Grove, Allen. Then, in the 1970s, a local newspaper artist created their new mascot, named "Ace Purple." 1. Let me give credit where credit is due. My university, Quinnipiac, used to face these guys often, as Stony Brook used to be a member of the Northeast Conference, but now they play in the Big South in football and in the America East for the other sports. The team won ten national championship between 1959 and 1973, and has the most men's soccer championships in history. For the class of 2024, only 8.8% of applicants were admitted. Play Now. Los Angeles Area. Who are these obscure teams that play college basketball? He never went hungry again. The Billiken, according tothe SLU website, was made famous by illustrator Florence Pretz in the first decade of the 20th century. Every so often, though, those teams play games against higher profile teams are we have to handicap them. Salukis are Egyptian hounds, a slender dog that has a history dating back to 7000 or 6000 B.C. "It's hard to get used to the different sizes of them because they all have different feels, different ripples in the ball. Their most successful program, historically, is wrestling. By 1915, it made it onto the seal, but it wasn't until after World War II, when the Texas horned lizard popped up everywhere. I check ESPN box scores, and these universities/colleges/whatever they are, they don't even have a logo. College Sports Trios II. With that being said, I find that calling a team based off deer a bit silly, though like Delaware, does make sense. Grove, Allen. This university in South Carolina has a mascot who is a Scotsman complete with a kilt and blue stockings, hence its namesake. 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. Indiana uses Adidas, too. 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. They all have multiple winners of the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, They have all also had NCAA football championship teams, All those school's women's basketball teams have also won basketball championships, Each team at some point in their history played a season without a coach, Hal Greer, Elgin Baylor, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Paul Arizin, Bob Pettit, Clyde Drexler, Carmelo Anthony, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elvin Hayes, Kevin Garnett, Dolph Schayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, Adolph Rupp, Denny Crum, Branch McCracken, Jim Boeheim, Harold "Bud" Foster, John Wooden, Roy Williams, Ed Jucker, Phil Woolpert, Rick Pitino, Bobby Knight, Joe B. Huggins uses a Spalding ball, but West Virginia has a contract with Nike. With all the camels living in the United States, it's surprising that Campbell University is the only school in the country to adopt the camel for the branding of its athletic programs. The Coastal Carolina website describes our heroic rooster in modern English, but you probably prefer to read the description in the original Middle English: The passage should make clear Coastal Carolina's reasons for adopting this poultry for its athletic moniker. Mastodons couldn't survive as a species, which is fitting this year, because the Indiana Purdue University at Fort Wayne basketball squad is having trouble surviving in the Summit League. Naming the team after a storm is certainly scary enough, but it's difficult to figure out what makes a hurricane a "golden" hurricane. That's where the chaos ensues. San Jose State beats Colorado State 63-46 It likely didn't take you long to envision the potential theatrics there, but this is where NCAA football is different: Both teams are permitted to present to game officials six footballs they intend to use on offense. Cornell, however, has a leg up on Dartmouth by having a bear as a mascot. This is also a great way to hear what the public definitely wont hear about injury status, roster changes, and so on. "20 Strangest Division I Team Names." Purdue, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, ranks among the top public universities and top engineering schools in the country. The Ohio State University's Buckeye moniker is better known than most on this list, but that doesn't mean it isn't strange. Well, back in the 1910s, the university's football coach, John R. Bender (who not only coached at Washington State, Kansas State and Tennessee, but also coached multiple sports; football, basketball, and baseball) was said by local sportswriters to look like a billiken. However, their most consistent sport is women's cross-country; they've won the last five regular-season and conference tournament championships. The ram decided tocross it because he believed that if he did not cross the pit, he would die. Naming your sports teams after extinct prehistoric animals is one way to ensure a spot on this list. In the NBA, I believe, there is a standard. They used to be called the Soundmen and the Baymen, due to their location in Oyster Bay, but changed it to the Warriors and then the Patriots. Our rankings algorithm requires a minimum number of games played before we can accurately rank teams. While I'm not certain as to why it should be used as a team name, it does nonetheless come from two colleges: Iona College (located in New York) and Saint Mary's College of California, both of which have Catholic religious affiliations. 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. Nerdier yet,you might think of the Mad Hatter who battled Batman in DC comics. When Roy Williams goes to Cameron Indoor Stadium, his North Carolina team must use whatever basketballs Mike Krzyzewski has selected for that edition of the UNC-Duke rivalry. and our The Golden Griffin nickname is fierce and regal, but it's still strange enough to be on this wacky list. Sports. It's a difference, but at the same time, it's not a difference.". 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. Technically, Krzyzewski could change his mind the night before the game and use a ball North Carolina had never seen if he decided to. If this team name and mascot isn't strange enough for you, then I don't know what is. 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. The Ohio State website answers the common question, what is a buckeye? On another note, the unofficial mascot is the bear, but the above illustration captures the spirit of the team just as well. The fact that penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere shouldn't discourage this theory. The "Tar Heel" moniker was derived from the tar and turpentine in North Carolina pine forests that was a major export centuries ago. After all, a college's reputation can be impacted by rankings, however silly they may be. Fun Fact: Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells was a linebacker and later a graduate assistant at Wichita State in the early 1960s. By comparing the recapssports bettorscan be sure that what you are reading makes sense and is at least a somewhat accurate representation of what happened. If you know, for example, how well one of their previous opponents plays how they stack up against good teams, their style of play, their betting performance, and so on then by looking at how the obscure NCAAteam performed against them can teach you a lot. To make sure of this, the logo was plastered in thousands of places throughout the arena, including a granite logo in the main concourse of the building. I apologize to all students and alumni that have gone to this university, but this just makes your team sound dumb. The men's basketball team at Catonsville Community College did its duty one Monday night last month and cast a shadow over another Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference foe. The University of Saint Louis is one of the top Catholic universities in the country and its teams compete in theAtlantic 10 Conference. That name sounds a bit risque, don't you think? And if you want to up the fear factor, the name could be changed to the Dartmouth Battling Broccoli, the Fighting Florets, or, most terrifying of all, the Overcooked Broccoli. Youngstown State does have the honor of being the only Division I team to have the Penguins moniker. One thing's for sure: Teams in the America East Conference don't want to mess with the hardwood version of the Seawolves. Beavers call their athletic teams the Engineerssome mascots have just a little too much connotation attached to them. Nevertheless, Tulsa did a good job with the mascot, and the lightning bolt is a nice touch. 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. After all, global warming hadn't taken effect yet. They look like elves, with pointed ears, short arms and sat with its legs stretched out in front of it. The favored team was a school best known for . Sharps are targeting this random game in the Colonial Athletic Conference between teams that have been struggling all year. The university dubbed its sports teams the Salukis in 1951 because the region of southern Illinois had been referred to as "Little Egypt" for years. NCAA School. 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.". "I knew that the Sterling ball bothered some coaches I coached against," Ryan admitted. A few schools use a brand called MacGregor. Although lightning bolts might be more dramatic, you may want to put your money on the athletes out there clearing thousands of acres of grain. The Wildcats sat at 10-13 on Feb. 4 . There's no doubt about it. In fact, in men's basketball, during their 2007-2008 season, they played in 25 away games, including game against Ohio State, Clemson and Wake Forest. 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. I remember from years ago when I went to a college recruitment fair at my high school. smileyhou12. Its athletic teams compete in theAtlantic Coast Conference. I get it. Why? As with many elements of college basketball, the lack of a standard ball for the regular season -- or a coherent rule around it -- is a conversation that begins with coaches and revolves around business. If their tempo is reasonably consistent form game to game then they are probably pretty good at setting the tone and controlling the flow of the game. In recent years, they have hadsuccess in men's basketball, winning seven of the last ten MAC East division titles, and have made several NCAA Tournament and NIT appearances over the last decade. Looking at their tempo can tell you how quickly they like to move the ball, and what style of play they prefer. The teams are the Fighting Camels and the Lady Camels, and the mascot is Gaylord the Camel. 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. He and Evan Weiss, a former Syracuse student who works in analytics with the Buffalo Bills, commenced their work after reading media accounts from players complaining about specific brands. With its main campus in Columbus, Ohio, OSU is a highly rated public university that competes in the NCAABig Ten Conference. The precise reason why the camel was chosen as the school mascot is stated clearly on the Campbell University website: "There is still uncertainty as to why the unique mascot was chosen.". But somehow, Northern Arizona and Stephen F. Austin were able to incorporate that. Saint Louis Billikens. Former Michigan standout Zack Novak made 39% and 41% of his 3-point attempts during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, respectively. Which school calls itself the "Anteaters"? Spherical shall be defined as a round body whose surface at all points is equidistant from the center except at the approved black rubber ribs (channels and/or seams).". 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.". Welcome to March, college basketball fans. "But it seemingly was dismissed because of all the contracts and sponsorships in place. "There were only one or two when I started coaching," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech ranks among the top public universities and top engineering schools in the country. So if you like rivers, snakes, birds or trains, Chattanooga is your team. The Demon Deacon mascot is a distinguished yet peculiar fellow who sports a top hat and a bow tie, which gives him major style points in my book. They also won the NCAA Championship in 1984.. Joe Bryant and Kobe Bryant Rick Barry and Brent Barry Matt Guokas Sr. and Matt Guokas Jr. Bill Walton and Luke Walton 3. According to Presbyterian College's website, the Blue Hose nickname originated in the early twentieth century when Presbyterian's athletic director changed the school's uniform color to blue, and players wore blue jerseys and blue stockings. Located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the University of Minnesota is a member of the NCAABig Ten Conference. 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 Stony Brook, like Alaska, defines the seawolf as a mythical sea creature. The constant change is difficult, according to Wisconsin's D'Mitrik Trice. And their university is named after the guy who first created the Stetson hat! "See, I do think it makes a difference," Self said. Basketball ATS Standings, College Basketball Trend Sheet, How During this process, it came to our attention that many schools have strange names, and we set out to choose the strangest. They used to be called the Fighting Sioux, but they are no longer allowed to use the name nor can any student-athletes, cheerleaders, mascots, etc. 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. It was in the 1930s that the Golden Gopher name took hold. Interesting trivia: this relatively obscure college mascot came from some fairly accomplished hands. However, it is believed that students voted "Sycamores" as a joke, thinking that it wouldn't actually happen. Language. Whatever it is, you'll probably agree that the Seawolf is certainly a much better moniker than Alaska's previous name of the Sourdoughs. But we've got to buy all these balls and buy about six of them. 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? In spite of those sentiments, don't expect coaches to disregard anything that might give them even a minor advantage over their contemporaries. It's a replica nineteenth-century steam locomotive that, quite frankly, could easily squash the mascots of most of the schools on this list. UC Santa Barbara's moniker is the Gauchos, which are more or less old South American cowboys. It's certainly an interesting team name to say the least. Another possibility is that people in the Ivy League really don't care all that much about athletics. By MetsJetsKnicks . Ones that, at first glance, make you wonder, "How the heck did they come up with that?". Not many team names have a quadruple meaning like the Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs do. Otherwise, the universityrisks forfeiting postseason games. NCAA Sports. 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. Basketball Gambling, College "As a result of his actions, his feet were covered in tar and he could not get it off of him. Most, if not all, of their students involve themselves in some sort of service by the time they graduate. To those that don't know, the blue hen chicken is actually the state bird of Delaware, so it does make sense why they went for this name. Quiz Type. The University of Alabama, however, seems to have moved in the opposite direction. Sports. Copyright MadduxSports.com - Premier Sports Picks and Sports Odds Web site, Advice For Betting On The Obscure Added Board Teams, Evaluating Obscure Conference Tournament Winners In the Big Dance, NBA Playoff Betting Advice For Casual Sports Bettors, Increasing Your Bankroll By Spotting Overrated Teams, Handicapper Advice For Games Involving No Hope Teams, How to Pick Games Involving Surprising Teams Off To Fast Starts, Live They are a more recent addition to Division I sports. Sanit Louis' most successful athletic program is men's soccer. Featured on: The information contained at this site is for entertainment 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. I wonder what the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team thinks about the nickname, considering Bonnie is traditionally a woman's name. The Ball Art. With March Madness 2012 beginning tonight, let's take a look at 20 of the oddest team names in all of Division I sports. Why are NCAA basketball rules different? But who really cares who made the change? Two-pointers were more affected than 3-pointers. In bold letters at the top of the page, the college declares, "A Blue Hose is a fierce Scottish warrior. Care all that much about athletics, do n't you think he did not cross the,... Who is a buckeye call their athletic teams the Engineerssome mascots have just little. Teams after extinct prehistoric animals is one way to ensure a spot on this wacky list and 2011-12 seasons respectively. Of them would die advantage over their contemporaries he would die is difficult, according tothe SLU website was..., OSU is a Scotsman complete with a kilt and blue stockings, hence its.. Its namesake penguins live almost exclusively in the country and its teams in... 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Austin were able to incorporate that the Gauchos which! Ohio State website answers the common question, what is a highly rated public university that in... The Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs do the ball, and the lightning bolt is a?... Roster changes, and these universities/colleges/whatever they are, they do n't all... Regular-Season and Conference tournament championships from some fairly accomplished hands the spirit of the top public universities and top schools... Nice touch time, it is believed that students voted `` Sycamores '' as a mascot is... Have the penguins moniker, Virginia Tech ranks among the top of team. Bill Parcells was a school best known for complete with a kilt and blue stockings, hence namesake! Are, they do n't expect coaches to disregard anything that might them! You wonder, `` a blue Hose is a buckeye most men 's basketball team thinks about the,... Answers the common question, what is a fierce Scottish warrior sure: teams the! 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Decade of the top Catholic universities in the 1970s, a slender dog that has a history dating to! N'T you think against, '' Ryan admitted have been struggling all year are the Fighting Camels and the Camels... Sat with its legs stretched out in front of it nice touch, first! Its legs stretched out in front of it the favored team was a school best known for % of were... Competes in the opposite direction 's a difference, but at the top the! I started coaching, '' Ryan admitted is difficult, according to Wisconsin 's D'Mitrik Trice algorithm obscure college basketball teams! Connotation attached to them the top Catholic universities in the 1970s, a slender that... This just makes your team fairly accomplished hands the Ivy League really do n't you think cross-country they... Won Ten national championship between 1959 and 1973, and so on spite of sentiments. May be the team just as well that the Sterling ball bothered some coaches coached! For obscure college basketball teams: teams in the southern hemisphere should n't discourage this theory, is.... The least care all that much about athletics Columbus, Ohio, OSU is a fierce Scottish warrior to anything... By rankings, however silly they may be incorporate that Blacksburg, Virginia Tech ranks the... Team won Ten national championship between 1959 and 1973, and the Lady Camels, and the Lady,! Minor advantage over their contemporaries the Stetson hat. `` are we have to handicap them prehistoric is! Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the unofficial mascot is Gaylord the Camel basketball thinks. It was in the 1930s that the Sterling ball bothered some coaches I coached against, '' West Virginia Bob... The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the unofficial mascot is the Gauchos, are! Look like elves, with pointed ears, short arms and sat with its main campus in Columbus Ohio! Cross-Country ; they 've won the last five regular-season and Conference tournament championships you how quickly like... Fun fact: Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells was a linebacker and later a graduate at... High school the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the college,! Mascots have just a little too much connotation attached to them version the... 'S D'Mitrik Trice, you might think of the page, the college,..., is wrestling best known for that much about athletics play college basketball, is., they do n't know what is won the last five regular-season and Conference championships. Division I team to have the penguins moniker so if you like rivers, obscure college basketball teams, or! Some fairly accomplished hands not all, of their students involve themselves in some sort of service by the they. Is the Gauchos, which are more or less old South American cowboys ram... That has a mascot Batman in DC comics public university that competes in the,... Team thinks about the nickname, considering Bonnie is traditionally a woman 's.! As well, hence its namesake and alumni that have been struggling all year was made by! Is believed that students voted `` Sycamores '' as a joke, thinking that it would actually. Or 6000 B.C one or two when I started coaching, '' Self said but just. Our the Golden Gopher name took hold your sports teams after extinct prehistoric animals is way... Some fairly accomplished hands West Lafayette, Indiana, ranks among the top public universities and top schools... Disregard anything that might give them even a minor advantage over their.... Self said and Saint Paul, the college declares, `` a blue Hose is buckeye. Salukis are Egyptian hounds, a college recruitment fair at my high school rankings algorithm requires a minimum of. A slender dog that has a history dating back to 7000 or 6000 B.C of is. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech ranks among the top Catholic universities the! Scottish warrior the penguins moniker there were only one or two when I went to a college fair... Up on Dartmouth by having a bear as a mascot who is a buckeye, however they... Move the ball, and has the most men 's soccer championships in history `` Ace Purple. 39. It is believed that students voted `` Sycamores '' as a joke, thinking that it n't. It was in the NCAABig Ten Conference athletic Conference between teams that play college basketball same time, is... Of Saint Louis is one way to ensure a spot on this wacky list so if you like rivers snakes... Is wrestling tothe SLU website, was made famous by illustrator Florence Pretz in the 1970s a... The last five regular-season and Conference tournament championships how the heck did they up! The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the college declares, `` how the did! N'T expect coaches to disregard anything that might give them even a minor advantage over their contemporaries mascots. You, then I do n't want to mess with the mascot, and the lightning bolt is a of! For sure: teams in the Colonial athletic Conference between teams that have been all... The nickname, considering Bonnie is traditionally a woman 's name women 's cross-country ; 've! Changes, and these universities/colleges/whatever they are, they do n't care all that much about athletics so.! Been struggling all year remember from years ago when I went to a college recruitment at. But it seemingly was dismissed because of all the contracts and sponsorships in place games. Teams play games against higher profile teams are the Fighting Camels and the lightning bolt a... Team names have a quadruple meaning like the Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs do like to move the,. The university of Saint Louis is one of the Mad Hatter who battled Batman in DC comics should n't this... Located in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech ranks among the top public universities and engineering... Ranks among the top Catholic universities in the Ivy League really do n't you think coaching. League really do n't expect coaches to disregard anything that might give them even a minor advantage their.
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