When you watch NCAA Tournament games, you can’t help but notice the assortment of furry fellows and oddly shaped well-sized behemoths roaming the sidelines.
March Madness means a variety of teams and, therefore, a variety of mascots.
Let’s take a look at the five craziest mascots before heading to the NCAAB betting sites for this March Madness season. We’ll rank them from fifth-craziest to first-craziest.
5. Utah State’s Big Blue
Utah State’s mascot is an odd kind of bull. He is painted blue, but Big Blue’s designers are excessively devoted to this color.
While the blue is supposed to represent Utah State’s colors, the fact that his eyes are blue creates a not unironic juxtaposition of pretty and sympathetic qualities on the one side and intimidating qualities on the other.
After all, how intimidating can someone with pretty blue eyes be?
Taking this line of thought further, his mouth has an odd shape that blurs the difference between an intimidating grimace and an enthusiastic smile. He does look the part of the bull – albeit a blue bull – with his crazily contorted horns and his nose ring.
Mascot History
Big Blue has a turbulent history.
Utah State first introduced a live bull as a mascot. This was in the 1970s. However, the bull did too much damage, which necessitated the switch to a costumed character.
#TBT In 1976, #USU bought a live white bull and named it “GUS” The bull was painted blue for sporting events. #Aggies pic.twitter.com/MNUfJjndVp
— Aggies in D.C. (@aggiesindc) June 18, 2015
Program History
Utah State has a very underwhelming NCAA Tournament history. In 30 March Madness games, the Aggies are 6-24.
They’ve achieved some respectable finishes, but these are confined to their earlier history. Their last Sweet 16 appearance took place in 1970.
This will be their 24th-ever March Madness appearance.
Tournament Forecast
They are an eighth seed and will face a tough battle with transition-oriented TCU.
Inclined to run, Utah State will likely participate in a track meet in its first-round game. Its interior defense woes will help prevent a deep run from being possible.
4. Texas Tech’s Raider Red
What will you do if you see somebody with two guns? You’ll probably run. But what if he looks like Yosemite Sam? Somehow, that gun-slinger will look a lot less intimidating.
What is crazy about this mascot is the mixture of seriously intimidating and comical features. His goofy eyes and resemblance to a well-known cartoon character are oddly juxtaposed with his masculine cowboy-like features.
Mascot History
Raider Red was conceived in 1971 by Jim Gaspard, who was a member of the Saddle Tramps, which is an organization that supports men’s sports at Texas Tech.
Gaspard was inspired in his conception by Jim West, a Lubbock cartoonist.
Program History
Texas Tech’s basketball team debuted in 1925. Since then, it has never won a national championship. However, it did recently come close.
In 2019, the Red Raiders were runner-up to the team of destiny Virginia. 2018 was the one other year in which they advanced as far as the Elite Eight. This year, they will be making their twentieth tournament appearance.
Tournament Forecast
This year, the Red Raiders are the sixth seed. They could very well win their first-round game against an NC State team that was very fortunate to get into the tournament.
However, the Red Raiders are limited in their success away from home. Their non-conference resume is weak and they haven’t beaten noteworthy teams on the road besides Texas and Oklahoma.
3. Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger
It seems crazy to me that a badger is a mascot. To me, badgers belong in the ground. But here we have a big, real-looking badger as Wisconsin’s mascot.
Oddly lean in his body, Bucky Badger has a face whose odd shape and coloration make it mystifying to behold.
Mascot History
As unbelievable as it sounds, Wisconsin had an actual live badger as its mascot. This was back in 1889. Of course, having an actual badger did not work out well. So the badger was committed to a zoo.
Bucky was conceived back in 1940 by Art Evans, a professional illustrator. In 1949, an art student at the university made his head.
Program History
Wisconsin has a respectable history, with six Elite Eight appearances and four Final Four appearances. However, it last won a national championship in 1941.
This year, the Badgers make their 27th tournament appearance.
Tournament Forecast
The Badgers are a fifth seed this year. They open against twelvth seed James Madison. Popular expectation holds them to be a strong upset candidate.
Yet, their strongly improved offense this year will give them a good chance to at least survive the first round.
2. Michigan State’s Sparty
Seeing a Spartan warrior seems crazy.
His gigantic head and helmet emphasize the masculine aspect of his warrior character. He dons a plate of armor and the remainder of a Spartan outfit, which hardly covers his muscular thighs.
A tremendous figure in terms of size, Sparty is uniquely intimidating as far as mascots go.
Mascot History
Sparty first appeared in 1955. The head has always been larger than life, but its design in 1955 was impressively oppressive for a student to wear. In this year, its head weighed 60 pounds.
Over time, the mascot evolved to become the figure that you’ll recognize from television commercials, with the evolution culminating in 1989.
Program History
Michigan State is a well-decorated program, with ten Final Four appearances, one runner-up finish and two national championships. It was last national champion in 2000.
The Spartans have participated in 37 NCAA Tournaments, including 26 in a row.
Tournament Forecast
There was some doubt as to whether Michigan State would even make the Big Dance this year.
A late-season slide alongside earlier struggles, such as its home loss to James Madison, inspire pessimism toward this team’s chances.
1. Purdue’s Purdue Pete
If you ever saw someone fitting Purdue Pete’s description, you would surely run.
His eyes look oddly, freakishly lifeless. His extremely long face is bizarre. Most frightening of all, though, is the hammer that he carries.
Mascot History
Starting in 1956, the first Purdue Pete had to wear a 36-pound head.
Over time, Purdue Pete has been redesigned multiple times. The hat and other aspects of his face look different over the years.
Program History
Purdue is a recent force. Of its 13-ever Sweet Sixteen appearances, its last six took place in 2009 or later.
However, the Boilermakers have never won an NCAA Tournament.
Tourney Forecast
Purdue is the first seed in a wide-open Midwest Region.
If the Boilermakers can exorcise their March demons, then they have a very favorable path forward.
