Rick Stewart/Getty ImagesBig East Tournament Bracket Released, But Which School Boasts the Best Mascot of the Bunch?The Big East is stacked on the basketball court this season, thanks to a potential 11-bid league featuring eight teams in last week's AP top 25 (and potentially more this week, as Cincinnati and West Virginia fell into the "also receiving votes" realm last week). So, it stands to reason that their conference tournament is going to be the most hotly contested of any league tournament in the country, and is sure to produce some thrilling basketball. But, we're turning our attention off the court for a few moments to pick the best team in the Big East the same way that the lady in your office who wins the March Madness pool ever year does it: by mascot.
Much like the on-court play, the mascot battle is fierce across the board. The first school to go is St. John's; their generic Red Storm isn't even a tangible mascot, and heads home early. Likewise, Louisville's Cardinals and Villanova's Wildcats both go home thanks to generic mascots, while Marquette's Golden Eagle is close behind.
UConn's Husky might be unique, but its dead eyes creep me out, so it's gone. Likewise, Pittsburgh's goofy-looking Panther and South Florida's Bull go home for appearance-related reasons. Next off the board is Marquette, whose Golden Eagle can't compete with the top schools in the Big East. They're joined by the DePaul Blue Demon, who just can't bring enough heat to compete.
The next school off the board is Cincinnati, whose Bearcat brings the heat, but ultimately falls short, as does Rutgers' Scarlet Knight, despite his sweet armor.
As much as I love Syracuse's Orange, it's hard to back a mascot that is essentially Mark Mangino painted orange, so it has to go, although it looked like a real contender.
Similarly, West Virginia's Mountaineer just doesn't get the job done for me, so he falls just short of the top four.
That leaves Seton Hall's Pirate, Notre Dame's leprechaun, Georgetown's bulldog (Hoyas don't exist; it was part of a latin chant students said in the early 20th century, which means "What Rocks!"), and Providence's Friar.
The Friar goes first; while it's a cool, unique mascot, he's kind of terrifying. He's soon joined by the Seton Hall Pirate, who, while cool, would be better if he was a guy in a pirate suit, rather than a mascot head.
That leaves the Hoyas' live bulldog and Notre Dame's plucky leprechaun in the finals, and the winner has to be Georgetown. After all, there are few things better than a live dog mascot, and
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