Dinger puts his NCAA bracket to the test
Here's a breakdown of how Dinger selected his opening-round games.
East Region
No. 1 Ohio State vs. UT-San Antonio/Alabama State -- In many years of filling out NCAA brackets, Dinger rarely misses on an opening round game involving No. 1 seeds. The mascot's about 75 percent. In this case, it's an easy choice with former River Cat outfielder Nick Swisher being an Ohio State product.
No. 8 George Mason vs. No. 9 Villanova -- Dinger always picks teams with cat nicknames, like the Villanova Wildcats. The mascot still has nightmares over the 1997 championship game, when the Arizona Wildcats defeated the Kentucky Wildcats.
No. 5 West Virginia vs. UAB/Clemson -- Conventional wisdom says Dinger goes with the Clemson Tigers, because the tiger is a feline. But conventional wisdom doesn't win you nine PCL division titles in 11 years. Dinger goes with West Virginia, because Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins used to coach the Cincinnati Bearcats -- and Dinger's best friend from 5th grade was actually one-quarter bearcat.
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Princeton -- This game involves Wildcats and Tigers, so the Dinger household will all be huddled in the living room with their TV dinners. What it comes down to is that the Princeton center's senior thesis is due next weekend, and the starting point guard has an astrophysical science exam the morning after the game. Huge advantage for Kentucky.
No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 Marquette - Dinger had a fun run with the Golden Eagles in Dwyane Wade's breakout season, so let's hope to rekindle those memories.
No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Indiana State -- Dinger has never been a fan of Indiana State product Larry Bird, or anything else bird-related for that matter, so this mascot is picking Syracuse.
No. 7 Washington vs. No. 10 Georgia -- The first thing Dinger sees when he looks at the East Region is this scary matchup between the Huskies and the Bulldogs. That's a little too much canine on the court for this Cat. However, Washington guard Isaiah Thomas may be the quickest player (some say he has "cat-like" quickness) in the tournament, so Dinger has the Huskies advancing.
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Long Island University -- Dinger predicts a breakout tournament from Tar Heels freshman Harrison Barnes. Not to brag, but the last time Dinger had a gut feeling about a Tar Heels freshman, his name was Michael Jordan.
West Region
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Hampton -- After looking at both team's perimeter shooting and how Hampton handles the trap, Dinger realized there was one area that separates these two teams: Duke is like a million times better. Let's move on!!!
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Tennessee -- Wolverines tend to get a bad rap because of the X-Men movies, but that has nothing to do with basketball. It's quite clear to Dinger that Scotty Hopson's athleticism and interior scoring will lead Tennessee to victory.
No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 12 Memphis -- Dinger still has beef with Memphis since the 2009 PCL Championship series, when the Redbirds beat the River Cats in four games. So the Cats mascot goes with Arizona.
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 13 Oakland -- If we were predicting who's going to win the American League West, Dinger would pick Oakland over Texas all day long. But Dinger would never pick a team whose mascot is the "Grizzlies," so we're going with Texas.
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Missouri -- Let's just say a Missouri Tiger once broke Dinger's heart, and he doesn't want to talk about it or root for them.
No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Bucknell -- In 2003, Dinger met a stray cat from Connecticut. Ever since then the River Cats mascot has picked the Huskies to get out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and it usually works.
No. 7 Temple vs. No. 10 Penn State -- Dinger is deathly afraid of Owls. They hoot, they sleep during the day, it's just too much.
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 15 Northern Colorado -- Being a West Sacramento native, Dinger is a huge fan of directional schools such as Northern Colorado. However, the River Cats mascot is a bigger fan of winning bracket pools, so Dinger is going with San Diego State.
Southwest Region
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Boston University -- Dinger became good friends with Kansas' school mascot, Big Jay, during a mascot softball game in 2004.
No. 8 UNLV vs. No. 9 Illinois -- Whenever there is a toss up game such as this, Dinger sides with the school that hails from a Pacific Coast League city such as Las Vegas.
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Richmond -- There was a bad experience with a rancid spider, and Dinger hasn't gotten over it. Go Vandy!
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Morehead State -- They make baseball bats in Louisville, so Dinger is on board with the Cardinals.
No. 6 Georgetown vs. No. 11 USC/VCU -- Much like the River Cats, Georgetown has a rich history of winning. Dinger predicts that trend will continue in the opening round.
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Saint Peter's -- Purdue was actually Dinger's safety school, after MIT. He got into neither.
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Florida State -- This sounds like a better college football matchup, if anything. Dinger's taking the upset!
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Akron -- Rudy is by far one of Dinger's favorite movies, so the mascot takes the Irish.
Southeast Region
No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 16 UNC-Ashville/Arkansas-Little Rock -- We're going with Pitt, even though the Allegheny River has nothing on the Sacramento River.
No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Old Dominion -- Those kids from Butler are fiesty, kind of like the Cats last season.
No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Utah State -- Dinger had bad dorm food on his recruiting trip to Utah State, so he's going with the Wildcats.
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Belmont -- Dinger has always preferred California cheese over Wisconsin, so he's taking Belmont in a monumental upset.
No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Gonzaga -- Great first-round matchup. Dinger is a little frightened by the thought of a Red Storm, so we'll take Gonzaga in another upset.
No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Wofford -- Dinger can't side with a school whose first syllable sounds like a dog barking, so we'll go with BYU.
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State -- Dinger can't pick a team with 14 losses to advance, even if Tom Izzo is coaching the team. Plus, we need some Pac-10 love.
No. 2 Florida vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara -- As long as that Gator Chomp stays away from this River Cat, Dinger is OK.