NCAA Tournament Best Logo Bracket - First Round

The Sports Logo Pundit is back! It's been hard to find time to do any blogging since the birth of my first child in February, but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.

And my first post back is a doozie. I've signed up for what seems like a million NCAA basketball brackets this year and I continue to use different methods, theories and general silliness to fill them out. For one of my brackets, I decided to pick whoever I though had the best logo. Seems like a natural thing to do for a logo blogger.

So here are my picks for the first round. They are poorly researched and most decisions were made after just a quick glance at the logo, so don't get too bent out of shape if you disagree.

To see the logo, click on the team's name...

East Regional

1. North Carolina Tar Heels
16. Mount St. Mary's Moutaineers
Carolina features the classic interlocking "NC" and the foot with tar on the heel. It's an iconic college basketball logo that is simple and works on nearly all fronts. Mount St. Mary's has a triangle and the words "The Mount" for a logo. Winner: North Carolina

8. Indiana Hoosiers
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
It's a simple interlocking IU versus a mean looking piggy. Like Carolina, the IU is classic and iconic. Winner: Indiana

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
12. George Mason Colonials
Is there a more recognizable logo than Norte Dame's "ND" or their boxing leprechaun? I don't think so. Mason's logo, a green and gold shooting star, can't compare. Winner: Notre Dame

4. Washington State Cougars
13. Winthrop Eagles
Though I am a Washington Huskies fan, I do have a secret love for the Cougars logo. In fact, it's one of my all-time favorites. Poor goofy looking Eagle never had a chance. Winner: Washington State

6. Oklahoma Sooners
11. St. Joseph Hawks
Again, it comes down to the simple, iconic interlocking "OU" over a cool but perhaps overly designed Hawks logo. Winner: Oklahoma

3. Louisville Cardinals
14. Boise State Broncos
I don't know why, but I've never been a big fan of the Louisville logo. But I really don't get Boise State's dead eyed, Smurf blue bronco. Winner: Louisville

7. Butler Bulldogs
10. South Alabama Jaguars
It's a clip art battle! But that's a pretty wicked Jaguar. Winner: South Alabama

2. Tennessee Volunteers
15. American Eagles
I hate to give the win to a bit orange "T", but that is one seriously ugly eagle. Yuck! Winner: Tennessee


Midwest Regional

1. Kansas Jayhawks
16. Portland State Vikings
I want to give this to the futuristic, disembodied Viking head but I just can't. The Jayhawks logo is one of the most recognizable in all of college basketball. Winner: Kansas

8. UNLV Runnin' Rebels
9. Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State's hawk head and spine are no match for the best mustache in all of collegiate athletics. Winner: UNLV

5. Clemson Tigers
12. Villanova Wildcats
A big orange paw versus the letter V. Villanova's use of two colors secures them an overtime victory. Winner: Villanova

4. Vanderbilt Commodores
13. Siena Saints
Nothing against Vanderbilt's logos, but I'm just a big sucker for a big ole' Saint Bernard. Winner: Sienna

6. USC Trojans
11. Kansas State Wildcats
USC has better logos, I'll admit. But I hate them with such a passion, I cannot pick them to win anything. Winner: Kansas State

3. Wisconsin Badgers
14. Cal State Fullerton Titans
Wisconsin has two logos that they use all the time, the "W" and their awesome Badger. Fullerton is one of those schools that has multiple versions of their logo used for many different things and none of them really work. Winner: Wisconsin

7. Gonzaga Bulldogs
10. Davidson Wildcats
Davidson's logo looks like a charcoal sketch. Probably the worst NCAA Division 1 logo period. Winner: Gonzaga in a landslide.

2. Georgetown Hoyas
15. UMBC Retrievers
The Hoyas have one of the best looking dog logos in the NCAA while UMBC might have the worst. Winner: Georgetown


South Regional

1. Memphis Tigers
16. Texas-Arlington Mavericks
Ugh. I have to pick between these two stinkers? I can't believe that a major university like Memphis has such a generic looking logo. But it's so much better than the horrible UTA horsey. Winner: Memphis

8. Mississippi State Bulldogs
9. Oregon Ducks
Mississippi State takes the win simply because they have a banner across their "M" that reads State while Oregon is simply an "O". Winner: Mississippi State

5. Michigan State Spartans
12. Temple Owls
Now this is a major upset. The combination of their "T" and their sweet Owl beats a big green "S". Winner: Temple

4. Pittsburgh Panthers
13. Oral Roberts Eagles
This is the upset bracket. I hate the Pittsburgh Panther's logos. The "Pitt" is fine, the panther is so nasty. Oral Roberts has a cartoon Eagle, but at least he's an agreeable fellow even if he was funded by the lies of a televangelist. Winner: Oral Roberts

6. Marquette Golden Eagles
11. Kentucky Wildcats
The "MU" logo looks fine and is probably, on it's own, better than the Kentucky "UK". But the "UK" logo is such a major part of college basketball and is so iconic, it can't be defeated by a similar, maybe better newcomer. Winner: Kentucky

3. Stanford Cardinal
14. Cornell Big Red
Stanford features an "S" with a tree, while Cornell has a big, mean, roaring bear. I'm also factoring Cornell's old, sassy bear logo and that my wife is an alum. Winner: Cornell

7. Miami Hurricanes
10. Saint Mary's Gaels
The interlocking "SMC" that Saint Mary's unveiled last year is one of my favorite new college logos. Miami's funky looking seagull and their "U" can't match it. Winner: Saint Mary's

2. Texas Longhorns
15. Austin Peay Governors
Let's Go Peay! Let's Go Peay! Too bad the "AP" logo is no match for the Longhorns. Winner: Texas


West Regional

1. UCLA Bruins
16. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
While I've never been a huge fan of UCLA's logos, they are definitely much better than MVSU's. The Delta Devils have such potential though. Someone design them a better logo. Please! Winner: UCLA

8. BYU Cougars
9. Texas A&M Aggies
While I like the BYU logos, it's hard to figure out which ones they are actually using right now. The A&M logo isn't anything special necessary, but at least it's consistent and well known. Winner: Texas A&M

5. Drake Bulldogs
12. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
So many Bulldogs. I love the Gonzaga logo, but the detail in Drake's Bulldog makes this my favorite Bulldog logo. I used to think higer of Western Kentucky's logo, then I took a closer look. It's just a hand and a sash. Winner: Drake

4. Connecticut Huskies
13. San Diego Torreros
Upset alert! San Diego's kind of effeminate Torrero takes down Connecticut's panting, fey Husky. Winner: San Diego

6. Purdue Boilermakers
11. Baylor Bears
I've always liked the way Purdue's train logo and the school's name on the cowcatcher. Baylor's bear just isn't very memorable. Winner: Purdue

3. Xavier Musketeers
14. Georgia Bulldogs
The "X" is so edgy. The G, is fine, but it's just not X-citing enough. Winner: Xavier

7. West Virginia Moutaineers
10. Arizona Wildcats
This one comes down to a last second shot and West Virginia hits a runner from halfcourt. Winner: West Virginia

2. Duke Blue Devils
15. Belmont Bears
Duke gets the nod even though I like Belmont's cray bear logo. But for college basketball's premier program, their logo really is kind of unmemorable. Winner: Duke

The rest of the tournament coming shortly...