The name might sound weird to some people, but bullfighters are brave guys, so the Spanish twist on it makes the name a unique and formidable one. Ones that, at first glance, make you wonder, "How the heck did they come up with that?". This is why Ohio State made this list of strange team names. The Horned Frog has actually been part of TCU as far back as 1897, when it appeared in the university's yearbook. They also boast the best student-athlete graduation rates on a consistent basis, which is definitely something they should be commended for. However, there are some out there that are just outright strange. Northwestern and Maryland use balls provided by Under Armour, their apparel manufacturer. It's a difference, but at the same time, it's not a difference.". Purdue's engineering and agriculture history is captured by the university's official mascot, the Boilermaker Special. The Men's Basketball team at Stanford made $7,768,928 in revenue, while incurring $6,480,368 in expenses. Alaska's Seawolf, on the other hand, is based on a Tlingit Indian legend of a mythical sea creature. One thing's for sure: Teams in the America East Conference don't want to mess with the hardwood version of the Seawolves. "Hokies" became Virginia Tech's nickname after O.M. bettors that know the value of their bankroll. The term usually refers to something fast or something that zips up, but the reality for this university seems to be a little of both. In 1977, the Keydets went 26-4, and reached the NCAA Tournament again. The Golden Griffin nickname is fierce and regal, but it's still strange enough to be on this wacky list. Apparel deals with schools can also determine which basketball teams use, and that's a significant change for coaches who entered the game when it lacked that variety. ", "I'm disappointed in that a little bit," Izzo said. VMI is best known for their two years in men's basketball, in 1976 and 1977. Cornell's teams got the name Big Red because they were big and red, so it stands to reason that Dartmouth's teams are called the Big Green because they are big and green. 12 Vols lose starting PG Zeigler to torn ACL, Tide's Oats takes blame for Miller's 'TSA' intro, Iowa State dismisses third-leading scorer Grill, Davis within 25 points of tying Maravich's mark, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, USC, OU, Seton Hall, Iowa in new hoops tourney, Man pleads guilty for trying to extort GT, Pastner, Sizing up the player of the year winners in all 32 Division I men's conferences, 5 things to know as Antoine Davis is set to pass 'Pistol' Pete's scoring record. The actual gauchos from the 1800s were simply cattle-herders, but Santa Barbara's mascot, Ole, looks like a gunslinger who's not to be trifled with. At Kansas, the flagship school of Adidas, Bill Self uses a Wilson basketball, the official ball of both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. The Shockers are a member of the NCAAAmerican Athletic Conference. "A lot of players have a preference, but at the end of the day, it's a basketball," Riller said. Dartmouth, one of the oldest colleges in the country, has never been able to settle on a mascot and consequently has none. smileyhou12. The fact that penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere shouldn't discourage this theory. It must weigh between 20 and 22 ounces. With the new name, the school needed a new cheer. 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. First, the mascot came from a 1923 write-up after Wake Forest beat rival school Trinity (now Duke University), when the editor of the paper referred to the football team as the Demon Deacons for their devilish play. We begin with the University of Akron Zips. One might have pictured the Blue Stockings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a group of intellectual women whose name most likely referred to the woolen worsted stockings associated with their informal attire. "I get it," he said. "But it seemingly was dismissed because of all the contracts and sponsorships in place. The college basketball game to watch on Thursday evening? The North Carolina Tar Heels have one of the most successful programs in all of college basketball, and the state of North Carolina itself is nicknamed the "Tar Heel State.". 8. They went with the name "Sycamores" due to the large abundance of sycamore trees in Indiana and around the university. Well, if 20 schools had kangaroos as mascots, all of them would be featured here. You're almost certainly reading this not because you're a sports fan, but because you want a history lesson, so here goes: those hatters were mad ("mad as a hatter") because a couple hundred years ago mercury was used in the manufacture of hats, and it turns out that constant exposure to mercury isn't good for your brain. Sharps are targeting this random game in the Colonial Athletic Conference between teams that have been struggling all year. They won MAC regular-season and tournament titles throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and have made appearances in the NCAA Tournament as far back as 1939. There are so many college basketball teams and conferences out there that we can't possibly keep track of them all. 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. Deals with apparel companies determine the sneakers and jerseys teams wear, and the influence of shoe companies has been a prominent theme in the recent FBI probe into illegalities in college basketball recruiting. Because Stetsonswere a type of hat that people wore in theOld West, and their name is called the Hatters. Even though the word Hoki had no meaning, the school was not deterred. (2020, August 27). She portrayed her Billiken as a short, pudgy, smiling creature with pointed ears and a small knot of hair on the top of his otherwise bald head. Played. There aren't any wild anteaters in California, but UC Irvine adopted the animal as its nickname and mascot anyway. Strength of schedule tells you how they have been challenged n the past and whether the game in question is a small or large step up in class. Salukis are Egyptian hounds, a slender dog that has a history dating back to 7000 or 6000 B.C. They regularly get blown out by 40, 50+ points. crestview country club events. The most polarizing views still center on The Rock, a basketball manufactured by a New York company called Anaconda Sports. He donated $110 million back in the late 1990s to build an arena for the university, but only on the condition that the name was kept indefinitely. What is known is that in 1946, the school's moniker suddenly changed from the Bulldogs to the Sun Devils. 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. The Zips compete in the NCAAMid-American Conference. As for their athletics, they've enjoyed plenty of success over the last decade in a variety of sports, including football, baseball, men's lacrosse, men's soccer and men's basketball, who have made two NIT appearances in the past three years. Featured on: The information contained at this site is for entertainment Forums can be frustrating because of the people on them and the crap they like to talk about, but if you can stand to wade through all of that then you can often pick out a few nuggets that can be very helpful. Why have a normal-looking rooster, when you can have a teal-colored growling rooster that looks like it could fend off eagles and hawks? Who are these obscure teams that play college basketball? As he continued to walk through the state, he left tar footprints in his wake, and that's where the name 'Tar Heel' comes from.". College Basketball - Today's Free Picks 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. Another team that likes to add purple to its name. The Billiken is by far one of the wackiest names and mascots in college basketball. The name Wichita State Shockers seems to suggest electrocution and an intimidating ability to strike down opponents with a bolt of lightning. A decade before he led Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four, Shaka Smart was a low-level member of Dayton's staff who had been handed a frustrating task by his boss, coach Oliver Purnell. What better way to intimidate your rivals than to name your team after a small, burrowing rodent. Preparing this ball "strategy" is a common assignment for basketball staffers around the country, and among the NCAA's highest-revenue sports, it's a scenario unique to men's basketball. 'The ball shall be spherical' The NCAA rulebook (Section 16. Defensive efficiency tells you how they stand up in the face of challenges. Shooting percentages give you a clue to their discipline and skill levels. Top Public Universities in the United States, GPA, SAT and ACT Data for Top Virginia Colleges, Coastal Carolina University: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics, Top Middle Atlantic Colleges and Universities, Dartmouth College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics, Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania, M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania, B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT. In those years, respectively, Wisconsin and Michigan reached the national title game. The Stetson cowboy hat was originally manufactured by John B. Stetson, the first benefactor of Stetson University. There are so many college basketball teams and conferences out there that we cant possibly keep track of them all. It's certainly an interesting team name to say the least. But where the heck did the name came from? School alumni, administrators and fans support the use, while faculty and Native American tribes and student organizations believe both the name and logo are racist stereotypes. The consensus: Coaches and players dislike it. The major sports sites and some of the bigger betting ones will have recaps of those games posted. Apparantly, this univesity in Indiana thought that just being called the Aces wasn't enough, they had to incorporate a color with it. For resourceful sports handicappers one of the nicer benefits is that it has made virtually every local and campus newspaper in the country readily available. Nerdier yet,you might think of the Mad Hatter who battled Batman in DC comics. A shock is a bundle of grain stacked in a field for drying. If this team name and mascot isn't strange enough for you, then I don't know what is. . 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. Let's find out, as we take a look at the 25 wackiest names and mascots in college basketball. The athletic teams compete in the NCAABig Ten Conference. San Jose State beats Colorado State 63-46 Facing Indiana? 1 CCNY Beavers - 1950 The Beavers are so obscure that they aren't even in D1 anymore and instead play at a DII level today. It also meant that for every road game, we were pretty much guaranteed to play with a new ball. NCAA College Basketball Teams Show: All America East American Atlantic 10 ACC ASUN Big 12 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big West CAA CUSA Horizon League Independents Ivy MAAC MAC MEAC MVC Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac-12 Patriot SEC Southern Southland SWAC Summit Sun Belt WCC WAC Go 'Roos! They regularly get blown out by 40, 50+ points For example, these were some of them these past couple of days: Ave Maria Gallaudet University Pfeiffer Misericordia Brescia University The creature was supposed to bring good luck, and it was once transformed into all kinds of kitschhood ornaments, coin banks, belt buckles, pickle forks, key chains, statuettes, and other forms of eBay treasure. The mascot Rameses was inspired by a good luck tradition back in the 1920s, when the Tar Heels brought it to games against Virginia Military Institute. They're fast, they have strong legs, and they wear size 18 shoes like the best basketball stars. The university's mascot is Big Al, an elephant. Back in 1950 the Beavers were led by head coach Nat Holman who was one of the greatest innovators in the game at the time. Any use of this information in violation of any state, When you think of Texas and football, I don't think "horned frogs" are the first team name that comes to mind. 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