The NCAA tournament is seeded with plenty of the usual suspects, but every year there are new mascots, school colors and fight songs to learn too. Whether you are filling out a bracket and need to find inspiration in the team's traditions or want to know who might be rooting along with you in America, we've researched each school in the tournament to give you all the information at hand, organized by region and seeds, as you'd find them on your Tournament Challenge entry.
Information was scoured from public sources, and some (including student enrollment numbers) might be slightly out of date. But we figure that's OK. We put as much effort into vetting this as you're putting into filling out your bracket. We also apologize in advance if we left off your favorite actor/athlete/politician/relative from the list of notable alumni. It was (probably) unintentional, and there's nothing to read into it. Frankly, for some schools, we had to stretch the definition of notable. But we had fun with this, and we hope you do too.
WEST REGION
(1) Gonzaga Bulldogs
Spokane, Washington
Conference: West Coast Conference | Enrollment: 4,964
Mascot: Spike the Bulldog | Fight Song: Go Gonzaga
Official Color(s): Blue and white
Notable Alumni: John Stockton, Bing Crosby
(2) Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa City, Iowa
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 32,948
Mascot: Herky the Hawk | Fight Song: Iowa Fight Song
Official Color(s): Black and gold
Notable Alumni: Tennessee Williams, John Irving, Jane Smiley, Gene Wilder, Tom Brokaw, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Arnold, Diablo Cody, Matt Bowen
(3) Kansas Jayhawks
Lawrence, Kansas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 28,510
Mascot: Big Jay and Baby Jay | Fight Song: I'm a Jayhawk
Official Color(s): Crimson and blue
Notable Alumni: Wilt Chamberlain, Dean Smith, Paul Rudd, Don Johnson, Rob Riggle, Scott Bakula, Nikki Glaser
(4) Virginia Cavaliers
Charlottesville, Virginia
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 24,360
Mascot: Cavalier | Fight Song: The Cavalier Song
Official Color(s): Orange and blue
Notable Alumni: Woodrow Wilson, Edgar Allen Poe, William Faulkner, Georgia O'Keeffe, Richard Byrd, Tina Fey, Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Robert Mueller, Janet Napolitano, Will Shortz, Katie Couric, David Baldacci
(5) Creighton Bluejays
Omaha, Nebraska
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 4,472
Mascot: Billy Bluejay | Fight Song: The White and the Blue
Official Color(s): White, blue
Notable Alumni: Kyle Korver, Bob Gibson, Paul Silas
(6) USC Trojans
Los Angeles, California
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 46,000
Mascot: Traveler | Fight Song: Tribute to Troy
Official Color(s): Gold, cardinal
Notable Alumni: George Lucas, Will Ferrell, John Ritter, Neil Armstrong, Reggie Bush, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Troy Polamalu
(7) Oregon Ducks
Eugene, Oregon
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 22,760
Mascot: The Oregon Duck | Fight Song: Mighty Oregon
Official Color(s): Green, yellow
Notable Alumni: Phil Knight, Steve Prefontaine, Ann Bancroft, Chael Sonnen, Kaitlin Olson, Howard Hesseman, Lindsay Wagner
(8) Oklahoma Sooners
Norman, Oklahoma
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 31,702
Mascot: Boomer and Sooner | Fight Song: Boomer Sooner
Official Color(s): Crimson and cream
Notable Alumni: Blake Griffin, Adrian Peterson, James Garner, Olivia Munn, Ed Harris
(9) Missouri Tigers
Columbia, Missouri
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 29,866
Mascot: Truman the Tiger | Fight Song: Every True Son and Fight
Official Color(s): MU gold, black
Notable Alumni: Brad Pitt, Sheryl Crow, Max Scherzer, Kellen Winslow Sr., Carl Edwards, John Anderson, Michael Kim
(10) VCU Rams
Richmond, Virginia
Conference: Atlantic 10 | Enrollment: 22,389
Mascot: Rodney the Ram | Fight Song: Ram Fight Song
Official Color(s): Black and gold
Notable Alumni: Patch Adams, David Baldacci
(11) Wichita State Shockers
Wichita, Kansas
Conference: American | Enrollment: 15,081
Mascot: WuShock | Fight Song: Hail Wichita
Official Color(s): Black, Shocker yellow
Notable Alumni: Bill Parcells, Fred VanVleet, Joe Carter, Big Show
(11) Drake Bulldogs
Des Moines, Iowa
Conference: Missouri Valley | Enrollment: 4,991
Mascot: Spike | Fight Song: The "D" Song
Official Color(s): Drake blue, black, white
Notable Alumni: Michael Emerson, Zach Johnson
(12) UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Conference: Big West | Enrollment: 24,346
Mascot: Ole | Fight Song: El "C" Grande
Official Color(s): Blue, gold
Notable Alumni: Gwyneth Paltrow, Barry Zito, Jerry Trainor, Jim Rome, Shane Bieber
(13) Ohio Bobcats
Athens, Ohio
Conference: Mid-American | Enrollment: 29,217
Mascot: Rufus the Bobcat | Fight Song: Stand Up and Cheer
Official Color(s): Hunter green, white
Notable Alumni: Mike Schmidt, Arsenio Hall, Logan Paul
(14) Eastern Washington Eagles
Cheney, Washington
Conference: Big Sky | Enrollment: 13,453
Mascot: Swoop | Fight Song: Eagle Fight Song
Official Color(s): Red, white
Notable Alumni: Cooper Kupp, Rodney Stuckey, Colin Cowherd
(15) Grand Canyon Antelopes
Phoenix, Arizona
Conference: Western Athletic | Enrollment: 16,001
Mascot: Thunder the Antelope | Fight Song: GCU Fight Song
Official Color(s): Purple, black, white
Notable Alumni: Henry Cejudo
(16) Appalachian State Mountaineers
Boone, North Carolina
Conference: Sun Belt | Enrollment: 18,295
Mascot: Yosef | Fight Song: Hi Hi Yikas
Official Color(s): Black, gold
Notable Alumni: Alvin Gentry
(16) Norfolk State Spartans
Norfolk, Virginia
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic | Enrollment: 5,616
Mascot: Spiro the Spartan | Fight Song: Norfolk State Fight Song
Official Color(s): Green, gold
Notable Alumni: Kyle O'Quinn, J.B. Smoove
EAST REGION
(1) Michigan Wolverines
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 46,002
Mascot: None | Fight Song: The Victors
Official Color(s): Maize and blue
Notable Alumni: Gerald Ford, Arthur Miller, Iggy Pop, Madonna, James Earl Jones, Lucy Liu, Sanjay Gupta, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, Branch Rickey, Adam Schefter
(2) Alabama Crimson Tide
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 37,842
Mascot: Big Al | Fight Song: Yea Alabama
Official Color(s): Crimson, white
Notable Alumni: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Bear Bryant, Shaun Alexander, Jimmy Wales, Justin Thomas, Dabo Swinney, Harper Lee, Bernie Madoff, Joe Namath
(3) Texas Longhorns
Austin, Texas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 40,163
Mascot: Bevo | Fight Song: Texas Fight
Official Color(s): Burnt orange, white
Notable Alumni: Matthew McConaughey, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Roger Clemens, Kevin Durant, Janis Joplin, Owen Wilson, Walter Cronkite
(4) Florida State Seminoles
Tallahassee, Florida
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 41,900
Mascot: Osceola and Renegade | Fight Song: Florida State
Official Color(s): Garnet and gold
Notable Alumni: Burt Reynolds, Jim Morrison, Bert Kreischer, Richard Simmons, Faye Dunaway, Hunter S. Thompson, Christine Lahti
(5) Colorado Buffaloes
Boulder, Colorado
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 34,975
Mascot: Chip | Fight Song: Fight CU
Official Color(s): Black, silver, gold
Notable Alumni: Chris Fowler, Jim Gray, Robert Redford, Chauncey Billups, Eric Bieniemy, Kordell Stewart
(6) BYU Cougars
Provo, Utah
Conference: West Coast | Enrollment: 33,517
Mascot: Cosmo the Cougar | Fight Song: The Cougar Song
Official Color(s): Blue, royal, white
Notable Alumni: Steve Young, Jimmer Fredette, Jim McMahon, Stephenie Meyer, Danny Ainge, Ken Jennings, Mitt Romney
(7) UConn Huskies
Storrs, Connecticut
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 32,333
Mascot: Jonathan the Husky | Fight Song: UConn Husky
Official Color(s): Navy blue, gray, white
Notable Alumni: Ray Allen, Rebecca Lobo, Dianna Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Dan Orlovsky, Molly Qerim
(8) LSU Tigers
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 45,202
Mascot: Mike the Tiger | Fight Song: Fight for LSU
Official Color(s): Purple and gold
Notable Alumni: Shaquille O'Neal, Ben Simmons, Odell Beckham Jr., Lexie Priessman, Bill Conti, Hubert H. Humphrey
(9) St. Bonaventure Bonnies
St. Bonaventure, New York
Conference: Atlantic 10 | Enrollment: 2,100
Mascot: The Bona Wolf | Fight Song: Unfurl the Brown and White
Official Color(s): Brown, white
Notable Alumni: Chuck Daly, Adrian Wojnarowski
(10) Maryland Terrapins
College Park, Maryland
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 41,200
Mascot: Testudo | Fight Song: Fight, Fight, Fight for Maryland
Official Color(s): Red, white, black and gold
Notable Alumni: Larry David, Jim Henson, Boomer Esiason
(11) Michigan State Spartans
East Lansing, Michigan
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 50,019
Mascot: Sparty | Fight Song: Victory for MSU
Official Color(s): Green and white
Notable Alumni: Magic Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, Bubba Smith, Robert Urich, Dan Gilbert, Gretchen Whitmer
(11) UCLA Bruins
Los Angeles, California
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 44,947
Mascot: Joe Bruin | Fight Song: Sons of Westwood and The Mighty Bruins
Official Color(s): UCLA blue, UCLA gold
Notable Alumni: Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdual-Jabbar, Arthur Ashe, Reggie Miller, Russell Westbrook, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Gabrielle Union
(12) Georgetown Hoyas
Washington, D.C.
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 5,365
Mascot: Jack the Bulldog | Fight Song: There Goes Old Georgetown
Official Color(s): Gray, blue
Notable Alumni: Bradley Cooper, Nick Kroll, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing
(13) UNC Greensboro Spartans
Greensboro, North Carolina
Conference: Southern | Enrollment: 19,653
Mascot: Spiro | Fight Song: Blue and Gold
Official Color(s): Navy blue, gold, white
Notable Alumni: Danny Valencia, DaBaby
(14) Abilene Christian Wildcats
Abilene, Texas
Conference: Southland | Enrollment: 5,200
Mascot: Willie the Wildcat | Fight Song: ACU Fight Song
Official Color(s): Purple and white
Notable Alumni: Charcandrick West, Randall "Tex" Cobb
(15) Iona Gaels
New Rochelle, New York
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic | Enrollment: 3,792
Mascot: Killian | Fight Song: Hail to Iona
Official Color(s): Maroon, gold
Notable Alumni: Don McLean, Bud Cort, Mandy Rose
(16) Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
Emmitsburg, Maryland
Conference: Northeast | Enrollment: 2,240
Mascot: Emmit S. Burg | Fight Song: On to Victory
Official Color(s): Blue, white
Notable Alumni: Sister Jean, Peter Rono
(16) Texas Southern Tigers
Houston, Texas
Conference: Southwestern Athletic | Enrollment: 10,514
Mascot: Tiger | Fight Song: Tiger Fight song
Official Color(s): Maroon, gray
Notable Alumni: Michael Strahan, Megan Thee Stallion
SOUTH REGION
(1) Baylor Bears
Waco, Texas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 16,787
Mascot: Bruiser & Marygold | Fight Song: Old Fite
Official Color(s): Green and gold
Notable Alumni: Willie Nelson, Jeff Dunham, Robert Griffin III
(2) Ohio State Buckeyes
Columbus, Ohio
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 61,170
Mascot: Brutus | Fight Song: Across the Field
Official Color(s): Scarlet and gray
Notable Alumni: Jesse Owens, Jack Nicklaus, Paul Brown, Bobby Knight, Mary Oliver, Sherrod Brown, R.L. Stine, Richard Lewis, George Steinbrenner, Alexa Bliss
(3) Arkansas Razorbacks
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 27,558
Mascot: Tusk IV | Fight Song: Arkansas Fight
Official Color(s): Cardinal, white
Notable Alumni: John Daly, Jerry Jones, Pat Summerall, Joe Johnson, Darren McFadden, Tyson Gay
(4) Purdue Boilermakers
West Lafayette, Indiana
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 43,411
Mascot: Boilermaker Special | Fight Song: Hail Purdue!
Official Color(s): Old gold and black
Notable Alumni: Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom, Orville Redenbacher, Jim Gaffigan, John Wooden, Drew Brees
(5) Villanova Wildcats
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 6,500
Mascot: Will D. Cat | Fight Song: V for Villanova
Official Color(s): Navy, blue and white
Notable Alumni: Bradley Cooper, Howie Long, Jim Croce, Don McLean, Toby Keith
(6) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Lubbock, Texas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 38,246
Mascot: Masked Rider, Raider Red | Fight Song: Fight, Raiders, Fight
Official Color(s): Scarlet and black
Notable Alumni: John Denver, Wes Welker, George Eads, Rick Husband
(7) Florida Gators
Gainesville, Florida
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 35,247
Mascot: Albert and Alberta Gator | Fight Song: Orange and Blue
Official Color(s): Orange and blue
Notable Alumni: Tim Tebow, Emmitt Smith, Cris Collinsworth
(8) North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 29,847
Mascot: Rameses | Fight Song: I'm a Tar Heel Born
Official Color(s): Carolina blue and white
Notable Alumni: James Polk, Michael Jordan, Andy Griffith, Mia Hamm, Jack Palance, Stuart Scott
(9) Wisconsin Badgers
Madison, Wisconsin
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 44,413
Mascot: Bucky Badger | Fight Song: On, Wisconsin!
Official Color(s): Cardinal and white
Notable Alumni: Charles Lindbergh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eudora Welty, Dick Cheney, Jim Lovell, Joan Cusack, Jane Kaczmarek, Don Ameche
(10) Virginia Tech Hokies
Blacksburg, Virginia
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 32,304
Mascot: HokieBird | Fight Song: Tech Triumph
Official Color(s): Chicago maroon and burnt orange
Notable Alumni: Hoda Kotb, Michael Vick, Bruce Smith
(11) Utah State Aggies
Logan, Utah
Conference: Mountain West | Enrollment: 27,932
Mascot: Big Blue | Fight Song: Hail the Utah Aggies
Official Color(s): Navy blue, white and pewter gray
Notable Alumni: Merlin Olsen
(12) Winthrop Eagles
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Conference: Big South | Enrollment: 6,109
Mascot: Eagle | Fight Song: Winthrop Fight Song
Official Color(s): Gold, garnet
Notable Alumni: Kevin Slowey, Andie MacDowell
(13) North Texas Mean Green
Denton, Texas
Conference: Conference-USA | Enrollment: 40,796
Mascot: Scrappy the Eagle | Fight Song: Fight, North Texas
Official Color(s): Black, green, white
Notable Alumni: Dr. Phil, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Steve Austin
(14) Colgate Raiders
Hamilton, New York
Conference: Patriot League | Enrollment: 2,939
Mascot: Raider | Fight Song: Fight, Fight, Fight
Official Color(s): Maroon and white
Notable Alumni: Jay Chandrasekhar, Bob Woodruff, Mike Milbury, Ben Cohen, Andy Rooney
(15) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Conference: Summit | Enrollment: 3,852
Mascot: Eli | Fight Song: Oral Roberts
Official Color(s): Navy, gold
Notable Alumni: Kathie Lee Gifford, Mark Gottfried
(16) Hartford Hawks
West Hartford, Connecticut
Conference: America East | Enrollment: 4,793
Mascot: Howie the Hawk | Fight Song: Fly High
Official Color(s): Scarlet, white
Notable Alumni: Jeff Bagwell, Vin Baker, Sean Newcomb,
MIDWEST REGION
(1) Illinois Fighting Illini
Champaign, Illinois
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 52,331
Mascot: None at this time | Fight Song: Oskee-Wow-Wow
Official Color(s): Orange, blue
Notable Alumni: Hugh Hefner, Jesse Jackson, Dick Butkus, Deron Williams
(2) Houston Cougars
Houston, Texas
Conference: American Athletic | Enrollment: 37,215
Mascot: Shasta | Fight Song: Cougar Fight Song
Official Color(s): Scarlet and albino
Notable Alumni: Hakeem Olajuwon, Jim Parsons, Lil Wayne
(3) West Virginia Mountaineers
Morgantown, West Virginia
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 28,776
Mascot: The Mountaineer | Fight Song: Hail, West Virginia
Official Color(s): Old gold, blue
Notable Alumni: Jerry West, Billy Mays, Bob Huggins, Pat McAfee, Marc Bulger
(4) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 25,594
Mascot: Pistol Pete | Fight Song: Ride'em Cowboys
Official Color(s): Black, orange
Notable Alumni: Barry Sanders, Garth Brooks, Dez Bryant, Thurman Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Rickie Fowler, Marcus Smart
(5) Tennessee Volunteers
Knoxville, Tennessee
Conference: Southeastern | Enrollment: 22,317
Mascot: Smokey | Fight Song: Down the Field
Official Color(s): Tennessee orange and smokey
Notable Alumni: Peyton Manning, Reggie White, Candace Parker, Jason Witten, Chris Moneymaker, Lou Albano
(6) San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego, California
Conference: Mountain West | Enrollment: 35,578
Mascot: Aztec Warrior | Fight Song: Fight Song
Official Color(s): Black, scarlet
Notable Alumni: Tony Gwynn, Marshall Faulk, Steven Strasburg, Kawhi Leonard, Herm Edwards, Raquel Welch
(7) Clemson Tigers
Clemson, South Carolina
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 23,406
Mascot: The Tiger | Fight Song: Clemson University Fight Song
Official Color(s): Purple, orange, white
Notable Alumni: Deshaun Watson, Horace Grant, William Perry, Brian Dawkins, CJ Spiller
(8) Loyola Chicago Ramblers
Chicago, Illinois
Conference: Missouri Valley | Enrollment: 16,437
Mascot: Lu Wolf | Fight Song: Hail Loyola
Official Color(s): Maroon, gold
Notable Alumni: Bob Newhart, Stephanie Springs
(9) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Atlanta, Georgia
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 26,839
Mascot: Buzz | Fight Song: Ramblin' Wreck
Official Color(s): Tech gold, white
Notable Alumni: Calvin Johnson, Darren Waller, Chris Bosh, Stephon Marbury, John Salley, Nomar Garciaparra, Jimmy Carter
(10) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Newark, New Jersey
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 67,556
Mascot: Scarlett Knight | Fight Song: The Bells Must Ring
Official Color(s): Scarlett, gray, black
Notable Alumni: Kristin Davis, Elizabeth Warren, Mario Batali, Chris Christie, David Stern, Carli Lloyd, Ray Rice
(11) Syracuse Orange
Syracuse, New York
Conference: Atlantic Coast | Enrollment: 22,484
Mascot: Otto the Orange | Fight Song: Down the Field
Official Color(s): Orange
Notable Alumni: Joe Biden, Bob Costas, Ted Koppel, Jim Brown, Al Davis, Aaron Sorkin, Vanessa Williams, Dick Clark, Lou Reed, Megyn Kelly, Mike Tirico, Matthew Berry
(12) Oregon State Beavers
Corvallis, Oregon
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 28,886
Mascot: Benny Beaver | Fight Song: Hail to Old OSU
Official Color(s): Black, orange
Notable Alumni: Gary Payton, Chad Johnson, Brandin Cooks, Steven Jackson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brent Barry
(13) Liberty Flames
Lynchburg, Virginia
Conference: Atlantic Sun | Enrollment: 75,756
Mascot: Sparky | Fight Song: Fan the Flames!
Official Color(s): Blue, white and red
Notable Alumni: Sam Ponder, Sid Bream, Seth Curry
(14) Morehead State Eagles
Morehead, Kentucky
Conference: Ohio Valley | Enrollment: 9,307
Mascot: Beaker | Fight Song: Fight, fight, fight for Morehead
Official Color(s): Blue, gold
Notable Alumni: Kenneth Faried, Phil Simms
(15) Cleveland State Vikings
Cleveland, Ohio
Conference: Horizon | Enrollment: 17,260
Mascot: Magnus | Fight Song: The Pride of Cleveland
Official Color(s): Forest green, white
Notable Alumni: Norris Cole, Manute Bol
(16) Drexel Dragons
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Conference: Colonial Athletic | Enrollment: 25,595
Mascot: Mario the Magnificent | Fight Song: The Drexel Fight Song
Official Color(s): Blue, gold
Notable Alumni: Malik Rose, John Gruber, Norman Joseph Woodland