Sach Chandan — Mar 16, 2026, 05:58 PM ET
If you’ve never filled out a college basketball bracket, it can seem intimidating. If you can’t tell Michigan from Michigan State, or a Kentucky Wildcat from an Arizona Wildcat, or if you pick by mascots, this guide organizes non-basketball info for every men’s tournament school by region and seed to help fill out brackets in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge.
East region
(1) Duke Blue Devils — Durham, NC | ACC. Mascot: Blue Devil. Colors: Duke blue, white. Notable alumni: Adam Silver, Ken Jeong, Melinda Gates.
(2) UConn Huskies — Storrs, CT | Big East. Mascot: Jonathan the Husky. Colors: Navy, gray, white. Notable alumni: Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Meg Ryan.
(3) Michigan State Spartans — East Lansing, MI | Big Ten. Mascot: Sparty. Colors: Green, white. Notable alumni: Magic Johnson, Jay Bilas.
(4) Kansas Jayhawks — Lawrence, KS | Big 12. Mascots: Big Jay, Baby Jay. Colors: Crimson, blue. Notable alumni: Wilt Chamberlain, Joel Embiid, Paul Rudd.
(5) St. John’s Red Storm — New York, NY | Big East. Mascot: Red Storm Thunderbird. Colors: Red, white. Notable alumni: Chris Mullin, J. Cole.
(6) Louisville Cardinals — Louisville, KY | ACC. Mascot: Louie the Cardinal. Colors: Red, black. Notable alumni: Diane Sawyer, Lamar Jackson.
(7) UCLA Bruins — Los Angeles, CA | Big Ten. Mascot: Joe Bruin. Colors: UCLA blue, gold. Notable alumni: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jackie Robinson, Ben Stiller.
(8) Ohio State Buckeyes — Columbus, OH | Big Ten. Mascot: Brutus Buckeye. Colors: Scarlet, grey, white. Notable alumni: Roy Lichtenstein, Mike Conley.
(9) TCU Horned Frogs — Fort Worth, TX | Big 12. Mascot: Superfrog. Colors: Horned Frog purple, white. Notable alumni: LaDainian Tomlinson.
(10) UCF Knights — Orlando, FL | Big 12. Mascot: Knightro. Colors: Black, gold. Notable alumni: Blake Bortles, Michelle Akers.
(11) South Florida Bulls — Tampa, FL | American. Mascot: Rocky D. Bull. Colors: Green, gold. Notable alumni: Tony La Russa.
(12) Northern Iowa Panthers — Cedar Falls, IA | Missouri Valley. Mascots: TC, TK Panther. Colors: Purple, gold. Notable alumni: Kurt Warner, Nick Nurse.
(13) California Baptist Lancers — Riverside, CA | WAC. Mascot: Lance the Lancer. Colors: Navy, gold, white. Notable alumni: Drew Shirley.
(14) North Dakota State Bison — Fargo, ND | Missouri Valley. Mascot: Thundar. Colors: Green, yellow. Notable alumni: Carson Wentz.
(15) Furman Paladins — Greenville, SC | Southern. Mascot: Victor the Paladin. Colors: Royal purple, white. Notable alumni: Clint Dempsey, Amy Grant.
(16) Siena Saints — Loudonville, NY | MAAC. Mascots: Baloo, Bernie St. Bernard. Colors: Green, gold. Notable alumni: Wendy Moniz.
Midwest region
(1) Michigan Wolverines — Ann Arbor, MI | Big Ten. Mascot: N/A. Colors: Maize, blue. Notable alumni: Tom Brady, Madonna.
(2) Iowa State Cyclones — Ames, IA | Big 12. Mascot: Cy. Colors: Cardinal, gold. Notable alumni: Brock Purdy, Tyrese Haliburton.
(3) Virginia Cavaliers — Charlottesville, VA | ACC. Mascot: Cavalier. Colors: Orange, blue. Notable alumni: Tina Fey, Edgar Allan Poe.
(4) Alabama Crimson Tide — Tuscaloosa, AL | SEC. Mascot: Big Al. Colors: Crimson, white. Notable alumni: Jalen Hurts, Harper Lee.
(5) Texas Tech Red Raiders — Lubbock, TX | Big 12. Mascot: Raider Red. Colors: Red, black. Notable alumni: Patrick Mahomes.
(6) Tennessee Volunteers — Knoxville, TN | SEC. Mascot: Smokey. Colors: Orange, white. Notable alumni: Peyton Manning, Candace Parker.
(6) Georgia Bulldogs — Athens, GA | SEC. Mascots: Uga, Hairy Dawg. Colors: Red, black. Notable alumni: Matthew Stafford, Michael Stipe.
(7) Kentucky Wildcats — Lexington, KY | SEC. Mascot: The Wildcat. Colors: Wildcat blue. Notable alumni: Pat Riley, Anthony Davis.
(9) Saint Louis Billikens — St. Louis, MO | A-10. Mascot: The Billiken. Colors: Blue, white. Notable alumni: James Gunn.
(10) Santa Clara Broncos — Santa Clara, CA | WCC. Mascot: Bucky the Bronco. Colors: Red, white. Notable alumni: Steve Nash.
(11) Miami (OH) RedHawks — Oxford, OH | MAC. Mascot: Swoop the RedHawk. Colors: Red, white. Notable alumni: Ben Roethlisberger.
(11) SMU Mustangs — Dallas, TX | ACC. Mascot: Peruna. Colors: Red, blue. Notable alumni: Bryson DeChambeau, Kourtney Kardashian.
(12) Akron Zips — Akron, OH | MAC. Mascot: Zippy. Colors: Blue, gold. Notable alumni: Yvette Nicole Brown.
(13) Hofstra Pride — Hempstead, NY | CAA. Mascots: Kate, Willie Pride. Colors: Blue, white, gold. Notable alumni: James Caan, Speedy Claxton.
(14) Wright State Raiders — Fairborn, OH | Horizon League. Mascot: Rowdy Raider. Colors: Green, gold. Notable alumni: Nicole Scherzinger.
(15) Tennessee State Tigers — Nashville, TN | OVC. Mascot: Aristocat the Tiger. Colors: Blue, white. Notable alumni: Oprah Winfrey.
(16) UMBC Retrievers — Catonsville, MD | America East. Mascot: True Grit. Colors: Brown, white. Notable alumni: Duff Goldman.
(16) Howard Bison — Washington, D.C. | MEAC. Mascot: Bison. Colors: Navy, white. Notable alumni: Chadwick Boseman, Toni Morrison.
South region
(1) Florida Gators — Gainesville, FL | SEC. Mascots: Albert, Alberta Gator. Colors: Orange, blue. Notable alumni: Tim Tebow, Faye Dunaway.
(2) Houston Cougars — Houston, TX | American. Mascot: Shasta. Colors: Scarlet, white. Notable alumni: Hakeem Olajuwon, Jim Parsons.
(3) Illinois Fighting Illini — Champaign, IL | Big Ten. Mascot: N/A. Colors: Orange, blue. Notable alumni: Nick Offerman, Dick Butkus.
(4) Nebraska Cornhuskers — Lincoln, NE | Big Ten. Mascot: Herbie Husker. Colors: Scarlet, cream. Notable alumni: Warren Buffett, Johnny Carson.
(5) Vanderbilt Commodores — Nashville, TN | SEC. Mascot: Mr. Commodore. Colors: Black, gold. Notable alumni: James Patterson, Dierks Bentley.
(6) North Carolina Tar Heels — Chapel Hill, NC | ACC. Mascot: Rameses. Colors: Carolina blue, white. Notable alumni: Michael Jordan, Stuart Scott.
(7) Saint Mary’s Gaels — Moraga, CA | WCC. Mascot: Gael Force One. Colors: Navy, red, silver. Notable alumni: Matthew Dellavedova.
(8) Clemson Tigers — Clemson, SC | ACC. Mascot: The Tiger. Colors: Orange, regalia. Notable alumni: Trevor Lawrence, James Michael Tyler.
(9) Iowa Hawkeyes — Iowa City, IA | Big Ten. Mascot: Herky the Hawk. Colors: Black, gold. Notable alumni: Gene Wilder, Caitlin Clark.
(10) Texas A&M Aggies — College Station, TX | SEC. Mascot: Reveille. Colors: Maroon, white. Notable alumni: Rick Perry, Myles Garrett.
(11) VCU Rams — Richmond, VA | Atlantic 10. Mascot: Rodney the Ram. Colors: Black, gold. Notable alumni: Patch Adams.
(12) McNeese Cowboys — Lake Charles, LA | Southland. Mascot: Rowdy. Colors: Blue, gold. Notable alumni: Joe Dumars.
(13) Troy Trojans — Troy, AL | Sun Belt. Mascot: T-Roy. Colors: Cardinal red, silver, black. Notable alumni: Osi Umenyiora.
(14) Pennsylvania Quakers — Philadelphia, PA | Ivy. Mascot: The Quaker. Colors: Red, blue. Notable alumni: Elizabeth Banks.
(15) Idaho Vandals — Moscow, ID | Big Sky. Mascot: Joe Vandal. Colors: Gold, silver. Notable alumni: Bill Fagerbakke.
(16) Lehigh Mountain Hawks — Bethlehem, PA | Patriot. Mascot: Clutch the Mountain Hawk. Colors: White, brown. Notable alumni: CJ McCollum.
(16) Prairie View A&M Panthers — Prairie View, TX | SWAC. Mascot: The Panther. Colors: Purple, gold. Notable alumni: Loni Love.
West region
(1) Arizona Wildcats — Tucson, AZ | Big 12. Mascots: Wilbur, Wilma. Colors: UA Red, Arizona Blue. Notable alumni: Richard Jefferson, Rob Gronkowski.
(2) Purdue Boilermakers — West Lafayette, IN | Big Ten. Mascot: Boilermaker Special. Colors: Old gold, black. Notable alumni: Neil Armstrong, Drew Brees.
(3) Gonzaga Bulldogs — Spokane, WA | WCC. Mascot: Spike the Bulldog. Colors: Blue, white. Notable alumni: John Stockton.
(4) Arkansas Razorbacks — Fayetteville, AR | SEC. Mascot: Tusk IV. Colors: Cardinal, white. Notable alumni: Jerry Jones, Darren McFadden.
(5) Wisconsin Badgers — Madison, WI | Big Ten. Mascot: Bucky Badger. Colors: Red, white. Notable alumni: J.J. Watt.
(5) BYU Cougars — Provo, UT | Big 12. Mascot: Cosmo the Cougar. Colors: Blue, white. Notable alumni: Andy Reid, Ken Jennings.
(7) Miami Hurricanes — Coral Gables, FL | ACC. Mascot: Sebastian the Ibis. Colors: UM Orange, UM Green. Notable alumni: Dwayne Johnson, Alex Rodriguez.
(8) Villanova Wildcats — Villanova, PA | Big East. Mascot: Will D. Cat. Colors: Blue, white. Notable alumni: Jalen Brunson, Jill Biden.
(9) Utah State Aggies — Logan, UT | Mountain West. Mascot: Big Blue. Colors: Navy, white, pewter gray. Notable alumni: Jordan Love.
(10) Missouri Tigers — Columbia, MO | SEC. Mascot: Truman the Tiger. Colors: MU gold, black. Notable alumni: Brad Pitt, Max Scherzer.
(11) NC State Wolfpack — Raleigh, NC | ACC. Mascots: Mr. and Mrs. Wuf. Colors: Red, white, black. Notable alumni: Zach Galifianakis, Philip Rivers.
(11) Texas Longhorns — Austin, TX | Big 12. Mascot: Bevo. Colors: Burnt orange, white. Notable alumni: Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Durant.
(12) High Point Panthers — High Point, NC | Big South. Mascot: Prowler. Colors: Purple, white. Notable alumni: Tubby Smith.
(13) Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors — Honolulu, HI | Big West. Mascot: Rainbow Warrior. Colors: Green, black, silver, white. Notable alumni: Jason Elam.
(14) Kennesaw State Owls — Kennesaw, GA | ASUN. Mascot: Scrappy the Owl. Colors: Black, gold. Notable alumni: Ty Pennington.
(15) Queens University Royals — Charlotte, NC | ASUN. Mascot: Rex the Lion. Colors: Blue, gold. Notable alumni: Chuck Wendig.
(16) Long Island University Sharks — Brooklyn, NY | NEC. Mascot: Finley the Shark. Colors: Light blue, gold. Notable alumni: Larry Doby.
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