The Captain’s Brilliant Bracket Breakdown- Second Round

In case you didn't see my first round predictions check them out here.

Second Round

Atlanta Region

(16) Southern’s LaCumba the jaguar against (8) George Washington’s Colonials- I know the colonials have a number advantage, but I still think a real live jaguar can cut through three or four people just as easily. My pick: Southern.

(12) Texas A&M’s Reveille against (4) LSU’s Mike the Tiger- The dog is cute, but c’mon it’s up against a freakin’ tiger. My pick: LSU.

(6) West Virginia’s Mountaineer against (14) Northwestern State’s Vic the Demon- I do like Vic. He has the look, the style, a rap sheet, everything. Well, I should say everything except a musket or failing that body armor strong enough to withstand a musket ball. My pick: West Virginia.

(10) N.C. State’s Mr. and Ms. Wuf against (2) Texas’s Bevo- Bevo is slow and heavy, while the Wuf family has speed, and the ability to hunt as a pack. I know they aren’t actually Wuf’s, but Bevo is probably easy prey just the same. No one fears an opponent who can be defeated by being tipped on his side while he sleeps. My pick: North Carolina State.

Oakland Region

(1) Memphis’s Pouncer the Tiger against (8) Arkansas’s Big Red- This is a pretty even match-up, two good costumed mascots in a pitched battle. I just get the sense that Pouncer has little more fight in him. It’s going to be close though. My pick: Memphis.

(5) Pittsburgh’s Panther against (4) Kansas’s Jayhawk- I have already mentioned how much I enjoy the Jayhawk as a mascot and how disappointed I am in the Panther costume. So it’s no surprise that I think this will be a blow out. My pick: Kansas.

(11) San Diego State’s Aztec Warrior against (14) Xavier’s Blue Blob- Oh my gosh! I am so stoked about this fight between a shirtless man with a spear and column of blue fuzz with sneakers it is not even funny. I want to writte up a round by round judges scorecard for this one, but I know I don’t have that kind of space or time. In the end I realized that it probably doesn’t matter where the Aztec Warrior hits Blue Blob with the spear. It only matters that he hits him once and that will be the end of the fight. My pick: San Diego State.

(7) Marquette’s Golden Eagle against (15) Belmont’s Bruiser the Bruin- Marquette has a good looking mascot, but he isn’t half as nasty as Bruiser. Bruiser looks like a young Mike Tyson in this one. My pick: Belmont.

Washington, D.C. Region

(1) Connecticut’s Jonathan the Husky against (9) UAB’s Blaze the Dragon- Sure Jonathan is lithe and mobile, and Blaze looks bulky and slow, but I still like the dragon. I just can’t bring myself to pick the depressingly uninspired Jonathan the Husky. My pick: UAB.

(5) Washington’s Harry the Husky against (13) Air Force’s Falcon- A husky could beat most of the other mascots in this bracket, but a trained hunting falcon would probably just peck his eyes out. My pick: Air Force.

(6) Michigan State’s Sparty against (3) North Carolina’s Ramses- When Ramses (still dodging allegations that he isn’t really a “tar heel”) puts his head down and stars battering into his opponent, Sparty will learn that body armor only does you so much good. My pick: North Carolina.

(10) Seton Hall’s Pirate against (15)Winthrop’s Big Stuff- Boy did Big Stuff draw a tough match-up. He has the qualities to be an Elite Eight mascot, an eagle that soars above other eagles. With all that in mind, I still cannot accept Big Stuff having a chance against a nefarious, salty pirate. My pick: Seton Hall.

Minneapolis Region

(1) Villanova’s Wildcat against (9) Wisconsin’s Bucky the Badger- Bucky’s nice looking sweater can only carry him so far. Bucky is actually a little awkward and badly shaped. The Wildcat is much more combat worthy, and he’ll topple the oddly shaped badger. My pick: Villanova.

(12) Montana’s Monte the Grizzly and (13)Pacific’s Tommy the Tiger- I apologize to all you fans of tigers out there, but Tommy is not ready to face off against Monte. Monte looks like a prize-fighter in his prime and I don’t think any normal mascot can stop him. My pick: Montana.

(11) Wisconsin- Milwakee’s Victor E. Panther against (3) Florida’s Albert the Gator- When Victor E. Panther is paired against a quality mascot, he looks a little generic and uninspired. I prefer the round rowdiness of that green gumba, Albert the Gator. My pick: Florida.

(7) Georgetown’s Jack the Bulldog against (2) The Ohio State University’s Brutus Buckeye- These two mascots are very evenly matched and this game is bound to be close. In the end I pick Brutus because he is a notch more athletic than Jack. My pick: OSU.

Move on to my Sweet Sixteen prognotications, here.