The NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins Tuesday. At Catholic Digest, we, of course, are rooting for all of the teams from Catholic colleges! Here’s a rundown of them:
Location: Philadelphia
Mascot: Wildcats
Namesake: St. Thomas of Villanova
Religious order associated with the college: Order of St. Augustine
Region/seed: No. 1, East
First round game: Vs. Mount St. Mary’s/New Orleans, 6:50p.m. EDT Thursday, in Pittsburgh, on TNT
Location: Cincinnati
Mascot: Musketeers
Namesake: St. Francis Xavier
Religious order associated with the college: Jesuits
Region/seed: No. 1, West
First round game: Vs. North Carolina Central/Texas Southern, 7:20 p.m. EDT Friday, in Nashville, Tennessee, on TBS
Fun fact: Actor Bill Murray is one of the team’s biggest fans. His son Luke is an assistant coach.
Location: Spokane, Washington
Mascot: Bulldogs
Namesake: St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Religious order associated with the college: Jesuits
Region/seed: No. 4, West
First round game: Vs. UNC Greensboro, 1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, in Boise, Idaho, on TNT
Fun Fact: Academy Award-winning singer and actor Bing Crosby attended Gonzaga and received an honorary doctorate from the university in 1937.
Location: South Orange, New Jersey
Mascot: Pirates
Namesake: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Religious order associated with the college: An order is not associated with the university but the Diocese of Newark is.
Region/seed: No. 8, Midwest
First round game: Vs. North Carolina State, 4:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, in Wichita, Kansas, in on TBS
Fun Fact: Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States.
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Mascot: Bluejays
Namesake: The university was established through a gift Mary Lucretia Creighton left in her will in memory of her husband Edward Creighton.
Religious order associated with the college: Jesuits
Region/seed: No. 8, South
First round game: Vs. Kansas State, 6:50 p.m. EDT Friday, in Charlotte, North Carolina, on TNT
Fun Fact: Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, who played 17 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, is an alum.
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Mascot: Friars
Namesake: Named for its location
Religious order associated with the college: Dominicans
Region/seed: No. 10, West
First round game: Vs. Texas A&M, 12:15 p.m. EDT Friday, in Charlotte, North Carolina, on CBS
Fun Fact: Actor John O’Hurley, famous for his role of J. Peterman on Seinfeld and for hosting Family Feud, is a graduate of Providence College.
Location: Allegany, New York
Mascot: Bonnies
Namesake: St. Bonaventure
Religious order associated with the college: Franciscans
Region/seed: No. 11, East
First Four game: Vs. UCLA, 9:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, in Dayton, Ohio, on TRU
First round game: Vs. Florida, 9:57 p.m. EDT Thursday, in Dallas, on TRU
Fun Fact: St. Bonaventure has six alumni who have won Pulitzer Prizes: Dan Barry, Bill Briggs, Robert A. Dubill, John Hanchette, Charles J. Hanley, and Brian Toolan.
Location: Chicago
Mascot: Ramblers
Namesake: St. Ignatius of Loyola
Religious order associated with the college: Jesuits
Region/seed: No. 11, South
First round game: Vs. Miami, 3:10 p.m. EDT Thursday, in Dallas, on TRU
Fun Fact: Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center is the oldest American university program in Italy.
Location: New Rochelle, New York
Mascot: Gaels
Namesake: Iona, the island monastery off the west coast of Scotland
Religious order associated with the college: Congregation of Christian Brothers
Region/seed: No. 15, Midwest
First round game: Vs. Duke, 2:45 p.m. EDT Thursday, in Pittsburgh, on CBS
Fun Fact: Don McLean, songwriter and singer of “American Pie,” is a graduate of Iona.
