The Final Four teams in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball “March Madness” Tournament are set! And you can watch the games early tomorrow morning on ncaa.com…
Did you choose correctly in your tournament brackets? No worries, I don’t think anyone did.
#2 Villanova vs. #2 Oklahoma
Sunday, April 3, 6:09am – Beijing Time
&
#1 UNC vs. #10 Syracuse
Sunday, April 3, 8:49am – Beijing Time
By rankings, we can assume that #1 ranked team University of North Carolina will win, right? But that’s not how the Final Four works! Any of these four teams has the same chance to win it all. Madness, I tell you!
But what if we choose the winner by university mascot alone? Let’s take a look…
The Villanova Wildcat vs. the Oklahoma Welsh Pony
Will D. Cat, the Villanova University Wildcat
In 1930, 1945, 1947, and 1949 Villanova acquired a wildcat that was kept in a cage on campus at the Fieldhouse and appeared at both home and away Villanova football games. Each of the cats was named Count Villan.
Behavior became a perennial problem with the cats; as they were caged in the Fieldhouse, paraded around in front of large crowds, and unaccustomed to the cold weather. The passing of Count Villan IV in 1950 drew the period of the live bobcat mascot to a close. Instead of a live animal, college officials then decided that a student would wear a costume of a wildcat and be the official mascot.
Sooner, the University of Oklahoma Welsh Pony
Boomer and Sooner are the two costumed mascots of the University of Oklahoma. They represent the two crème white Welsh ponies that pull the Sooner Schooner, a Conestoga wagon across Owen Field in a victory ride after every OU score during American football games.
Boomer is the blue-eyed horse and Sooner is the brown-eyed Horse. Traditionally, Boomer wears crimson jerseys and Sooner wears white jerseys that match the team that they are supporting. Don’t be fooled by their cute appearance, these mascots could dominate at any cheer competition.
The UNC Ram vs. the Syracuse Orange
Rameses, the University of North Carolina Ram
The origin of the costumed version of Rameses dates back to the 1987-88 season. Auditions were held and a senior student was given the honor to be the first mascot. Since auditions were held in the middle of the school year he only served for half a year and only showed up in a few basketball games in early 1988. The costume was made locally and looked different than the one used now but he is recorded as the first costumed Rameses in UNC history.
In October 2015, Rameses Jr. debuted as a second costumed Tar Heel mascot. Most notably, Rameses Jr., or “RJ”, has blue eyes and horns, that set him apart from Rameses senior, although there are additional differences.
Otto, the Syracuse Orange
In the summer of 1990, the cheerleaders and mascots were at a UCA Cheerleading Camp in Tennessee and the students who were chosen to suit up in the costume narrowed the field down to two potential names — “Opie” and “Otto”—as a new orange costume was made. It was concluded that the name “Opie” would lead to the inevitable rhyme with ‘dopey’, and settled on “Otto.” Later that fall, word got out that the cheerleaders were calling the latest mascot costume Otto, and the name stuck.
For 17 years the university did not settle on an “official” mascot until the chancellor appointed a group of students and faculty to create a mascot and logo. University administration considered introducing a new mascot (a wolf or lion were likely candidates), but the student body supported Otto. He was recognized as the official mascot of Syracuse University by 1995.