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March Madness 2025 is here, with talk of brackets, who might bust them, Cinderellas, Final Four favorites and such.
But other crucial questions must be answered. And sometimes, you didn't need to ask them until right now.
For instance ...
As morale suffered early in the season, Omaha associate coach Kyan Brown tried to inspire the Mavericks before a game with a speech. Crickets. So he saw a trash can in the corner of the locker room and kicked it, throwing in some NSFW words for emphasis. The players got energized, and Brown promised to wail on the can some more if they won.
The Mavericks started a nine-game winning streak that day, and they're 18-3 from that point heading into March Madness.
The trash can beatings have continued, and become more elaborate, mimicking pro wrestling, using baseball bats, chairs, towels and more.
Kyler Filewich is Wofford's second-leading scorer (11.9 points per game), but he has struggled mightily from the free-throw line. In five years of college basketball, he has never topped 50% from the line for a season.
So he decided to do something about it. He started shooting free throws underhanded, mimicking Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry (an 89.3% career shooter) ... or you're grandma.
How's it going? Not much better. He went 3-of-7 from the line in Wofford's 92-85 win over Furman in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. For the season, he's at 31.8%.
Fire up the printer!: March Madness bracket: Printable 2025 NCAA Tournament page for picks, predictions
How long can you last?: USA TODAY survivor pool sweepstakes
Pick all the games: USA TODAY bracket challenge
McNeese student manager Amir Khan leads the hype train for the Cowboys, who won the Southland Conference Tournament. He even picked up an NIL deal from a secondary market ticket company.
"If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I'd put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers," Khan says on his team bio, which was edited to include his nickname, "Aura."
Akron won the Mid-American Conference Tournament, rallying from an 18-point deficit to edge Miami (Ohio) in the closing seconds.
∎ Akron was the American center of tire production a century ago, and one of the city's tire companies sold rubber overshoes called Zippers. The school adopted the name to represent their sports teams, and shortened it in 1950.
∎ In the early 1950s, a student council adviser was tasked with creating a mascot and saw a comic strip about a fighting kangaroo. Zippy came to life.
Drake won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a team that largely moved up from Division II. Coach Ben McCollum had won four D2 national championships at Northwest Missouri State when Drake hired him to replace Darian DeVries, who took the West Virginia job.
Drake's roster started the season with 11 starts in Division I competition. McCollum brought his three leading scorers from Northwest Missouri — Bennett Stirtz, Daniel Abreu and Mitch Mascari — and they became Drake's leading scorers this season, leading the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record.
The Big Sky Tournament takes place in Idaho, so why not dive in on the theme? In a similar vein, the Missouri Valley Tournament takes place in St. Louis, so it's called Arch Madness.
Could there be a more perfect name for Montana's leading scorer? The sophomore averages 13.3 points per game for the Grizzlies, who won the Big Sky Tournament championship (a.k.a. Starch Madness). His Montana bio lists his father's name as Money, though the younger Money doesn't go have a "II" or "Jr." on the back of his uniform. He does plan on majoring in business, which makes sense.
It's Frankie the Friar, the delightful/terrifying mascot for the St. Francis Red Flash, who won the Northeast Conference Tournament. Does he make you giggle or haunt your dreams?
How does Frankie the Friar compare to Providence's Dom the Friar?
And when it comes to delightful/terrifying mascots, some people just can't deal with Purdue Pete.
Maryland is more dependent on its starting lineup than any team in the nation. The nickname mashes up the Fab Five — made famous in the early 1990s at Michigan — and crabs, which are synonymous with Maryland's Chesapeake Bay.
Derik Queen, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Julian Reese and Selton Miguel all average at least 12 points per game and account for 86% of their scoring.
Welcome to the Big Dance, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Omaha, High Point and UC San Diego.
St. Francis (Pa.) beat Central Connecticut State 46-43 in the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game, its sixth straight win, and enters the NCAAs with a 16-17 record.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: March Madness 2025: Trash can, boom box, underhand free throws, mascot
Continue reading...
But other crucial questions must be answered. And sometimes, you didn't need to ask them until right now.
For instance ...
Why does Omaha beat up trash cans?
As morale suffered early in the season, Omaha associate coach Kyan Brown tried to inspire the Mavericks before a game with a speech. Crickets. So he saw a trash can in the corner of the locker room and kicked it, throwing in some NSFW words for emphasis. The players got energized, and Brown promised to wail on the can some more if they won.
The Mavericks started a nine-game winning streak that day, and they're 18-3 from that point heading into March Madness.
The trash can beatings have continued, and become more elaborate, mimicking pro wrestling, using baseball bats, chairs, towels and more.
Who shoots free throws underhanded? Who shoots granny style free throws?
Kyler Filewich is Wofford's second-leading scorer (11.9 points per game), but he has struggled mightily from the free-throw line. In five years of college basketball, he has never topped 50% from the line for a season.
So he decided to do something about it. He started shooting free throws underhanded, mimicking Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry (an 89.3% career shooter) ... or you're grandma.
How's it going? Not much better. He went 3-of-7 from the line in Wofford's 92-85 win over Furman in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. For the season, he's at 31.8%.
Fire up the printer!: March Madness bracket: Printable 2025 NCAA Tournament page for picks, predictions
How long can you last?: USA TODAY survivor pool sweepstakes
Pick all the games: USA TODAY bracket challenge
Who carries the boom box for his team? Who carries the boom box for McNeese State?
McNeese student manager Amir Khan leads the hype train for the Cowboys, who won the Southland Conference Tournament. He even picked up an NIL deal from a secondary market ticket company.
"If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I'd put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers," Khan says on his team bio, which was edited to include his nickname, "Aura."
Why is Akron called the Zips? Why is Akron's mascot a kangaroo?
Akron won the Mid-American Conference Tournament, rallying from an 18-point deficit to edge Miami (Ohio) in the closing seconds.
∎ Akron was the American center of tire production a century ago, and one of the city's tire companies sold rubber overshoes called Zippers. The school adopted the name to represent their sports teams, and shortened it in 1950.
∎ In the early 1950s, a student council adviser was tasked with creating a mascot and saw a comic strip about a fighting kangaroo. Zippy came to life.
Which team has all the Division 2 players?
Drake won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a team that largely moved up from Division II. Coach Ben McCollum had won four D2 national championships at Northwest Missouri State when Drake hired him to replace Darian DeVries, who took the West Virginia job.
Drake's roster started the season with 11 starts in Division I competition. McCollum brought his three leading scorers from Northwest Missouri — Bennett Stirtz, Daniel Abreu and Mitch Mascari — and they became Drake's leading scorers this season, leading the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record.
What is Starch Madness?
The Big Sky Tournament takes place in Idaho, so why not dive in on the theme? In a similar vein, the Missouri Valley Tournament takes place in St. Louis, so it's called Arch Madness.
Who is Money Williams?
Could there be a more perfect name for Montana's leading scorer? The sophomore averages 13.3 points per game for the Grizzlies, who won the Big Sky Tournament championship (a.k.a. Starch Madness). His Montana bio lists his father's name as Money, though the younger Money doesn't go have a "II" or "Jr." on the back of his uniform. He does plan on majoring in business, which makes sense.
What is the St. Francis mascot?
It's Frankie the Friar, the delightful/terrifying mascot for the St. Francis Red Flash, who won the Northeast Conference Tournament. Does he make you giggle or haunt your dreams?
How does Frankie the Friar compare to Providence's Dom the Friar?
And when it comes to delightful/terrifying mascots, some people just can't deal with Purdue Pete.
Who are the Crab Five?
Maryland is more dependent on its starting lineup than any team in the nation. The nickname mashes up the Fab Five — made famous in the early 1990s at Michigan — and crabs, which are synonymous with Maryland's Chesapeake Bay.
Derik Queen, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Julian Reese and Selton Miguel all average at least 12 points per game and account for 86% of their scoring.
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Who is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time? Who are the first-time March Madness teams?
Welcome to the Big Dance, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Omaha, High Point and UC San Diego.
What March Madness teams have a losing record? Which NCAA Tournament teams have a losing record?
St. Francis (Pa.) beat Central Connecticut State 46-43 in the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game, its sixth straight win, and enters the NCAAs with a 16-17 record.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: March Madness 2025: Trash can, boom box, underhand free throws, mascot
Continue reading...
