While we’re dedicated to music (new and old) here at The Stereo Bomb, we’ll occasionally discuss things that fall outside this realm but still within our interest.  Sports are certainly one of these topics…

We’re through the first week of the NCAA tournament and now that everyone’s bracket is busted, let’s take a look at some of the surprises, non-surprises, most memorable, and overall coolest moments of the most exciting weekend in sports…

Most Exciting Finish: (13) Murray State over (4) Vanderbilt, first round. 66-65.

The Racers had Vandy’s number all game, but it wasn’t until a buzzer beater by Danero Thomas that sealed the upset. I actually had Murray State to the Sweet 16 in my bracket, which didn’t happen, but it’s always great to pick a 13 over 4 and be right.

Worst performance by a team that won: (2) Villanova over (15) Robert Morris. 73-30 OT.

By rule, you have to root for a potential 15 over 2 upset-in-the-making, even if it screws up your bracket. Even though I had Villanova in my Elite Eight, (that was a mistake), I was still hoping the Colonials would pull it out. The Wildcats needed five extra minutes to dispose of Robert Morris and reminded all coaches that even if you think your first round game is a sure thing, you should at least scout your opponent.

Biggest Andy Reid Moment: (8) Texas coach RIck Barnes in their loss to (9) Wake Forest, 81-80.

By definition, an Andy Reid moment is one where the coach does a strong job throughout the game, but completely mismanages it at the end. This game never should have occurred in the first place. Wake Forest had no business being in the big dance as an at-large bid, especially when compared to their ACC colleagues Virginia Tech. Texas, somehow ranked number 1 at one point this year, played awful once conference play began, and possibly didn’t deserve their 8 seed. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a pretty exciting game. After a pathetic showing on defense allowing Wake Forest to get a pull-up jumper with 1.3 seconds left, Rick Barnes allowed his team to inbound the ball and attempt a halfcourt shot instead of using their last timeout to draw up a play. You don’t get to take them with you folks…

Biggest Upset (First Round): (14) Ohio over (3) Georgetown, 97-83.

“Proud” doesn’t even begin to describe my emotions when I watched my alma mater, Ohio University, defeat the 3rd-seeded and Big East runner-up Hoyas in their first NCAA tournament win in my lifetime. The Bobcats, who were a 9 seed in their conference tournament and had to win four straight games just to get to the big dance, dominated this game start to finish. People don’t generally pick 14 over 3 seed upsets very often (even I, admittedly, had Georgetown to my Sweet 16) so I don’t blame experts for not picking us to win – but nobody even gave OU a chance as even a potential upset. We showed them, and after we beat Georgetown at what they do best, we did what we do best…

Biggest Upset (Second Round): (9) Northern Iowa over (1) Kansas. 69-67.

When the team that 42% of America selected on ESPN.com as the eventual national champion, (including Barack Obama), gets knocked out in the first weekend, that is certainly something to write home about.  If you thought your bracket looked good after round one, round two made you think again, and a large part of that is due to the Panthers.

Double Digit Seed Most Likely to Keep Advancing: (10) Saint Mary’s

Three double-digit seeded teams made the sweet 16 this year: (10) Saint Mary’s, (11) Washington, and (12) Cornell.  Based on matchups alone, Saint Mary’s over (3) Baylor has to be the best bet.

_______________________________________

Three of my Elite Eight are already out (Kansas, Pittsburgh, Villanova), but my Final Four (Ohio State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Duke) is still intact.

We’ve had some great action so far, and I’m still pumped to see what happens next.  America, keep on dancing…

-Brian