The essential guide to the Sweet 16

A D3hoops.com reader named Mike Sullivan passed along his essential nickname guide to the NCAA Tournament, also calling it “Musings Over Lunch while avoiding going back to work.”

We know how that goes. His take follows:

In bracket order, beginning with men’s bracket.

SUNYIT Wildcats at Williams Ephs – SUNYIT soccer team more well known, the Wildcat Strikers

Rhode Island College Anchormen vs. Brandeis Judges – prefer the band to the Supreme Court

Wooster Scots at Guilford Quakers – good, the Woos crush Earlham Quakers all year long

Eastern Mennonite Royals vs. Whitworth Pirates – Whitworth higher-seed than cross-town Gonzaga

Texas-Dallas Comets at UW-Stevens Point Pointers – a little creativity problem in dairy country?

Illinois Wesleyan Titans vs. Carthage Red Men – ironic that D-III has the least politically correct nicknames, I thought these were all Liberal Artsy Fartsy colleges

Franklin & Marshall Diplomats at St. Mary’s Seahawks – F&M only team named for a cigar

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets vs. DeSales Bulldogs – no NCAA bubble anxiety for these Yellow Jackets

Charging on to the Women’s bracket.

Williams Ephs at Amherst Lord Jeffs – if men and women both win, Williams expands to become Eph U. Rhymes with reef, not with ref? What is it, short for Ephesians?

Gettysburg Bullets vs. Babson Beavers – Gettysburg Bullets basketball teams known informally as the Bay O Nets

Mount Union Purple Raiders at Washington Bears – MU trying to make up for pathetic 2nd place football finish

George Fox Bruins vs. Carthage Lady Reds – why not the Ladies in Red (Are Dancing With Me)

Bowdoin Polar Bears at Kean Cougars – the ultimate who’s the predator, who’s the prey matchup

Christopher Newport Captains vs. Rochester Yellowjackets – always confusing pregame coin-flips with Captains’ captains

UW Stevens Point Pointers at Illinois Wesleyan Titans – women’s teams also known as the Pointer Sisters

Marymount Saints vs. Hope Flying Dutchmen – office colleague and her husband making the 760-mile trek to cheer on the Saints, and why Flying Dutchmen? The Hope Eternal Springs is so much more marketable

OK, I’m worn out. Go Polar Bears! Go Scots! Go Saints!