10 NCAA Tournament coaches pick Christian singers, bands as their favorite artists
Ten head coaches of the 68 college basketball teams participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s "March Madness" men's basketball tournament have identified Christian musicians or bands as their favorite artists.
CBS Sports asked all 68 coaches whose teams are participating in the annual tournament to name their favorite musicians and reported the findings in an article published on Tuesday when the first four games occurred.
Nate Oats, the head coach of the University of Alabama men’s basketball team, and Grand Canyon University head coach Bryce Drew selected Christian artist Toby Mac.
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Stetson University head coach Donnie James chose the noted Christian band Casting Crowns. Morehead State University head coach Preston Spadlin picked Christian singer Jeremy Camp. Baylor University head coach Scott Drew identified the Christian band Elevation Worship as his favorite group. Longwood University head coach Griff Aldrich named Hillsong as his favorite band.
Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland selected Christian singer Jervis Campbell. The University of Nevada, Reno head coach Steve Alford picked the Christian band Sanctus Real. The University of Virginia’s Tony Bennett named the Christian group Maverick City Music. The University of Dayton’s Anthony Grant told the news outlet that popular Christian artist Lauren Daigle was his favorite singer.
So far, six of the 10 teams with coaches who have selected Christians are still in the running for the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
The University of Virginia has been eliminated after losing to Colorado State University. The University of Dayton beat out the University of Nevada, Reno, to secure a spot in the top 32.
Texas Tech failed to make the top 32 after losing to North Carolina State University, while Morehead State was eliminated after losing to the University of Illinois.
The University of Alabama, Grand Canyon University, Baylor University, Longwood University and Stetson University have yet to face off in the first round of games as of Friday morning. All are scheduled to play at some point on Friday.
The elimination of the 68 teams in the March Madness Tournament began Tuesday and Wednesday.
The first round of games, taking place Thursday and Friday, will further reduce the number of teams in the competition from 64 to 32. Teams that emerge victorious in the second round of games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will face off in the Sweet 16 games on March 28 and March 29.
The schedule for the remaining March Madness games, as reflected on the NCAA’s March Madness bracket, will consist of contests between the Elite Eight matches on March 30 and 31 that will feature winners of the Sweet 16 games and the Final Four games on April 6, where the winners of the Elite Eight contests will face off. The two teams left vying for the championship title square off on April 8.
The March Madness tournament will air on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
