An article compiling the 20 strangest Division I team names is immediately going to come under attack by readers who question the methodology used for including a school on this list. 1,208 times. This is the story he gave me, which I will remember for a long time: "Thousands of years ago, there was a tired, old ram, roaming what is now North Carolina, in search of food. The story follows the adventures of this bird as he is captured by a fox that he eventually outsmarts and escapes from. What is known is that the Youngstown basketball team was in West Virginia playing a game on a cold and snowy day in January of 1933. Every so often, though, those teams play games against higher profile teams are we have to handicap them. It is still widely used in some areas today and roughly two million people are able to speak the language, to some degree. Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. San Antonio's old Rowdy the Roadrunner mascot used to be nothing more than a goofy chicken-type mascot dipped in blue paint. Their most successful program, historically, is wrestling. "But I always said that every goal is 10 feet high. Early in the state's history, opponents of calling Minnesota the Gopher State argued that gophers were too lowly, insignificant, and destructive to represent the state. The most polarizing views still center on The Rock, a basketball manufactured by a New York company called Anaconda Sports. Their men's basketball has also had success; in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, they possess more wins than any other team, have won a league record seven titles, and have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances since their inception in 1940. You must admit that the Dartmouth Broccoli has a nice ring to it. English. P.S. Campell University is a member of the NCAABig South Conference. Find your favorite team's schedule, roster, and stats on CBS Sports. 2 seed Villanova and advanced into the Sweet Sixteen), and have been in both ESPN and the Associated Press' Top 25 polls. Demon Deacon, Wake Forest University. use its namesake nor its logo. The Billiken, according to the SLU website, was made famous by illustrator Florence Pretz in the first decade of the 20th century. College Basketball - Today's Free Picks When an obscure team like that is playing one we know well especially if the well known team is decent then the tendency is to discount the obscure team. A list of members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I that do not currently sponsor college baseball programs. Basketball Betting Lines, College "But it seemingly was dismissed because of all the contracts and sponsorships in place. When Michigan signed a new deal with Nike in 2016, the apparel giant asked the Wolverines to discontinue use of The Rock and placed language in Michigan's contract that compels the school to use a Nike ball at home. Stony Brook competes in the American East Conference. Presbyterian's motto is "Dum Vivimus Servimus," whichmeans"While We Live We Serve." But when a political cartoon was published in 1857 satirizing local politicians by representing them with gopher bodies, the phrase stuck. Value. I College. There's a team's KPI . But whatever the basketball that's used for the NCAA tournament, they should use that for games.". Elon vs. Drexel, of course. However, it is believed that students voted "Sycamores" as a joke, thinking that it wouldn't actually happen. For Texas Christian University, the Horned Frog name and mascot date back to the 1800s. People can laugh all they want at Akron and Zippy the mascot, but the hoops program is laughing all the way to the Mid-American Conference championship. Cornell, however, has a leg up on Dartmouth by having a bear as a mascot. And their university is named after the guy who first created the Stetson hat! Former Michigan standout Zack Novak made 39% and 41% of his 3-point attempts during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, respectively. Pomona College landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Men's Basketball in California ranking. Saint Louis Billikens. 95. Most of you know its recent success in football, but did you know that TCU won two national championships, in 1935 and 1938? And if you need a mascot, how about Ace Purple, a riverboat gambler from the turn of the twentieth century? Their current mascot is a wolf, but I guess the "St. Bonaventure Wolves" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. ", Since then, rivals of Georgetown havemocked its unique team name by chanting, "What's a Hoya?". On a side note, UC Santa Barbara is the alma mater of former L.A. Laker and three-time NBA champion Brian Shaw. "Golden Tornadoes" might be a more apt name for Tulsa's sports teams, but Golden Hurricane is definitely unique. But then again, mascot antics aren't a beauty contest, are they? Located in Clinton, South Carolina, Presbyterian is one of several schools on this list that competes in theBig South Conference. We've got work to do!" By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Now, you're probably wondering why the university went with that name. It's honestly difficult at times. Facing Indiana? Also, no disrespect to any Stag students and alumni, but that must be the cuddliest-looking college mascot I've ever seen. At the heart of Dartmouth's picture-perfect New England campus is a big town or village green (see it here). ASU ranks as one of the top colleges in the mountain states, and the school competes in the NCAAPAC 12 Conference. After all, a bulldog is a broad-shouldered, intimidating animal while a sun devil is a um ah what the heck is a Sun Devil? You may not associate Ohio with penguins, but perhaps back when Youngstown State University was founded in 1908, Ohio was much colder. Internet forums are another great source of information just because a basketball team is obscure doesnt mean that it doesnt have a devoted fanbase that obsesses over ever detail of the team and their performance. 8. When your school colors are purple and white and you decide that your Pioneers team name isn't catchy enough, you might just end up with the nickname the Purple Aces. Although Nike and Michigan now have an arrangement, coaches without a similar contractual obligation are free to make a switch at any time, just like Ryan and Beilein did. Does the brand of basketball really matter? But no one can question how daunting the team's logo is. A [ edit] AB-AD [ edit] Let me give credit where credit is due. Seemingly an oxymoron, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons name comes from a combination of the school's Baptist tradition and the newspaper editor noting the team's devilish play. Maddux Sports makes its money from repeat sports With the college basketball world full of basic bulldogs and every kind of wolf, it's refreshing to see a mysterious foreign canine as the mascot of Southern Illinois. In short, it's the nut from an Ohio buckeye tree. In baseball, they're the most winning baseball team over the last 31 years. His team became known as "Bender's Billikens.". They've ranked in the top ten in the nation for three consecutive years and have faced the likes of teams such as Ohio State and California in recent years. Stony Brook, like Alaska, defines the seawolf as a mythical sea creature. (2020, August 27). No other major conference team used it, perhaps giving the Badgers a psychological edge. Another possibility is that people in the Ivy League really don't care all that much about athletics. Okay, the history isn't so glorious, but kangaroo does rhyme with KCU, and in that historic year when the university chose its mascot, the Kansas City Zoo had just purchased two baby kangaroos. Huggins uses a Spalding ball, but West Virginia has a contract with Nike. hide this ad. The word vandalize comes from a fifth-century East Germanic tribe, the Vandals, who, in early history, were portrayed as barbarians who sacked Rome. Anyone who has taken a course on Chaucer will understand why the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers deserve a place on this list of unusual team names, but if you haven't, here's the deal. Look at how they have performed against teams you do know Trying to draw meaning from looking back at a basketball game between two obscure teams is mostly useless because you lack context to make what you learn relevant. I had absolutely no idea what a Hoya was until I asked one of myroommates, whose brother goes to Georgetown. Any ball that meets those standards is legal, even if the seams and stitching vary. Of course the Saint Louis University Billikens had to make this list of strange team names and mascots. The fact that penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere shouldn't discourage this theory. Naming your sports teams after extinct prehistoric animals is one way to ensure a spot on this list. But coaches make every effort to ensure that their players prepare with the right balls to minimize any advantage for the opposing team, real or imagined. Beilein first used the ball as a Division II coach at LeMoyne early in his career. It also meant that for every road game, we were pretty much guaranteed to play with a new ball. In the NBA, I believe, there is a standard. You can get far more meaning from looking at how the team has performed against teams against which you have at least a passing familiarity of. Unlike many universities, however, Cornell does know where the unofficial Big Red name comes from. Ah, the Stony Brook Seawolves. Our rankings algorithm requires a minimum number of games played before we can accurately rank teams. Trying to draw meaning from looking back at a basketball game . Basketball Notches Men and Women Doubleheader Wins Over Trade Tech. A "buckeye" is the seed or nut from an aesculus plant, the official state tree of Ohio. In 1977, the Keydets went 26-4, and reached the NCAA Tournament again. "I remember that.". 9. The reasons I have a question mark to this is because North Dakota University is in a mess right now. ", Nolan Richardson, who coached Arkansas to the 1994 national title, said he never worried about the basketball his team would use whenever it left Fayetteville, though he admits he never liked balls that had "wide seams. But today. Privacy Policy. They all have different feels. But he isn't convinced that his program's basketball helped him or his teammates. Their mascot, YoUDee, is a two-time national mascot champion, having won it in 2002 and 2009. However, that's not the only sport Georgetown has done well in. Looking at their tempo can tell you how quickly they like to move the ball, and what style of play they prefer. 1) lays it out simply: "The ball shall be spherical. Saint Louis Billikens. Duke derived its nickname from a celebrated group of World War I French troops who were dubbed "Les Diables Bleu.". Smart's mission: Buy every brand of basketball the Flyers might be forced to use on the road that season. If a conference officially sponsors an NCAA "emerging sport" for women (as of 2020, acrobatics . When an obscure non board team is playing a known one, then, its important to be able to quickly get a sense of how good the team is. But coaches can and do deviate from a university's brand. At least six members must sponsor five women's sports other than basketball, including two other team sports. They're also in this year's NCAA Tournament. ", "I'm disappointed in that a little bit," Izzo said. Connecticut Huskies Rhode Island . Nerdier yet,you might think of the Mad Hatter who battled Batman in DC comics. Hickok Sports: Not a fancy site, but one filled with tons of information about every sport imaginable from college to pro. The fact that this university is located in Florida makes it even worse. Canisius College's fantasy creature seems like it would be the ultimate predator, but the basketball team hasn't been so threatening; it's 1-15 in the MAAC. College sports are filled with all sorts of traditions and displays of school pride, and some NCAA hoops teams have downright bizarre nicknames and mascots. . "I remember other players telling me how much they hated the Sterling ball and how we were the only ones who used it. I check ESPN box scores, and these universities/colleges/whatever they are, they don't even have a logo. Paul's study found that teams using a different ball on the road could experience more than a one-point differential from their "expected scoring," the latter gleaned from betting data, Paul said. Some schools nickname themselves after socks, others after plants, and one is even named after a doll. Why is the mighty North Carolina program called the "Tar Heels"? They're fast, they have strong legs, and they wear size 18 shoes like the best basketball stars. . Alaska's Seawolf, on the other hand, is based on a Tlingit Indian legend of a mythical sea creature. North Carolina's nickname and mascot don't match at all, but there's special meaning behind them. They've also won six national titles, their last in 2003. After shutting out rival Wabash College 44-0, the local paper headline the game, "Slaughter of Innocents: Wabash Snowed Completely Under by the Burly Boiler Makers from Purdue.". This is another case of a cool-looking mascot making up for a peculiar nickname. It's a replica nineteenth-century steam locomotive that, quite frankly, could easily squash the mascots of most of the schools on this list. Husky Basketball Celebrates Sophomore Night. A billiken was a charm doll used in the early 20th century used to give luck to anyone who purchased one. For some reason, folks wanted to shorten that 23-syllable name to V.P.I. Over the past two decades, the university has done well in both men's and women's lacrosse, ice hockey, rowing, track and field andcross country. 'The ball shall be spherical' The NCAA rulebook (Section 16. Which school calls itself the "Anteaters"? Beilein's preference did not earn many glowing reviews, but it wasn't opponent sentiment that moved the university away from the ball. Los Angeles Times college hoops experts Ben Bolch, Ryan Kartje and J. Brady McCollough are ready to answer key questions about UCLA, USC and more as the . In the NFL, I believe, there is a standard. 90s. Grove, Allen. Although the bulk of college basketball's Power 5 schools use Nike basketballs, the manufacturing giant has different versions of its standard ball. Most people know about its men's basketball team, a perennial Big East contender and has been in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT since 2005. When the college first emerged as a football powerhouse in the late nineteenth century, the newspapers in rival communities disparaged the Purdue athletes with names such as "coal heavers" and "boilermakers.". The university's website does explain the choice of a Chantecleer, but the explanationactually ignores the fact that Chaucer's Chanticleer is presented ironically with lots of mock chivalric language. The teams are the Fighting Camels and the Lady Camels, and the mascot is Gaylord the Camel. Arizona is better known for its plateaus, canyons and deserts, but it's also home to some hardy pine forests, so the logging name captures the wilderness theme of northern Arizona. Recaps are never great at the best of times, but they at least give you a sense of how the team plays, how they matched up against their opponents, which players carried the load, and so on. Highest Client Renewal Rate In the Industry. If they keep it up, the 2011 NIT champions will have an opportunity to harvest a few wins in the NCAA Tournament this spring. "See, I do think it makes a difference," Self said. For the naysayers who think that a broccoli mascot lacks the ability to evoke fear in a rival team, you could visit any school and witness how the students avoid broccoli almost religiously. When discussing teams, there are a load of statistics, terms, and acronyms thrown out. At Kansas, the flagship school of Adidas, Bill Self uses a Wilson basketball, the official ball of both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. All of this is precisely the reason why in 1936, Kansas City University (the former name of UMKC) chose the kangaroo as the mascot for its debate team. Now you may be asking yourself why an article on the most unusual mascots and team names has two schools with kangaroos (remember the Akron Zips?). So in 1896, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College changed its name to the much more concise and poetic Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. By the end of the experience, the team had adopted the Penguin name. 2. Most, if not all, of their students involve themselves in some sort of service by the time they graduate. Nebraska coach and former Iowa State sharpshooter Fred Hoiberg, a 40% college 3-point shooter who thrived from distance during a 10-year NBA career, says a basketball brand can affect a game, which is why he'd like to see a permanent change. The Billiken, according tothe SLU website, was made famous by illustrator Florence Pretz in the first decade of the 20th century. Yet that's exactly what the nickname is. During the 2011-12 season, Novak made 28.3% of his 3-point attempts at home and 53.7% of his 3-point attempts on the road, per ESPN Stats & Info. Oddly enough, their mascot is named Flash the Golden Eagle. Stull won a spirit yell contest with the chant "Hoki" in it. Find moneyline, over/under, and ATS free predictions from the big college basketball games to the obscure games. Is there a forum? Who are these obscure teams that play college basketball? "Sometimes it takes a half. Though the university has received more than enough support to continue use, the NCAA sent a letter last week reiterating its current policies. In Erie, mascot C. Wolf is a gray wolf dressed as a pirate. Bill Self said he switched to a Wilson basketball in recent years because it's used in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, and that if the NCAA ever switched to a different basketball in the postseason, he'd switch to the same ball. The Golden Griffin nickname is fierce and regal, but it's still strange enough to be on this wacky list. NCAA Division I Basketball Colleges. What is a zip, you ask? Here is Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Championships ranking list: University of Louisiana Monroe (Monroe, LA) University of North Alabama (Florence, AL) Tennessee Tech (Cookeville, TN) Clemson University (Clemson, S Sharps are targeting this random game in the Colonial Athletic Conference between teams that have been struggling all year. As for their athletics, they did make a Final Four appearance in men's basketball back in 1970, and won the NIT Championship in 1977. When we play Fairfield, they can be a tough opponent to beat, even though we are not considered to be rivals (despite the fact that we are in-state here in Connecticut; roughly 45-50 minutes away from each other). Let's find out, as we take a look at the 25 wackiest names and mascots in college basketball. "As a result of his actions, his feet were covered in tar and he could not get it off of him. The school is located in Buies Creek, North Carolina, an area that must be overrun with wild camels. It may also have one of the most freaky, yet most intimidating mascots in Division 1, with WuShock.
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