Power Ranking Thursday - D1 College Team Names

ALERT THE PRESSES -- Power Ranking Thursday is BACK. This is a special edition entry to the PRT series after a long hiatus. This won't be an every week occurrence, but I was feeling inspired to break out Ol' Reliable and get back to the basics. And with the insane amount of College Basketball I've been watching lately -- I thought it'd be the perfect time to drop another PRT.

First and foremost -- ground rules:

• Only the official team name/team mascot is included in today's list (i.e. no War Eagle for Auburn, etc).

• The name-pool is the 365 D1 Basketball Team Names.

• These team names are ranked on Originality/Creativeness, Historic origin, and Badass nature -- which when combined make up the Bean's Metric.

• NO REPEATS -- if there is another team in D1 that uses the same team name, they are out

And lastly, we're going for a whopping Top 25 today in honor of the ranking system of College Hoops. If I missed anyone on today's list that you love -- as always -- let me know in the comments!

Dishonorable Mentions

The 14 schools that are The Bulldogs

The 12 schools that are The Tigers

The 10 schools that are The Wildcats

The 10 schools that are The Eagles

You know who you are -- and you should be fucking ashamed of yourselves.

Duke Blue Devils

Would be cool if they didn't share it with Central Connecticut State -- and if they weren't Duke.

Honorable Mentions:

Personal Favorites:

Indiana State Sycamores

Fairfield Stags

Grand Canyon Antelopes

Kent State Golden Flashes

Northern Kentucky Norse

San Diego State Aztecs

San Francisco Dons

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

St. Thomas (MN) Tommies

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

All close to my heart -- but have plenty of personal picks in the Top 25, so they're sadly cuts.

A+ for Creativity:

CSU Northridge Matadors

Furman Paladins

Idaho Vandals 

Marshall Thundering Herd

North Texas Mean Green

Saint Peter's Peacocks

San Diego Toreros

Stetson Hatters

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

UMBC Retrievers

Youngstown State Penguins

Lots of great, unique names in the bunch -- but didn't crack the Top 25.

The OG's:

Ohio State Buckeyes

St. John's Red Storm

Tennessee Volunteers

Iowa State Cyclones

Kansas Jayhawks

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Oklahoma Sooners

TCU Horned Frogs

Tulane Green Wave

UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Xavier Musketeers

Maryland Terrapins

Virginia Tech Hokies

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Tons of heavy-hitters here obviously -- but there's lots of big names in the Top 25, and we want a good balance of obscure and well-known schools/teams.

Closest Cuts:

Albany Great Danes

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Florida Gators

Fort Wayne Mastodons

Long Beach State Beach

Manhattan Jaspers

Nebraska Cornhuskers

North Florida Ospreys

Oregon Ducks

Presbyterian Blue Hose

Syracuse Orange

Texas Longhorns

UC Irvine Anteaters

These guys are all be in the "Receiving Votes" Tier of the Rankings -- incredible names all around, worthy of spots. Toughest for me in particular are: Blue Hose, Beach, and Jaspers in the WTF category -- Longhorns, Gators, and Ducks -- in the OG's category.

If you're wondering why Nebraska didn't make it with such a unique team name -- it's because Fuck Nebraska. They used it as a term to insult Iowa's football team while Nebraska was named, checks notes, The Bug-Eaters. The people in Nebraska look like they eat Bugs so much, that their football team was called the Bug-Eaters. Then they said, "Hey, that term we used to insult Iowa sounds better than Bug-Eaters, let's be that." Fuck Nebraska.

The Top 25

Precursor: My goal with this Top 25 was to have an even balance of obscure and historic/well-known names.

#25 Evansville Purple Aces

2 personal picks to start the Top 25 -- and this may be one no one else likes at all, but I LOVE. Name comes from Evansville beating Louisville in the 1920's, and LOU's coach saying it was like "They were playing Poker with 5 Aces, not just 4" -- and Purple Aces was born. We played in a team camp at Evansville in HS every year and I grew up thinking it was cool -- and I still do.

#24 Iowa Hawkeyes

I don't know if I'm just biased to Iowa or if the majority people think The Hawkeyes is a cool team name -- but I also don't care. Borrowed from the State name and inspired by the hero in the novel "The Last of the Mohicans," Hawkeyes not only sounds cool, but is unique, and has lent itself to great uniforms/logos/etc for Iowa.

#23 Akron Zips

You don't have to go crazy with your team name to find a winner -- sometimes all you need is a quick, catchy name that has nothing to do with sports. The "Zips" originates from a rubber shoe that was produced in Akron in the 20's (Akron, the Rubber Capital of the World, I learned) -- and they get major bonus points for their mascot Zippy the Kangaroo.

#22 DePaul Blue Demons

Growing up we had family in Chicago that would always send us DePaul gear -- and I thought the team name Blue Demons was so sick. Much cooler and more badass than Blue Devil -- not sure why a school would ever choose that. DePaul hasn't had much to celebrate on the court in recent years, but I still have faith they can turn it around and go #BlueDemonMode.

#21 Campbell Fightin' Camels

You guys know me and how much I love a downright odd team name. Fightin' Camels fits that mold -- and it's origins are even weirder. There was a devastating fire around 1900 that wiped out many campus buildings, and a student told founder J.A. Campbell to "get a hump on you" -- leading Campbell to think he'd been called a camel. I mean, what the fuck? I love it.

#20 Wisconsin Badgers

This spot was originally for the Michigan Wolverines until I learned Utah Valley are wolverines too -- so their Big 10 foes slide into the Top 25. And for good reason, being The Badger State, inspired by the lead miners of the early-19th century that lived in hillside burrows like badgers. Bucky is an elite mascot, Badgers are an elite animal -- elite team name.

#19 Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Southern Utah not only has a badass and creative team name -- they transitioned from a boring team name (The Broncos) in 1961 to become The Thunderbirds. They wanted to stand out from other agriculture schools and chose this mythical bird known in Native American lore for power. A+ for the 1960's Southern Utah marketing department.

#18 Stony Brook Seawolves

Much like Southern Utah, Stony Brook made a team name change to become the badass Seawolves. In 1994, when they transitioned to D1, a committee chose the Seawolves to create a strong new identity in this upward move. Do I understand what a Seawolf is? Not even slightly. But does it sound a hell of a lot cooler than the Patriots? You betcha.

#17 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens

As if just being called the Fightin' Blue Hens wasn't enough -- I'm going to paste the exact wording from Google when I typed in the name origins: "originates from Revolutionary War soldiers from Kent County, Delaware, who were known for their brave fighting cocks." Brave Cocks? Enough for me -- welcome to the Top 25, Delaware.

#16 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils

We got our Demons, we just needed some Devils to round it out. And we passed on the Sun and Blue varieties to make room for THE Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. If you weren't aware, MVSU is renowned for being one of the very worst D1 basketball programs of all time. They'll likely never be ranked in the AP, but they make the Bean's Poll of team names.

#15 Providence Friars

I may be on an island with this one -- but I'll gladly hold down the fort here. Maybe I'm swayed by their hilarious looking mascot on the sideline watching Big East games -- but I think The Friars is an elite team name. It comes from the Dominican Order who founded the college and the mendicant friars who run the school -- and it's easily one of my favorites of the P5.

#14 Alabama Crimson Tide

Starting a stretch of 4 renowned teams -- and in an effort to prove bias is removed from this list -- a school I despise in Alabama checks in at #14. I don't have to like Bama to admit the Crimson Tide is a badass team name -- created from a 1907 rain-game where the field was turned to red mud covering their white jerseys. Separate the art (team name) from the artist (school).

#13 Notre Dame Fightin' Irish

The most Historic team name in all of College Sports -- this list wouldn't be complete without the Fightin' Irish. Maybe it's my Irish Catholic roots swaying me, maybe it's the elite Leprechaun logo, maybe it's the prestige of the school itself. Whatever the reason -- this is one of the true pacesetters for original, creative team names.

#12 Indiana Hoosiers

Another heavy-hitter, the Hoosiers is one of the quintessential team names in the realm of college sports. The origins are fuzzy -- Google claims there's several potential origins -- but for me, Hoosier is synonymous with Indiana Basketball and Indiana as a whole. Unique, deeply-rooted, state-pride on full display -- Hoosiers checks all the boxes.

#11 Florida State Seminoles

There's a lot that goes into the FSU Seminoles being so great. The history -- honoring the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Mascot -- riding out on horseback before football games spearing the field. The respect -- using tribal input on logo/depiction (The PC-Factor). The colors/jerseys -- which has nothing to do with the team name, but enhances it regardless. No notes.

#10 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky is located atop a hill 232 feet above the Barren River in Bowling Green. This simple fact led to not only one of the best team names in college sports -- but the single greatest mascot in Big Red. This stupid blob is why college sports are the greatest. Their logos and jersey design with Big Red is so good -- and Hilltoppers is a banger name, and a personal favorite.

#9 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

RIP Colt Brennan -- a man who put the University of Hawaii on the map in 2005-2007 with 146 TD's, 14,000+ yards and a 12-1 record and BCS Bowl in 07'. This was my first exposure to the Rainbow Warriors, and ever since then I've been a massive fan. A state-pride twist on a classic team name, employing Hawaiian culture in a great way.

#8 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

I think my selections to this point show a theme -- I love a team name that's not only unique -- but has connection to the city/state the school is in. The Ragin' Cajuns are arguably the best example -- dubbed by Coach Russ Faulkinberry because of all his homegrown talent. I also love their mascot -- a Pepper named Cayenne. Bonus points for changing from Bulldogs in 1974.

#7 Saint Louis Billikens

With the amount I've written about SLU, did you really think the Billikens wouldn't crack the Top 25? People from the STL area are almost numb to the name because we've grown up around it, but people outside of STL think it's a crazy team name/mascot. I wear my SLU hat and everyone thinks it's an alien. The Billiken is another symbol of what I love about college sports -- easy choice.

#6 Purdue Boilermakers

Another all-time classic checks in with the Boilermakers. I already loved the name, but learning the origins made me love it more. Their rivals used it as an insult talking about the team, accusing them of using working class guys from boiler shops as athletes because they were tough. It represents strength and grit, physically and mentally as engineers -- one of my favorites for sure.

#5 Western Illinois Leathernecks

Couldn't do this list without some Dog mascot representation -- and this is far and away my favorite. Western Illinois is the only non-Military-Academy in the country with permission to use a military-derived name like the Leathernecks because of decorated Marine Corps vet Ray "Rock" Hanson -- their AD and coach in 1927. Their mascot is a bulldog -- showing that it is in fact possible to have a bulldog mascot and still have a kick-ass team name.

#4 Arkansas Razorbacks

I'd like to call back to my Alabama comments about separating the school from the team name when evaluating. So while I don't like Arkansas as a program -- they undeniably have one of the best team names in sports. Razorbacks is such a tough, unique, ferocious team name. The logo is sick, can shorten it to the Hogs which I also love -- there was no world where the Razorbacks couldn't be toward the top.

#3 North Carolina Tar Heels

The Top 3 of my list are fueled by a combo of Nostalgia and Great Team Names.

Similarly to Purdue, Tar Heel originated as a derogatory term. NC was a major producer for Naval shipbuilding, and workers often got tar on their heels from the work. The people of NC embraced it and wore it as a badge of honor during the Civil War, and it became the state nickname. And now it represents my favorite team -- sounds badass -- and is a One-of-One name in college sports.

#2 Wichita State Shockers

My formative ball-watching years were the late 2000s-early 2010s. And during those years, Wichita State Basketball was Peak Mid-Major excellence. Ron Baker, Cleanthony Early, Fred VanVleet, Mo Alie-Cox. The Shockers name comes from agricultural roots ("shocking" the wheat in harvesting) -- and combined with their awesome mascot and prominence in the 2010s -- the Shockers were a lock for this list.

#1 Georgetown Hoyas

But for me -- the #1 spot could only belong to the Georgetown Hoyas. And to be honest, I can't really explain why I love the Hoyas so much. The origins are fine -- they used to chant Hoya Saxa which is Greek/Latin for "What Rocks" and it melded into a team name. Their mascot is just a tough lookin' bulldog -- which we know my feelings on.

I think the real reason is that when I hear "The Hoyas" -- it screams basketball to me -- especially College Basketball (Hoyas and Tar Heels -- but I made a rule I wouldn't biasedly pick UNC as #1). It makes me think of Iverson, Ewing, Mutombo, Zo Mourning. Gritty, bully-ball, hard-nosed Hoops. It's sad to see the state they're in now, but there's too much nostalgia for me with Georgetown, and The Hoyas will always be my personal favorite team name.

If you enjoyed today's blog -- leave a like, and comment your favorite Team Name in D1 basketball. If the people read this one, we may expand to D2 and D3 in a future edition of PRT.

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And Read one of the related blogs linked below -- Missouri HS Team Names, Best Player Names in CBB, and Blog #100 with all Sorts of Mini Power Rankings.