We are a little over two weeks away from this year’s Division I NCAA Basketball Tournament, but allow me to fill that time with the almost equally perfect tournament: The 2020 College Basketball Tournament of Names.
You may have heard of it. Or maybe not. In any case, I’ll give the same synopsis I do every year so we’re all on the same page and I can get to the good stuff.
The Tournament of Names matches up some of the best player names in college basketball, using the same single-elimination style bracket as the ever-popular NCAA Tournament. It doesn’t just focus on the powerhouse schools like Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas, but instead gives the little guys their share of the spotlight. Searching rosters from Florida State to Flagler, I have assembled a field of 64 players that will not disappoint.
Rotating between men’s and women’s names, we are back to the men this year. In 2018, Leroy Butts IV stole the show and took the title as a #4 seed. In 2019, #1 overall seed Fanny Wadling took down an even stronger ladies field on her way to the championship. One of the things I’m most looking forward to in 2020 is the inclusion of returning players.
This year, I will be marking the returning players with an asterisk, and Mr. Butts with a crown as defending men’s champion. Each quadrant of the bracket is named after the previous season’s Final Four representative from that respective quadrant. Last year’s Final Four: Fanny Wadling, Cali Weed, Treasure Hunt, and Forever Toppin. All legends.
You can find the printable version of the bracket here: 2020 CBTON Printable Bracket
And here is the link to first round voting: 2020 CBTON First Round Voting
Names to Watch
Leroy Butts IV (Radford) – #1 seed, Fanny Wadling Region. No justification needed here. He’s undefeated in Tournament of Names play.
Mo Beavers (Otterbein) – #3 seed, Fanny Wadling Region. Beavers/Otterbein is the best player/school combination in this bracket. That’s a lot of water-loving mammals.
D.K. Sumo IV (Oklahoma Panhandle State) – #4 seed, Cali Weed Region. D.K. was in the 2018 bracket, but over the past two years has added the distinction of being the fourth D.K. of the Sumos. Not sure when or why that change was made on the Oklahoma Panhandle State website, but it was the right call.
Legend Johnson (WestConn) – #6 seed, Cali Weed Region. Legend: often used to describe someone very famous or notorious. Johnson: can be used in place of other words for male genitalia.
Buck Eagleburger (Simpson College) – #1 seed, Treasure Hunt Region. This name has three nouns in it, two of which are animals. The other is a burger. It just sounds amazing when you say it.
J Thomas (Husson) – #13 seed, Treasure Hunt Region. I was unable to find a full first name for Mr. Thomas, so I’m going to assume it is simply J. His player bio refers to him only as J. If this is true, just imagine your name being one letter. It would be amazing, particularly when it comes to signing anything.
Pedro Bradshaw (Bellarmine) – #14 seed, Treasure Hunt Region. This is not a flashy name and will probably be overlooked for that reason. I’m of the philosophy that not all names need to be outrageous and am a huge supporter of the juxtaposition of the first and last names here.
Miles Lightfoot (Army) – #9 seed, Forever Toppin Region. There’s a lot to unpack in this seemingly simple name. The ties between Miles, being light on your feet, and being in the Army are pretty much perfect.
JoJo Toppin (Georgia State) – #11 seed, Forever Toppin Region (no relation). There was no other choice for where to put JoJo. I don’t see him making a run like Forever, but you never know.
Hnric Murray Jr. (Florida A&M) – #10 seed, Forever Toppin Region. The only thing I love more than the spelling of this first name is that there are two Hnric Murrays. If you get a name like this, you have to pass it down the family tree. Great decision.
Matchups to Watch
Davonté Higginbottom vs. Zethan Dumpson – First Round – Fanny Wadling Region. It’s never good to be on the bottom or in the dumps, but someone has to win here.
Logan Swackhammer vs. Davis Steelman – First Round – Fanny Wadling Region. A real tough guy battle. Steel and hammers.
*Almost the entire first round of the Cali Weed Region
Shabooty Phillips vs. Trevor Rumple – So many butt references
Tanner DeKock vs. Kofi Cockburn – This is even more juvenile than Shabooty vs. Rumple
A.J. Cheeseman vs. Angus McWilliam – Meat and cheese is always a great combo
D.K. Sumo IV vs. Fatts Russell – Sumo and Fatts. commonly associated.
Rocket Watts vs. Rocky Kreuser – This matchup rocks… I’ll show myself out.
Cross Hackathorne vs. Spirit Ricks – The religious undertones could be overshadowed by the awesomeness of the name Cross Hackathorne.
*Half of the second round of the Cali Weed Region
Shabooty/Rumple vs. DeKock/Cockburn – I’m almost embarrassed to have put this together. Almost.
Angus/Cheeseman vs. Sumo/Fatts – More food and fatness.
Prince Ali vs. Prince Lemons – First Round – Treasure Hunt Region. The chosen Disney prince vs. the evil twin.
P.J. Pipes vs. Adonis Arms – First Round – Treasure Hunt Region. Hope you bought your tickets to this gun show. In News From The Couch circles, Pipes has a bit of a cult following at this point. Adonis may be strong enough to take him down.
Buck Eagleburger vs. Goose Persin – Elite Eight – Treasure Hunt Region. Mammals and birds only in this potential showdown.
London England vs. Milan Square – Second Round – Forever Toppin Region. Two iconic European cities could square off (see what I did there?) if they make it out of the first round.
Ebube Ebube vs. Pauly Paulicap – Second Round – Forever Toppin Region. The battle of Manhattan College. I’ll give Ebube the slight edge since it doesn’t matter if you read the name forwards or backwards.
Leroy Butts IV vs. Shabooty Phillips – Final Four. I’m calling this likely to happen. It will be the ultimate test for the most famous Tournament of Names competitor, and possibly a passing of the torch. I sincerely hope not.
Bracket Facts
The lowest seed to ever advance to the second round is Alpha Diallo (#14 seed) in an epic battle over Omega Stitt (#3 seed)
Only one double digit seed advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2019 (#10 seed – Holly Hoopingarner)
The lowest seed to ever advance to the Elite Eight is Peter Jurkin (#6 seed, 2018)
The lowest seed to ever advance to the Final Four is Leroy Butts IV (#4 seed, 2018)
There you have it. Your complete intro to the 2020 College Basketball Tournament of Names. Be sure to get those votes in. You control the fate of all your favorites in this bracket.
