The NCAA Tournament finally gets underway today. Thanks to the internet and office pools, little productivity will come from the American workforce over the next two days. All 64 teams have dreams of making their mark on this year's tournament. Who knows what lies ahead for even the most unknown schools in the field.
One of the greatest aspects of the first round, is the potential for relatively unknown schools to knock off a bigger school and become the Cinderella story of the year. Today's games feature some of those
schools, and I wanted to take a look at them from a logo perspective, so we can all be familiar with them when they make their run and earn a spot in America's hearts.
The first team in my profile is the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs earned their bid to the dance as the champions of the Southern Conference. This team has even gained a celebrity endorsement as one of the teams to watch in the tournament.
The Mocs logo pays tribute to the famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo, with the front of a train prominently featured in the logo. Maybe the Mocs can ride the train into Cinderella history!
Another school you may not be as familiar with their colors and look is the Cal St. Northridge Matadors. The Matadors will face a tough opponent in the much more recognized Memphis TIgers. The Matadors come to the tournament from the Big West conference and are making their first appearance in the tournament in eight years. If the Matadors can knock of the mighty Memphis Tigers, their place in tournament Cinderella history would be secure.
Another team facing a mighty challenge is the Bearcats from Binghamton
University. The Bearcats face perennial tournament favorites, the Duke Blue Devils. The Bearcats earned their bid to the dance by winning their first ever America East championship. The Bearcats have one of the best logos in the tournament. The fierce, green Bearcat image is one of the better animal themed mascots out there. If the Bearcats can hang with the Dukies, this image will become much more familiar.
Last on the day's list of teams is likely more well known than the others I've profiled, but a really great lesser known logo. That team is the Akron Zips.
The Zips joined the dance by beating Buffalo to claim their first MAC championship. The Zips will be facing a team that was once a Cinderella, but now has become a regular name in the tournament, the Zags of Gonzaga. This is only the Zips second NCAA appearance, with their last appearance
coming in 1986 under the leadership of Bob Huggins. Akron's logo is a classic. Any time a kangaroo is the basis for your mascot, it is great. The kangaroo implies the feeling of speed and also pushes the cute factor buttons. Definitely one of the better unknown looks out there. Besides, how great does it feel to say "Zips vs. Zags"?
That's all for today. Tomorrow I'll wrap up some of the Cinderella candidates taking the court on Friday. Enjoy the tournament, and make sure you get at least a little bit of work done today!
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