The first weekend of March Madness was exactly that, madness, and the second weekend figures to be just as crazy.
The Sweet 16 begins Thursday across TSN, but before the final 16 teams battle for a spot in the Elite 8, we decided to do a special edition of the BarDown Mascot Power Rankings. Unlike our traditional rankings, though, that take into account what a mascot did in the week prior (much like rankings with teams), this edition of the rankings is straight forward as we simply ranked the 10 best mascots left in the tournament.
Will you agree with every decision? No chance, but we welcome the criticism and more importantly the conversation, so have at it and enjoy this March Madness edition of the Mascot Power Rankings.
10. The Tiger, Clemson
Clemson has surprised fans with their run to the Sweet 16 and The Tiger just gets into our rankings at 10.
9. Purdue Pete, Purdue
Purdue Pete might be what nightmares are made of, but we're in on Pete thanks to the sledgehammer he carries around, much like Triple H did.
8. Will D. Cat, Villanova
Speaking of what nightmares are made of, Will D. Cat isn't the most pleasant-looking wildcat, but charisma more than makes up for looking scary as heck.
7. LU Wolf, Loyola Chicago
Loyola Chicago is the Cinderella team of the tournament and their mascot might be right there with them, too.
6. Baby Jay/Big Jay, Kansas Jayhawks
What's better than a Jay? Two Jays, more specifically Big Jay and Baby Jay.
5. Spike The Bulldog, Gonzaga
Spike's dance moves might be a tad awkward, but we're a fan of the bulldog that's cheering on Gonzaga.
4. Raider Red, Texas Tech
The Yosemite Sam look-alike is hard not to like, but there are a few mascots we think are better.
3. Blue Devil, Duke
Everyone might hate Duke, but you have to admit, they've got a pretty awesome mascot. It's okay, you can like the Blue Devil and not like Duke, we won't tell anyone.
2. Reveille, Texas A&M
No explanation needed for this one because that is one good dog.
1. Otto The Orange, Syracuse
It might be a controversial choice, but Otto has our vote. It's the healthy choice and it's the choice that puts a smile on our face every single time we look at the Syracuse mascot.
