As you may have heard, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is currently happening. You'd be surprised at how many of the schools involved have animal mascots; then again, maybe you wouldn't, because animals are great and way more entertaining than "Musketeers" or "Fighting Irish" or "Hoosiers" or whatever. (Tradition! Ha.)
With such a wealth of competition taking place, we at BuzzFeed Sports thought we'd spin March Madness around slightly. We're calling it the Sweetest 16, and it's all about the animals these teams are named after. Because not every team that made the real Sweet 16 has an animal mascot, we goosed the field a bit, sliding some teams into our competition that lost in real life. (We did maintain original regions, though.)
IT'S ON.
SOUTH BRACKET GAME 1: Kentucky Wildcats vs. UConn Huskies
ANALYSIS: As cute as those Siberian husky puppies are, that back one looks a little irritated.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS WIN
SOUTH BRACKET GAME 2: Baylor Bears vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
ANALYSIS: What big ears you have, little jackrabbit. But still, you can't touch the waving bear.
BAYLOR BEARS WIN
WEST BRACKET GAME 1: Louisville Cardinals vs. Memphis Tigers
ANALYSIS: Oh nothing, just a baby tiger attacking a pumpkin. This pains me, because I love fat birds, but:
MEMPHIS TIGERS WIN
WEST BRACKET GAME 2: Colorado State Rams vs. Florida Gators
ANALYSIS: Ram lamb — say that five times fast. Sorry, little girl: gators are intimidating.
COLORADO STATE RAMS WIN
MIDWEST BRACKET GAME 1: Creighton Bluejays vs. Ohio Bobcats
ANALYSIS: Great recruiting year for the Bobcats — bringing in a fawn was an inspired move.
OHIO BOBCATS WIN
MIDWEST BRACKET GAME 2: North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Kansas Jayhawks
ANALYSIS: So, I can't really determine if a Jayhawk is a real, actual animal and not just some crazed creation of Kansas, and this picture is too cute not to post. But because it doesn't exactly play by the rules, I have to disqualify the Jayhawks.
N.C. STATE WOLFPACK WINS
EAST BRACKET GAME 1: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
ANALYSIS: This bearcat is my new favorite thing in the world.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS WIN
EAST BRACKET GAME 2: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Montana Grizzlies
ANALYSIS: The Grizzlies have it. I like bears.
MONTANA GRIZZLIES WIN
SOUTH BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Baylor Bears
ANALYSIS: The Baylor Bears' size and hands-up defense isn't enough to fend off the Wildcats. Kentucky's our first Final Four selection.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS WIN
WEST BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP: Memphis Tigers vs. Colorado State Rams
ANALYSIS: Distracting the Tigers aggressive offense, the Rams steal the game away in the final seconds to earn a spot against the favored Wildcats.
COLORADO STATE RAMS WIN
MIDWEST BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP: Ohio Bobcats vs. N.C. State Wolfpack
ANALYSIS: Behind the strong play of the fawn, an early favorite for tournament MVP, the Bobcats advance.
OHIO BOBCATS WIN
EAST BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Montana Grizzlies
ANALYSIS: The one-two punch of bears and cats just might be unstoppable. The Bearcats romp into the semifinals.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS WIN
FINAL FOUR GAME 1: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Colorado State Rams
ANALYSIS: Wildcats! Check out those ears. WILDCATS ON TO THE FINALS.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS WIN
FINAL FOUR GAME 2: Ohio Bobcats vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
ANALYSIS: The tournament's two hottest teams meet here, and only one can move on. Unfortunately, that means the bobcat/fawn combo goes down, and the bearcats are in the National Championship! (Also, I can't find any more pictures of the bobcat and the fawn.)
CINCINNATI BEARCATS WIN
THE 2012 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (OF CUTENESS): Kentucky Wildcats vs. Cincinnati Bobcats
It's a bear. It's a cat. IT'S A BEARCAT. And the Cincinnati Bearcats are your 2012 NCAA Tournament Champion!
