If the Mascots Battled - Predicting Regional Finals

Basing bracket predictions off which mascot would win in a fight is a popular method for those unfamiliar with the college basketball landscape (and we all know that they do better in bracket pools than the rest of us). There are some great mascots in the field this year, so here is how I think the regional finals would break down if each team's mascot got to duke it out for a chance to advance in the Big Dance.

Midwest

Billikens vs. Spartans

The St. Louis Billikens have easily the most enigmatic mascot in all of sports. Even the university itself can't quite seem to pin down the origin or definition of their mascot. As they state on their own website, "Several details seem to be certain. Everyone agrees that the Billiken is a good-luck figure who represents "things as they ought to be." The designer of the Billiken also seems to be fact. Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher and illustrator, patented her "design for an image" of the jovial creature in 1908.

The Billiken in action.

It's also known that the Billiken was manufactured in the early 1900s as a bank and statuette and was the national rage for about six months -- kind of that period's pet rock. During this time, the Billiken was turned into all sorts of things: dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and glass bottles." - http://www.slu.edu/evgrn-what-is-a-billiken, St. Louis University

The Billiken would advance to the regional final out of the midwest simply because of its magical, mysterious properties and the fact that all other mascots would be too confused to fight back.

The Spartans vs. the Blue Devils presents an intriguing Sweet Sixteen matchup, but the Spartans win out because, well, the Spartans always win out, even when down 300 - 150,000. Look for a glorious comeback victory that will avenge the Gods to advance Michigan State to the Elite Eight.

South

Wolverines vs. Aztecs

With all due respect to the Hilltoppers, Jayhawks, and Tar Heels, the Wolverine actually exists and he usually means business. It's definitely not something you would want to run into in the wilderness. It is renowned for besting predators that are significantly larger and more well-equipped. Like the honey-badger, the Wolverine don't care. He'll rip you apart for no reason at all.

I like the Aztecs to come out of a weak bottom half of the South bracket, but I hesitate because of that whole Cortes fiasco a while back. Sure, you can blame smallpox all you want, but losing an empire to a few Spaniards just off the boat is pretty weak. Look for the Wolverines to advance in this one.

East

Wolfpack vs. Buffaloes

The East region has a few of the better live mascots in sports. Butler's Blue II and Blue III get a lot of recognition for being so darn cute, but I've always thought the Bulldog was a rather lazy breed. I like Tuffy, the Tamaskan representing the North Carolina State Wolfpack to get through as the only canine member of the Elite Eight. NC State's website describes the Tamaskan as a "breed of domestic dog originating from Finland. It is known to excel in agility, obedience, and working trials." Sounds like a much better recipe for success than that paunchy bulldog.

You don't want to get in the way of Ralphie, Colorado's live mascot. (zimbio.com)

The bottom half of the East region has several of the more intriguing mascot matchups. At first glance, it would seem that the Miami Hurricanes have the advantage. Hurricanes can really take a punch. However, Miami has employed Sebastian the Ibis as their mascot, and we all know Ibises, "a group of long-legged wading birds" are far too lanky to do well in a fight. Ralphie from the University of Colorado, another impressive live mascot during football season, should make short work of Sebastian after getting revenge on the Illini for all those years getting chased across the plains.

West

Explorers vs. Cyclones

The top half of the West region offers some unique human-based mascots against some feisty wildlife, such as the Badgers out of Wisconsin (you already know my opinion of bulldogs). The Wichita State Shockers and LaSalle Explorers both offer intriguing qualities in fights. The Shocker mascot supposedly originates from students who would shock wheat to work their way through college, though it has taken on quite a different connotation of late. As fun as Shockers can be, Explorers are a gritty bunch who have fought their way through scurvy, chlamydia, and rambunctious natives over the years and can certainly handle a Wildcat or two.

The Iowa State mascot, Cy the Cardinal, as a cyclone. (newspaper.li)

The Iowa State Cyclones have a cake-walk to the Elite Eight, facing potential match-ups against the Buckeyes, and the Wildcats or Crimson. Please. Yes, Cy the Cardinal is a much weaker stand-in for an actual cyclone, but for the sake of argument, we are going to assume that he can turn himself into a column of wind at will. How else could he have posed for his picture featured on the Iowa State logo?  This should be a tough matchup for the privilege of a trip to the final four. 

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Rebounding from Sorrow, the St. Louis Billikens are Solidifying Their Resume

Dwayne Evans and Mike McCall, Jr., are SLU's leading scorers this season. (Nick Krug/KUSports.com)

The line between top-tier college basketball programs and mid-majors is blurring. The probability it ever vanishes completely is low, but the ascension of schools like Butler and Gonzaga to the plane of annual NCAA tournament competitors — not just attendants — has the college hoops community putting an ever-more scrupulous eye on smaller schools. Whether it is the blue bloods that schedule mid-majors hoping they can bully less recruited players for an easy victory, the teams that draw such schools in non-conference tournaments and are uncertain about how to handle that below-the-radar opponent, or the teams that meet these mid-majors multiple times each year in conference play — begrudgingly or not, the little brothers of college basketball have earned respect. For the first time in more than a decade, the St. Louis Billikens have played like a team deserving this reverence.

The Billikens' biggest moment of national exposure came when they were on the wrong end of a 73-59 rout by Kansas in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, but even a loss like that — to one of NCAA Division I's most history-rich programs on a neutral court just 45 minutes from the favored team's home court — will be considered good in the eyes of the NCAA tournament selection committee.

A home loss to the Santa Clara Broncos, who have put together their own respectable record thus far, and a five-point stumble to the Washington Huskies on the trip to the Pacific Northwest are the only other blotches on the Billikens' agenda. The rest of St. Louis' schedule is sterling, including a win over Texas A&M, just a few seasons removed from being a threat to the Jayhawks' own streak of Big 12 titles. The crown jewel in St. Louis' collection of wins is a 60-46 smashing of No. 20 New Mexico on Monday. Davidson, George Mason, Cincinnati, UCONN are all teams that the Lobos have bested, and the Billikens beat them soundly, irritating UNM head coach Steve Alford so much that the 22-year veteran picked up back-to-back technical fouls and was ejected from a game for the first time in his career.

The Billikens pounded the paint, outscoring the Lobos 32-16 on the inside as the SLU back court contributed just 21 points. From a team who entered the season touted on the shoulders of senior guard Kwamain Mitchell, that's not a shabby showing.

In fact, the Billikens have succeeded largely without Mitchell, who underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot in mid-October and returned on Dec. 28, just in time for play in a tune-up game against SIU-Edwardsville before facing New Mexico.

As we noted in our Atlantic 10 conference preview, the Billikens are dangerous because of the continuity of their line-up from last season to this season. With the exception forward Brian Conklin — SLU's leading scorer in 2011-12, closely followed by Mitchell — every player from last year's team returned for the Billikens for another go-around.

That roster continuity is what many mid-major schools thrive on, relying on less recruited players to develop chemistry with the same teammates by playing together year after year. This is one of the rudimentary elements that can lead to upsets in postseason tournaments, but the Billikens were not exactly a quiet story coming into the season. They were expected to contend for the A-10 title, even with new additions to the conference Butler and VCU making immediate impacts, and gained attention after beating Memphis during the first round of NCAA tournament play in March before narrowly losing to Michigan State, all while carrying a No. 13 seed.

In Mitchell's absence, the Billikens proceeded with a balanced attack, led in scoring by two guards and two forwards, each averaging over 8.5 points per game. SLU is now 77th overall in field goal percentage, shooting at a .458 rate, and primed to enter conference play at an all-out sprint, already carrying an RPI of 50. But one unquantifiable trait of the Billikens' group personality is how much they are fueled by the loss of head coach Rick Majerus, who had not sat on the St. Louis bench this season before losing his life to health issues.

Mid-major success is often said to be based off intangibles, like chemistry, heart, grit... The list can, and will, go as far as an imaginative mind can take it. In the case of the Billikens, those tags all happen to be applicable, but there is also ball movement and shooting accuracy to take into account when facing a team — this team — that could make a serious racket come tournament time.


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Utah To Honor The Late Rick Majerus With Sweater In Rafters

Rick Majerus will be honored at the University of Utah after his death last weekend. (midwestsportsfan.com)

A great basketball coach in Rick Majerus passed away last weekend at the age of 64.

How do we know he was a great basketball coach? Well, besides looking at his record and accomplishments, countless coaches and analysts have told us as much. The testament is that the person was even greater than the coach.

Majerus was the current coach of the St. Louis Billikens, although he had not coached this season due to his health issues. But the University of Utah was where Majerus spent the majority of his head coaching career, and where he found the most success. It was Utah that Majerus led to the national championship game in 1998.

Now the university is planning to honor the late coach in a classy and fitting way. From now on, the rafters of the Huntsman Center will include a replica white sweater often famously worn by Majerus as the Utes' coach.

Kudos to Utah for not just going with a jersey in the rafters- although that still would have been a respectful gesture - and instead finding a personal way to honor a great coach and ambassador to the university.

It's a shame Majerus was not able to return to Utah for an induction into the school's hall of fame last year, and that he will not be there to witness the white sweater hanging next to the other university greats.

But what's important is Majerus is being honored in a way that reflects the greatness that so many people thought of him.


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