nightmares. As a Duke fan, I can appreciate the puns on Coach K's lame 'American Express' ads. Good stuff.

Honorable Mention: Two words - Gus Johnson.

I'll admit when I'm wrong

I'm a humble guy, so I'll admit that I've made a little mistake in an early-round prediction. I bit the mid-major apple in the 8-9 game between UNLV and Kent State, another one of the games that tipped at 2 o'clock.

The score right now: 37-15 Runnin' Rebel. 18:17 left. In the second half.

That's right, Kent State is shooting 22% (6-of-22) from the floor. Chris Singelatary is the team's leading scorer with 6 points. 6!

Ten points at the half is all that needs to be said. Tough one for another mid-major school against an at-large premier team.