Catholic Digest’s 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament College Guide
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.