William & Mary has a new (politically correct) mascot

I hate political correctness. I really do.

The College of William & Mary has been pressured for years to change their nickname/mascot/logo from "The Tribe" to something a bit less controversial. (Because heaven forbid we should give Native Americans any credit for anything.)


Their new mascot: The Griffin. But they are still going to be called the Tribe. Wait. What?

William & Mary has been at the forefront on mascot-human relations for a long time. You see, their nickname "The Tribe" has bothered many, mostly wealthy non-Native Americans who think any nickname relating to Indians is immoral.

Are you kidding me?

We still have the Florida State Seminoles (who were actually approached by a tribe representative to tell them, "listen, it's actually OK if you use our name, we aren't offended"), the Central Michigan Chippewas, the San Diego State Aztecs, Illinois Fightin' Illini, North Dakota Fighting Sioux (who sued the school when they tried to get the mascot changed), Mississippi College Choctaws and even the Bradley Braves.

This is not the first time W&M has had to deal with mascot political correctness. In 2006, they had to remove the two Indian feathers from their logo because there was a complaint of "insensitivity towards Native Americans".

The search for W&M's mascot has been going on for a long time. They have wanted to keep the "The Tribe" name and logo, but basically lose all other Native-American connections they had.

William & Mary athletic director Terry Driscoll believed that the Griffin (a mythological hybrid of part lion and part eagle) was the perfect representative for the colonial Williamsburg school.

We considered the best symbol to help represent the academic and athletic excellence of our sports teams. When you put it all together -- the grace, agility, intelligence and strength -- the Griffin really embodies everything we were looking for in a mascot.

Did you hear that? "When you put it all together - the Griffin embodies everything we are looking for in a mascot."

That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all month. Then how come you have gone nearly 200 years and not considered a Griffin until now? The school isn't even attempting to spell Griffin the correct way. It should be the "Gryphons" or the "Griffons".

Plus, I mean, lets be serious. Griffins are fake. They never existed.

They might as well be the W&M Kathy Griffins.

Imagine if she was the actual mascot.

I'm still wondering what connection mythological beasts from ancient Greece have to do with the first American settlers on the East Coast? Did they come over on a pack of Gryphons Griffins? No they took a boat, like normal people. Was there a hidden group of elite Gryphons Griffins used for the Revolutionary War? absolutely not. Is a group of Gryphons Griffins called "a tribe", like a colony of frogs or a murder of crows? Sorry no, not that either. Hell, the griffin wasn't even the most dominant mythological hybrid there was. That honor goes to the man-eating Chimera.

If any school should be allowed to carry a native-American mascot/nickname/logo combination, it should be William & Mary. After all it is the King's College. I mean, what is this? The Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry?

I would just like to point out that there is STILL a professional football team that goes by the name "The Redskins". Redskins is about as bad as it gets, yet they are still allowed to go 4-12 season after season?

As an expert on anything/everything nicknames and mascots, I am appalled that the university made this decision without my consultation.

In review: W&M will still be referred to as "The Tribe" but won't represent anything related to Native-Americans. Instead they will keep their boring nondenominational logo, and be referred to as an unrelated mythological hybrid.

Oh yeah, and I die a little bit on the inside.

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Monday's Pregame Beat

Tonight, there are only eight games on the schedule. Both the Sun Belt and the Summit League will be playing their semifinal games, but more importantly there will be four bids handed out tonight.

And if you are one of the teams mentioned here, then you will want to pay attention (for a complete list of the Automatic bid winners and the title games, click here):

9:00 pm: St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga: It is always worth tuning in when these two teams play. St. Mary's is in an interesting spot. They are on the bubble right now, and if the tournament started today, there is a chance that they could be included. But without a ton of great wins, and getting swept by Gonzaga, it would be tough for them to earn an at-large if they drop this game. Gonzaga, on the other hand, is a lock. If the Zags lose, than they are getting an at-large spot, which means that one less bubble team will be getting in.

So do the Gaels have a shot? Well, they have the talent. Omar Samhan is a beast inside, Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell are talented guards that can shoot the lights out, and the Gaels have a number of quality reserves. That said, Gonzaga is loaded. Matt Bouldin and Elias Harris is one of the best 1-2 punches on the west coast, Robert Sacre is a legitimate seven footer, Steven Gray would be a star anywhere else out west, and the rest of Gonzaga's roster is full of athletes and quality subs. Oh, and the Gaels have already lost to the Zags twice.

7:00 pm: William & Mary vs. Old Dominion: Like SMC-Gonzaga game, William & Mary is probably on the wrong side of the bubble with a loss (they are a long shot to get in as of now). Old Dominion, on the other hand, will likely get a bid so long as they don't get blown out tonight, which means that it is a pretty safe bet a Monarchs loss will cost a bubble team a bid.

This will be a fun match-up to watch. ODU is long, athletic, and one of the best in the country at both defending the three and hitting the offensive glass. W&M struggles to rebound the ball and plays a four guard offense most of the time. But the one thing W&M can do is shoot. If they get hot, ODU could be in trouble. But like Gonzaga, the Monarchs have won both games in this series this year.
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Conference Tournament Preview: The Colonial

Where: Richmond Coliseum -- Richmond, VA

When: Friday, March 5th - Monday, March 8th

Championship: 3/8 - 7:00 pm: ESPN


The Favorite: #1 Old Dominion

ODU is a team built for tournament play. They don't rely on three point shooting, a high powered offense, or the ability to force turnovers and get out in transition. No, what the Monarchs do well is force their opponent's into take difficult shots, getting the defensive rebounds, then pounding the ball inside at the offensive end, whether it is via a Gerald Lee post-up, a drive to the rim, or an offensive rebound - something the Monarchs do very well. ODU is the biggest team in the CAA, playing quite a few minutes with no one shorter than 6'5" on the court. Old Dominion is a team that imposes their will on their opponents, winning via offensive and defensive execution.

Gerald Lee is Old Dominion's best player.
(photo credit: CAA)

And if they lose?: #5 VCU Rams

VCU may have lost Eric Maynor last season, but his replacement -- Joey Rodriguez -- has filled in quite nicely, to the tune of 12 points and 6 dimes per game. Larry Sanders is better than he was as a sophomore as he continues to develops the skills to match his lottery-pick tools. Shaka Smart also has a number of talented role players at his disposal. That's all well and good, but remember this: VCU is 15-1 at home with wins over Oklahoma, URI, Richmond, and Old Dominion. VCU is in Richmond, across town from the site of the CAA Tourney. Its very likely that the winner of the CAA's auto-bid will be determined by a semi-final game between VCU and ODU.


Don't discount: #3 William & Mary

The Tribe run a modified Princeton offense, using four guards to spread the floor, attack gaps, and create open perimeter jumpers. When those jumpers are going down, they can beat anyone in the country. Ask Maryland, Wake Forest, and Richmond. If the W&M gets hot this weekend, they are capable of winning three games in three days.


Sleeper: #7 Hofstra

The Pride struggled to begin the CAA season, losing seven of their first nine games. But there are not many teams that are as hot as Hofstra is right now. They've won nine of their last ten games and have the player of the year in the CAA on their roster.


Names you need to know:

• Charles Jenkins, Hofstra: Jenkins has carried the Pride. He's averaging over 20 ppg as the only player on Hofstra's roster scoring in double figures. He is averaging almost 25 ppg in the last 10 games, a stretch Hofstra has gone 9-1 in.
  


• Denzel Bowles, James Madison: Bowles transferred in from Texas A&M and did not get eligible until the midway post of the season. Since then, Bowles has been a monster, averging 21 points and 9 boards. But the Dukes get Drexel in the first round, a team Bowles has struggled against this year - he is only averaging 16 and 7 as the Dragons swept the Dukes.
  


• Matt Janning and Chaisson Allen, Northeastern: The Huskies play a slowed-down, controlled style of play, but Janning and Allen are still able to averaged almost 30 ppg combined. If Northeastern is going to make a run through the CAA, these two guys are going to be counted on carry them.
  

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BracketBusters actually worked, the teams that needed wins just didn't win

BracketBusters weekend did not exactly have the outcome that many believed it would this year.

Instead of mid-major teams playing their way into the tournament, the consensus seems to be that the bubble teams that did participate in the event only hurt their chances of earning an at-large bid. With the outcome of so many games going against the teams on the bubble, the big winners of the weekend were teams like St. Mary's, UConn, and Mississippi State; teams that vaulted up a few spots on the bubble thanks to the losses of the BracketBusting mid-majors.



All this has led to some talk of the BracketBusters system being imperfect.

Its not.

Think about it. For a mid-major playing in BracketBusters, it is really no different than playing one of the best teams from your conference. Is there all that big of a difference between Old Dominion losing at Northern Iowa and losing at a William & Mary or Northeastern? Is Wichita State losing at Utah State any worse than if they lost at Northern Iowa or Illinois State?

If there is not BracketBusters, then where do these mid-majors go to fill that game? Do they schedule a middle-of-the-pack power conference team to play on the road? If you are looking to solidify a resume, would you rather play Butler or Alabama? Northern Iowa or Seton Hall?

More than anything, the bottom line is that the BracketBuster game is just one game. And one game is not going to make or break a team's resume.

Butler beat Siena in a brunch-time tipoff on Saturday.
(photo credit: SBRSports)

There were four teams on the bubble that lost their BracketBusters game - Old Dominion, William & Mary, Siena, and Wichita State. How much of an effect did the loss really have on their at-large chances?

• Old Dominion lost at Northern Iowa on Friday night. Northern Iowa has three losses all season, none of which came at home. They are currently sitting at 15th in the RPI. This is a team that is rated as high as a six seed according to some of the mock brackets that have come out. There is no shame in losing to Northern Iowa on the road, and its a loss that should have a minimal effect on the Monarch's seeding. If they had won, however, it would have been ODU's second best win of the season. As it is, ODU still probably needs to win three games - two regular season, at least one in the CAA tourney - if they want to feel at all comfortable on Selection Sunday. I probably would have said the same thing before the Northern Iowa game.
  
• Siena lost at Butler on Saturday in a situation similar to Old Dominion's. Before this game, Siena was probably not going to get an at-large bid. That's what happens when you don't have a win against anyone in the RPI top 50. If they had pulled off the upset in Hinkle Fieldhouse, it might have been enough to give the Saints some insurance should they get upset in the MAAC Tournament. If Siena really wanted to gripe, they should be mad at themselves for losing at Niagara and blowing their best chance at an at-large bid - going undefeated in league play.
• Wichita State lost at Utah State late on Saturday night. Even with a win, the Shockers were a long shot to make the field thanks to a disappointing few weeks in the MVC, which included a loss to Evansville. The win did help Utah State so long as the Shockers finish the season strong. WSU is currently sitting at 50th in the RPI, giving the Aggies their second top 50 win.
• William & Mary was the only team that really suffered in BracketBusters, as they lost to Iona on the road. The loss may have been the end of the Pride's at-large chances. William & Mary may have the best non-conference resume for mid-major bubble teams - beating Richmond at home and Maryland and Wake Forest on the road. To be honest, I don't feel bad for W&M. They wouldn't be in this predicament if they had beaten UNC-Wilmington at home or James Madison on the road, two teams that are 4-12 in the CAA. Or, and this may be a crazy thought, they could have simply beaten Iona.
  

The bottom line? No matter who you play, you must win games to make the tournament.

Old Dominion, Siena, and Wichita State lost games that would have helped their tournament resume. William & Mary lost a game it should have won. If ODU and Siena had both won, and that win helped the two teams to earn an at-large bid, people would be singing a much different tune about BracketBusters.

So until a situation arises in which a team winning their BracketBusters game has a negative effect on their tournament resume, I think BracketBusters is working just fine.

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Early Season Surprises

USC Trojans: After starting the season 2-4, the Trojans have reeled off six straight wins, four of them with transfer Mike Gerrity running the show. Three of the four wins Gerrity has been a part of: 77-55 over Tennessee, 60-49 over St. Mary's, and a 67-56 win over UNLV on Christmas Day. USC has done it with defense, allowing just 50 ppg and 34% shooting from the field over the six win. No team out west in playing as well as the Trojans right now. Could this team win the Pac-10?


Wichita State Shockers and Missouri State Bears: In the preseason, just about everyone pegged Northern Iowa as the favorite in the MVC. In fact, neither the Shockers or the Bears were voted into the top four of the MVC preseason poll, but both could very well give the Panthers a run in a competitive Valley this season. Wichita State is 11-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming to Pitt, while Missouri State is 10-1 coming off of a loss at Arkansas. While neither team has much of a resume at this point, Missouri State has beaten Tulsa while Wichita State notched a win over Texas Tech a week and a half ago.


Syracuse: The rise of the Orange has been well documented this season. They began the year with blow out wins over UNC and Cal in NYC during the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, notched wins over Cornell and Florida, and now head into Big East play at 12-0 on the season. All this after the Orange lost to Le Moyne, a DII team, in their last preseason game and coming off of an off-season where Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris all jumped ship and went pro. I doubt that even the most die-hard, disillusioned Syracuse fan could have hoped for this good of a start to the season.


William & Mary: The Tribe lost their first two games of the season, but they have bounced back nicely, winning eight in a row. They haven't just beaten cupcakes either; that eight game winning streak includes victories over Richmond and VCU, at Wake Forest, and best of all, they beat my alma mater Vassar College. The two losses to start the season aren't too shabby either - they lost road dates with UConn (by nine) and Harvard (in triple overtime on a half court prayer). The CAA looks to be pretty good this season, and William & Mary may very well be the best team in the league.


New Mexico: The Lobos are now 12-1 are losing on the road to a tough Oral Roberts team, but that shouldn't diminish how good New Mexico's start to the season has been. The Lobos won their first 12 games, which included wins over Texas A&M, Cal, and Creighton, while climbing to 12th in the polls. The combination of Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez up front is one of the best out west.


UAB: The Blazers have bounced back nicely from an early season loss to Kent State. They've won 10 straight games, which includes impressive victories over Cincinnati and Butler. UAB's best player early in the season has been Elijan Millsaps, a 6'6" guard nearly averaging a double double (15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg). C-USA is wide open this season, with UTEP, Tulsa, and Houston all being mentioned as possible successors to Memphis. But thus far in the season, the Blazers may be the favorite to win the league.


Temple: The Owls returned to the top 25 for the first time since 2001 after beating both Villanova and Seton Hall, who were at the time undefeated. Temple has two losses on the season- a one point setback in DC to Georgetown and a seven point loss to St. John's. The Owls have done it with defense, holding their opponents to 37.3% shooting from the field and 23.9% shooting from deep.


St. John's: St. John's basketball has fallen far from their glory days, but Norm Roberts has led the Johnnies to a bit of a resurgence this season. The Red Storm is sitting at 10-2 on the season, with their only losses coming to Duke and Cornell while having beaten Temple, Siena, and Georgia already this season. DJ Kennedy (16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) is playing as well as anyone in the conference, and Dwight Hardy has caught fire in the last couple of week, averaging 17.3 ppg in the last three games. The most impressive part: St. John's is still waiting for Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason, Jr., to get healthy.


Kevin Jones, West Virginia: West Virginia has started the season out 10-0, and the biggest reason may be Jones. The athletic, 6'8" forward has averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 10-29 from three. West Virginia bases their team around stingy defense and aggression on the offensive glass, and Jones is perfect for that system.


Jacob Pullen, Kansas State: The Wildcats have shot up the rankings the last few weeks, and the biggest reason for that has been Pullen. In KSU's 11-1 start, Pullen is averaging 20.0 ppg and 3.5 apg while shooting 43.6% from deep. KSU has had some impressive wins this year, beating Dayton, Washington State, Xavier, UNLV, and Alabama. In those five games, Pullen averaged 24.2 ppg. He looks to be the early season favorite for Big XII player of the year.


Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame: Many people wrote Notre Dame off this season after Scott Martin tore his acl, but Abromaitis has more than filled that void. Abromaitis is averaging 15.8 ppg while shooting a ridiculous 50.7% from beyond the arc. His emergence alongside Luke Harangody as a second scoring option has been a big reason the Fighting Irish have a shot at reaching the dance this season.


Quincy Pondexter, Washington: Pondexter was a top 50 player coming out of high school, but was overshadowed by the likes of Jon Brockman and Isaiah Thomas during his first three seasons. But this year, it has been Pondexter's team. Pondexter has averaged 21.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg, and is one of the bright spots for a Washington team still not playing up to its potential.


Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: Udoh had two mediocre seasons playing in Ann Arbor before deciding to transfer to Baylor. After sitting out a season, Udoh has had a phenomenal start to the '09-'10 season, especially on the offensive end. His scoring (14.6 from 6.0), rebounding (9.8 from 5.0), and assist (2.8 from 0.9) numbers have all made marked improvements, while he is also averaging 3.9 bpg and shooting 60.2% from the floor.


Antonio Pena, Villanova: The biggest question mark for Villanova coming into the season was how they would fill the void Dante Cunningham left inside, which became a much bigger issue when Mouph Yarou was diagnosed with Hepatitis. But Pena has done his best to answer those questions, averaging 13.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg thus far in the season.

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