Metallica is one of the most successful bands in rock history, and the group boasts myriad connections to the sports world.
Their songs have become stadium and arena staples. Yankees great Mariano Rivera famously entered games to the sounds of "Enter Sandman." The Virginia Tech football team has used that same song as its entrance anthem since 2000. The San Jose Sharks used "Seek and Destroy" as their entrance jam for years.
Metallica took matters into their own hands on Jan. 19, 2003, when they treated Raiders fans to a surprise concert at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the AFC Championship Game. The hosts went on to romp past the Tennessee Titans, 41-24.
Now, the fellas are putting their fingerprints on the NCAA Tournament … by releasing their official bracket predictions.
James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo are fearlessly picking a number of upsets in this year's Big Dance, including:
● No. 9 seed Iowa over No. 1 Florida in the South Region
● No. 7 seed Kentucky over No. 2 Iowa State in the Midwest Region
● No. 6 seed Tennessee over No. 3 Virginia in the Midwest
Metallica stayed true to its Los Angeles roots by boldly selecting UCLA (the No. 7 seed in the East Region) as its national champion, predicting a string of upsets over UConn, Michigan State, Duke, Houston (Final Four) and Michigan (championship game). Boom.
We'll see how the guys fare in their bracket. It already looks better than ours.
