South Carolina and Iowa sure look impressive, don't they? But every year there are new teams to watch, and with that comes mascots, school colors and fight songs to learn, too.
If you are filling out a bracket and need to find inspiration in the team's traditions or want to know who might be rooting along with you, we've researched each school in the tournament to give you all the information at hand, organized by region and seeds, to make it easy to pick them in Tournament Challenge, where you can create up to 25 brackets for free.
Information was scoured from public sources, and some (including student enrollment numbers) might be slightly out of date. We also apologize in advance if we left off your favorite actor/athlete/politician/relative from the list of notable alumni. It was (probably) unintentional, and there's nothing to read into it. But we had fun with this, and we hope you do, too.
Albany 1 region
(1) South Carolina Gamecocks
Columbia, South Carolina
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 36,300
Mascot: Sir Big Spur | Fight song: "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way"
Official color(s): Garnet and black
Notable alumni: Leeza Gibbons, Mike Colter, Darius Rucker, A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston
(2) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
South Bend, Indiana
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 12,782
Mascot: Notre Dame Leprechaun | Fight song: "Victory March"
Official color(s): Blue and gold
Notable alumni: Hannah Storm, Joe Montana, Skylar Diggins-Smith
(3) Oregon State Beavers
Corvallis, Oregon
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 36,000
Mascot: Benny Beaver | Fight song: "Hail to Old OSU"
Official color(s): Orange and black
Notable alumni: Adley Rutschman, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, Sara Jean Underwood
(4) Indiana Hoosiers
Bloomington, Indiana
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 51,000
Mascot: N/A | Fight song: "Indiana, Our Indiana"
Official color(s): Cream and crimson
Notable alumni: Mark Cuban, Sage Steele, Isiah Thomas, Dick Enberg, Joe Buck, Jamie Moyer
(5) Oklahoma Sooners
Norman, Oklahoma
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 29,166
Mascot: Boomer and Sooner | Fight song: "Boomer Sooner"
Official color(s): Crimson and cream
Notable alumni: Olivia Munn, Ed Harris, Trae Young
(6) Nebraska Cornhuskers
Lincoln, Nebraska
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 24,087
Mascot: Herbie Husker | Fight song: "Hail Varsity"
Official color(s): Scarlet and cream
Notable alumni: Johnny Carson, Willa Cather, Warren Buffett, ESPN's own Shelley Smith
(7) Ole Miss Rebels
Oxford, Mississippi
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 19,869
Mascot: Tony the Landshark | Fight song:
Official color(s): Red and blue
Notable alumni: James Meredith, William Faulkner, Eli Manning
(8) North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 32,234
Mascot: Rameses | Fight song: "I'm a Tar Heel Born"
Official color(s): Carolina blue and white
Notable alumni: Michael Jordan, Stuart Scott, Andy Griffith, Chase Rice, Brooke Baldwin
(9) Michigan State Spartans
East Lansing, Michigan
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 51,316
Mascot: Sparty | Fight song: "Victory for MSU"
Official color(s): Green and white
Notable alumni: Magic Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, Bubba Smith, Dan Gilbert, Geoff Johns
(10) Marquette Golden Eagles
Milwaukee
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 11,373
Mascot: Golden Eagle | Fight song: "Ring Out Ahoya"
Official color(s): Blue and gold
Notable alumni: Rick Majerus, Chris Farley, Tom Snyder, Rachel Lindsay
(11) Texas A&M Aggies
College Station, Texas
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 71,127
Mascot: Reveille | Fight song: "Aggie War Hymn"
Official color(s): Maroon and white
Notable alumni: Lyle Lovett, Rick Perry, Myles Garrett, Granger Smith
(12) Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
Fort Myers, Florida
Conference: Atlantic Sun | Enrollment: 16,000
Mascot: Azul the Eagle | Fight song: "Follow the Eagle"
Official color(s): Green and blue
Notable alumni: Kierstan Bell, Ross Chastain, Chris Sale
(13) Fairfield Stags
Fairfield, Connecticut
Conference: MAAC | Enrollment: 5,528
Mascot: Lucas the Stag | Fight song: "Fight song"
Official color(s): Red and white
Notable alumni: Matt Turner, Kevin Nealon, January LaVoy
(14) Eastern Washington Eagles
Cheney, Washington
Conference: Big Sky | Enrollment: 10,915
Mascot: Swoop the Eagle | Fight song: "Go, Eagles, Go. "
Official color(s): Red and white
Notable alumni: Cooper Kupp, Todd McFarlane, Taylor Adams
(15) Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent, Ohio
Conference: MAC | Enrollment: 25,000
Mascot: Flash | Fight song: "Fight on for KSU"
Official color(s): Navy blue and gold
Notable alumni: Julian Edelman, Drew Carey, Brian Windhorst, Joe Walsh
(16) Sacred Heart Pioneers
Fairfield, Connecticut
Conference: NEC | Enrollment:
Mascot: Big Red the Pioneer | Fight song: "Fight Song"
Official color(s): Red and white
Notable alumni: John Ratzenberger, Zack Short, Mark Nofri
(16) Presbyterian Blue Hose
Clinton, South Carolina
Conference: Big South | Enrollment: 1,199
Mascot: Scotty the Scotsman | Fight song: "On P.C."
Official color(s): Blue and garnet
Notable alumni: Justin Bethel, Tyson Summers, Art Baker
Albany 2 region
(1) Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa City, Iowa
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 31,452
Mascot: Herky the Hawk | Fight song: "Iowa Fight song"
Official color(s): Black and gold
Notable alumni: Tennessee Williams, John Irving, Jane Smiley, Gene Wilder, Tom Brokaw, Matt Bowen
(2) UCLA Bruins
Los Angeles
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 46,430
Mascot: Joe Bruin | Fight song: "Sons of Westwood and the Mighty Bruins"
Official color(s): UCLA Blue and UCLA Gold
Notable alumni: Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Arthur Ashe, Reggie Miller, Russell Westbrook, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Gabrielle Union
(3) LSU Tigers
Baton Rouge
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 33,571
Mascot: Mike the Tiger | Fight song: "Fight for LSU"
Official color(s): Purple and gold
Notable alumni: Joe Burrow, Lauren Daigle, Sylvia Fowles
(4) Kansas State Wildcats
Manhattan, Kansas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 19,745
Mascot: Willie the Wildcat | Fight song: "Wildcat Victory"
Official color(s): Royal purple
Notable alumni: Kirstie Alley, Erin Brockovich, Eric Stonestreet
(5) Colorado Buffaloes
Boulder, Colorado
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 36,430
Mascot: Ralphie the Buffalo | Fight song: "Fight song"
Official color(s): Black and gold
Notable alumni: Trey Parker, Mason Crosby, Chris Fowler
(6) Louisville Cardinals
Louisville, Kentucky
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 23,043
Mascot: Louie the Cardinal | Fight song: "Fight! U of L"
Official color(s): Red and black
Notable alumni: Diane Sawyer, Sue Grafton, ESPN's own Tom Jackson
(7) Creighton Bluejays
Omaha, Nebraska
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 7,700
Mascot: Billy Bluejay | Fight song: "The White and the Blue"
Official color(s): White and blue
Notable alumni: Kyle Korver, Bob Gibson, Paul Silas
(8) West Virginia Mountaineers
Morgantown, West Virginia
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 24,200
Mascot: The Mountaineer | Fight song: "Hail, West Virginia"
Official color(s): Old gold and blue
Notable alumni: Jerry West, Billy Mays, Bob Huggins, Pat McAfee, Marc Bulger
(9) Princeton Tigers
Princeton, New Jersey
Conference: Ivy League | Enrollment: 8,478
Mascot: The Tiger | Fight song: "Princeton Cannon Song"
Official color(s): Black and orange
Notable alumni: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Michelle Obama, Richard Feynman, Bill Bradley, Eric Schmidt, James Madison, Aaron Burr
(10) UNLV Lady Rebels
Paradise, Nevada
Conference: Mountain West | Enrollment: 31,094
Mascot: Hey Reb! | Fight song: "Win with the Rebels"
Official color(s): Scarlet and grey
Notable alumni: Guy Fieri, Kenny Mayne, Randall Cunningham
(11) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Conference: Conference USA | Enrollment: 20,000
Mascot: Lightning | Fight song: "Fight Song"
Official color(s): Blue and white
Notable alumni: Brett Eldredge, Hilary Scott, Amy Lee
(12) Drake Bulldogs
Des Moines, Iowa
Conference: Missouri Valley | Enrollment: 4,884
Mascot: Spike | Fight song: "The 'D' Song"
Official color(s): Drake blue, black and white
Notable alumni: Michael Emerson, Zach Johnson
(13) Portland Pilots
Portland, Oregon
Conference: WCC | Enrollment: 3,731
Mascot: Wally Pilot | Fight song: "Victory March"
Official color(s): Purple and white
Notable alumni: Eric Spoelstra, Malika Andrews, Megan Rapinoe
(14) Rice Owls
Houston
Conference: American | Enrollment: 8,212
Mascot: Sammy the Owl | Fight song: "Rice Fight"
Official color(s): Blue and grey
Notable alumni: Lance Berkman, Larry Izzo, Howard Hughes
(15) California Baptist Lancers
Riverside, California
Conference: WAC | Enrollment: 11,491
Mascot: Lance the Lancer | Fight song:
Official color(s): Navy blue, gold, and white
Notable alumni: Drew Shirley, Brent Kutzle, Dustin-Leigh Konzelman
(16) Holy Cross Crusaders
Worcester, Massachusetts
Conference: Patriot League | Enrollment: 3,233
Mascot: Iggy the Crusader | Fight song: "Chu Chu Rah Rah"
Official color(s): Royal purple
Notable alumni: Dan Shaughnessy, Bill Simmons, Bob Cousy
(16) UT Martin Skyhawks
Martin, Tennessee
Conference: Ohio Valley Conference | Enrollment: 6,873
Mascot: Captain Skyhawk | Fight song: "Fight Song"
Official color(s): Navy blue and orange
Notable alumni: Leonard Hamilton, Pat Summitt, Jerry Reese
Portland 3 region
(1) USC Trojans
Los Angeles
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 47,000
Mascot: Traveler | Fight song: "Tribute to Troy"
Official color(s): Gold and cardinal
Notable alumni: George Lucas, Will Ferrell, Neil Armstrong, Reggie Bush, Troy Polamalu
(2) Ohio State Buckeyes
Columbus, Ohio
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 60,046
Mascot: Brutus Buckeye | Fight song: "Buckeye Battle Cry"
Official color(s): Scarlet, grey, and white
Notable alumni: Roy Lichtenstein, Patricia Heaton, Richard Lewis, Bobby Knight
(3) UConn Huskies
Storrs, Connecticut
Conference: Big East | Enrollment: 32,332
Mascot: Jonathan the Husky | Fight song: "UConn Husky"
Official color(s): Navy blue, gray and white
Notable alumni: Ray Allen, Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Dan Orlovsky
(4) Virginia Tech Hokies
Blacksburg, Virginia
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 38,000
Mascot: HokieBird | Fight song: "Tech Triumph"
Official color(s): Burnt orange and maroon
Notable alumni: Dell Curry, Hoda Kotb, Bruce Smith
(5) Baylor Bears
Waco, Texas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 20,824
Mascot: Bruiser & Marigold | Fight song: "Old Fite"
Official color(s): Green and gold
Notable alumni: Willie Nelson, Jeff Dunham, Robert Griffin III
(6) Syracuse Orange
Syracuse, New York
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 22,000
Mascot: Otto the Orange | Fight song: "Down the Field"
Official color(s): Orange, white, and blue
Notable alumni: Betsey Johnson, Taye Diggs, Vera Farmiga, Aaron Sorkin, Mike Tirico
(7) Duke Blue Devils
Durham, North Carolina
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 16,539
Mascot: Blue Devil | Fight song: "Fight Blue Devils"
Official color(s): Duke blue and white
Notable alumni: Adam Silver, Ken Jeong, Richard Nixon, Melinda Gates, Judy Woodruff, Jay Bilas
(8) Kansas Jayhawks
Lawrence, Kansas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 29,355
Mascot: Big Jay and Baby Jay | Fight song: "I'm a Jayhawk"
Official color(s): Crimson and blue
Notable alumni: Wilt Chamberlain, Dean Smith, Paul Rudd, Don Johnson, Rob Riggle, Scott Bakula, Nikki Glaser
(9) Michigan Wolverines
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 52,065
Mascot: | Fight song: "The Victors"
Official color(s): Maize and blue
Notable alumni: Adam Schefter, Tom Brady, Madonna
(10) Richmond Spiders
Richmond, Virginia
Conference: Atlantic 10 | Enrollment: 3,890
Mascot: | Fight song:
Official color(s): Blue and red
Notable alumni: Bruce Hornsby, Kenny Atkinson, Sean Casey
(11) Auburn Tigers
Auburn, Alabama
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 33,015
Mascot: Aubie the Tiger | Fight song: "War Eagle"
Official color(s): Burnt orange and navy blue
Notable alumni: Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson, Jimmy Buffett, Lionel Richie, Octavia Spencer
(11) Arizona Wildcats
Tucson, Arizona
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 49,403
Mascot: Wilbur and Wilma | Fight song: "Fight Wildcats, Fight!"
Official color(s): UA Red and Arizona Blue
Notable alumni: Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, Kourtney Kardashian, Nicole Richie, Kenny Lofton
(12) Columbia Lions
New York City
Conference: Ivy League | Enrollment: 34,782
Mascot: Roar-ee the Lion | Fight song: "Roar, Lion, Roar"
Official color(s): Blue and white
Notable alumni: Kathryn Bigelow, David Stern, Kate McKinnon
(12) Vanderbilt Commodores
Nashville, Tennessee
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 13,710
Mascot: Mr. Commodore | Fight song: "Dynamite"
Official color(s): Black and gold
Notable alumni: Dierks Bentley, Buster Olney, David Price
(13) Marshall Thundering Herd
Huntington, West Virginia
Conference: Sun Belt | Enrollment: 11,269
Mascot: Marco the Bison | Fight song: "Sons of Marshall"
Official color(s): Green and white
Notable alumni: Soupy Sales, Conchata Ferrell, Clint, Justin and Griffin McElroy
(14) Jackson State Lady Tigers
Jackson, Mississippi
Conference: SWAC | Enrollment: 6,564
Mascot: Wavee Dave | Fight song: "Cheer Boys"
Official color(s): Navy blue and white
Notable alumni: Walter Payton, Cassandra Wilson, Oil Can Boyd
(15) Maine Black Bears
Orono, Maine
Conference: America East | Enrollment: 11,989
Mascot: Bananas T. Bear | Fight song: "For Maine"
Official color(s):Maine blue, white, and navy
Notable alumni: Stephen King, Ben Bishop, John Tortorella
(16) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Corpus Christi, Texas
Conference: Southland | Enrollment: 10,762
Mascot: Izzy the Islander | Fight song: "TAMUCC Islander Fight song"
Official color(s): Royal blue, white and green
Notable alumni: Kevin Palmer, Cassandra Jean, Kim Henkel
Portland 4 region
(1) Texas Longhorns
Austin, Texas
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 53,000
Mascot: Bevo | Fight song: "Texas Fight"
Official color(s): Burnt orange and white
Notable alumni: Matthew McConaughey, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kevin Durant, Janis Joplin, Walter Cronkite
(2) Stanford Cardinal
Palo Alto, California
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 16,605
Mascot: Stanford Tree | Fight song: "Come Join the Band"
Official color(s): Crimson and white
Notable alumni: Sterling K. Brown, Sigourney Weaver, Sally Ride, Rachel Maddow
(3) NC State Wolfpack
Raleigh, North Carolina
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 36,000
Mascot: Mr. and Mrs. Wuf | Fight song: "Fight song" and "Red and white song"
Official color(s): Wolfpack red, white, and black
Notable alumni: Zach Galifianakis, Trea Turner, Philip Rivers, Debbie Antonelli, John Tesh
(4) Gonzaga Bulldogs
Spokane, Washington
Conference: West Coast Conference | Enrollment: 7,306
Mascot: Spike the Bulldog | Fight song: "Go Gonzaga"
Official color(s): Blue and white
Notable alumni: John Stockton, Bing Crosby
(5) Utah Utes
Salt Lake City, Utah
Conference: Pac-12 | Enrollment: 35,000
Mascot: Swoop | Fight song: "Utah Man"
Official color(s): Red and white
Notable alumni: Kaskade, Holly Rowe, Alex Smith
(6) Tennessee Lady Volunteers
Knoxville, Tennessee
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 36,122
Mascot: Smokey | Fight song: "Down the Field"
Official color(s): Tennessee orange and smokey
Notable alumni: Peyton Manning, Reggie White, Candace Parker, Chris Moneymaker, Lou Albano
(7) Iowa State Cyclones
Ames, Iowa
Conference: Big 12 | Enrollment: 30,177
Mascot: Cy the Cardinal | Fight song: "ISU Fights"
Official color(s): Cardinal and gold
Notable alumni: Brock Purdy, Tyrese Haliburton, Fred Hoiberg, Jeff Hornacek
(8) Alabama Crimson Tide
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Conference: SEC | Enrollment: 39,623
Mascot: Big Al | Fight song: "Yea Alabama"
Official color(s): Crimson and white
Notable alumni: Julio Jones, Bear Bryant, Jimmy Wales, Justin Thomas, Dabo Swinney, Harper Lee, Joe Namath
(9) Florida State Seminoles
Tallahassee, Florida
Conference: ACC | Enrollment: 43,701
Mascot: | Fight song: "Fight song"
Official color(s): Garnet and gold
Notable alumni: Lee Corso, Mark Tremonti, Burt Reynolds, Ron Simmons
(10) Maryland Terrapins
College Park, Maryland
Conference: Big Ten | Enrollment: 40,813
Mascot: Testudo | Fight song: "Fight, Fight, Fight for Maryland"
Official color(s): Red, white, black and gold
Notable alumni: Larry David, Jim Henson, Boomer Esiason
(11) Green Bay Phoenix
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Conference: Horizon League | Enrollment: 7,641
Mascot: Phlash the Phoenix | Fight song: "Hail to the Fighting Phoenix"
Official color(s): Green and white
Notable alumni: Tony Shalhoub, Virginia Men's coach Tony Bennett, Mike Grell
(12) South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Brookings, South Dakota
Conference: Summit League | Enrollment: 11,505
Mascot: Jack the Jackrabbit | Fight song: Ring the Bell
Official color(s): Blue and yellow
Notable alumni: Harvey Dunn, Dallas Goedert, Adam Vinatieri
(13) UC Irvine Anteaters
Irving, California
Conference: Big West | Enrollment: 36,680
Mascot: Peter the Anteater | Fight song:
Official color(s): Blue and gold
Notable alumni: Thuy Trang, Keston Hiura, Jon Lovitz
(14) Chattanooga Mocs
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Conference: Southern | Enrollment: 9,884
Mascot: Scrappy Moc | Fight song: "Fight Song"
Official color(s): Navy blue and gold
Notable alumni: Hugh Beaumont, Leslie Jordan, Pez Whatley, Terrell Owens
(15) Norfolk State Spartans
Norfolk, Virginia
Conference: MEAC | Enrollment: 5,786
Mascot: Spiro the Spartan | Fight song: "Fight Song"
Official color(s): Green and gold
Notable alumni: Tim Reid, JB Smoove, Denise Dowse
(16) Drexel Dragons
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Conference: CAA | Enrollment: 22,344
Mascot: Mario the Magnificent | Fight song:
Official color(s): Navy blue and gold
Notable alumni: Bashir Mason, Malik Rose, Chris McKendry