With the Final Four set to go down today from Houston, why not look into each of the remaining team’s mascots and rank them?
What type of criteria are we going for here is something you might ask, so let’s look into that before we get started. The most important factors in ranking these mascots were swagger, intimidation, and overall relevance.
1. Owlsley and Hoot (Florida Atlantic)Out of the criteria we were looking for here, Owlsley and his sidekick, Hoot, represent exactly what a mascot should be. Owlsley has swagger, more than most people dream of having throughout their lives.
Do you see the chain he’s wearing? I couldn’t pull that off back in high school, and I certainly can’t now. There’s a sly amount of intimidation with him, and there’s a definite relevance to the program too. With the Florida Atlantic Owls’ surprising run leading to the Final Four, it’s hard not to give Owlsley and Hoot at least some credit for flying high.
2. Aztec Warrior (San Diego State)If we were going off of just intimidation, a name like the Aztec Warrior takes the cake. The San Diego State Aztecs have taken down some big foes on their way to the Final Four, and we need to highlight the Aztec Warrior as a big reason why they’ve done that.
Ready to shine.#TheTimeIsNow | #MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/vQ9bLYAJGn
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) March 30, 2023
There’s been some controversy surrounding SDSU’s mascot over the years, with concern about cultural appropriation. The school dropped the term mascot for spirit leader with The Aztec Warrior. From our perspective, one thing’s for sure, we don’t want to look eye to eye with such an intimidating presence the Aztec Warrior provides.
3. Jonathan the Husky (UConn)Let’s get into this right off the bat. We’ll probably get some slack for this because we’re massive dog lovers, but there was simply too much cuteness with Jonathan the Husky to rank the UConn Huskies mascot inside the top two. I’m sorry but look at this pup.
Hey #huskynation I’m flying to Houston tonight!!! Thank you to @uconnhuskies , @NCAA and @Delta for all your support. Special shout-out to Jennifer & Sarah of Delta Airlines for their kindness Let’s do this! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/6iBlnl67uT
— Jonathan the XIV (@JonathanHusky14) March 30, 2023
Of course, the Huskies still have someone inside a mascot costume, and their school has a ton of relevance with its presence. Still, there’s no swagger or intimidation factor with Jonathan, and that made him drop to the third spot on our Final Four mascot power rankings.
4. Sebastian the Ibis (Miami)We’ll get this out of the way early here; there’s nothing we like about the Miami Hurricanes mascot, Sebastian the Ibis. The intimidation factor is somewhat there with this creature, or whatever you want to call it. The eyebrows are creepy, and that’s certainly not something I’d advertise to anyone under the age of ten. Miami’s mascot looks like a poorly created lovechild of Howard the Duck and Donald Duck. Maybe it’s the eyebrows that continue to throw us off. Yes, we’re still stuck on those; they look that angry. Demeanor?
Something about the beak and the weird-looking hat doesn’t do it for us, either. The Hurricanes aren’t only sitting as underdogs in their Final Four matchup but also have the least appealing mascot of the four remaining squads.
Jumping from the lighter side to all business, we have you covered on all your Final Four needs.
Final Four Roll Call: Connecticut | Florida Atlantic | Miami | San Diego State
Final Four Coverage: Root-ability Rankings | Storylines | Who are the Owls? Who are the Aztecs? | Player Rankings | Natty Odds | MOP Odds
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