Can we agree college basketball has been a bit of a mess this year? Games have been canceled after their scheduled start times and rescheduled at a day’s notice or less, and the NCAA Tournament will be held all in the same place with contingency plans in the event any teams need to forfeit. But, in the midst of all of this, you can always count on one constant in college basketball: The College Basketball Tournament of Names.
You can find the full, printable version of the bracket here: 2021 CBTON Printable Bracket
And here is the link to first round voting: 2021 CBTON First Round Voting
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 smaller ones their share of the spotlight. Searching rosters from Florida to Farmingdale State, I have assembled a field of 64 players that will not disappoint.
Rotating between men’s and women’s names on a yearly basis, it is the women’s time to shine in 2021. In the last women’s tournament, #1 overall seed Fanny Wadling showed why she was seeded as the best name, taking down a string of serious contenders on her way to the championship, including Kween Jean, Cali Weed, and Forever Toppin.
For a second year in a row, I will be marking the returning players with an asterisk, and Ms. Wadling with a crown as defending women’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: Mo Beavers, Shabooty Phillips, Buck Eagleburger, and Ebube Ebube.
Names to Watch
Fanny Wadling (Maine) – #1 seed, Mo Beavers Region. She’s back, and she’s never lost a matchup in Tournament of Names competition.
Frannie Hottinger, Mariah Sexe, Fabienne Eggenschwiler (Lehigh) – #8, #12, and #14 seeds, respectively, Mo Beavers Region. If you’re an opposing coach going over the Lehigh roster, this trio of names has to make you chuckle a little bit. It’s the second-strongest showing of names from one college in a single bracket, trailing only Stanthony Nelms, Jorge Concepcion III, Donal Gooch, and Omega Stitt from Bluefield College in the 2018 Men’s Tournament.
Jalyn Sackrider (Evergreen State) – #1 seed, Shabooty Phillips Region. No first name could save Jalyn from the giggling of adolescents (and adults) everywhere. There’s really not much else to say.
Floor Toonders (Florida) – #2 seed, Shabooty Phillips Region. She’s Dutch, so I was curious if this was a typical Dutch name and dug a little deeper. This could be completely wrong, but the closest translation I found was “Flower Bearers.” It’s also a plus that Floor goes to Florida.
Hope Seasholes (Lesley) – #11 seed, Shabooty Phillips Region. Pronunciation is crucial here. It is my suspicion that Seasholes is pronounced “Sea Sholes,” but if it is “Seas Holes,” we have a hole new ballgame (pun intended).
Daley Handy (Emporia State) – #1 seed, Buck Eagleburger Region. With a last name like Handy, you’re going to have an awesome name, even if your first name isn’t all that spectacular. In this instance, Daley is one of the more unfortunate possible first names one could be given. Assuming she’s heard all the jokes already, I don’t feel completely horrible showcasing her incredible name in the bracket this year.
Treasure Hunt (Kentucky) – #2 seed, Buck Eagleburger Region. This is the second Treasure Hunt to compete in the Women’s Tournament of Names, which I love even more than if the same Treasure Hunt came back from 2019.
Katie Baller (Grove City College) – #3 seed, Ebube Ebube Region. So simple, yet so perfect for a basketball player.
Soda Rice (Montana Tech) – #6 seed, Ebube Ebube Region. We all love names involving food, and this is the most edible name in this year’s bracket (apologies to Amanda Fudge and Cinnamon Dockery). With a fairly common last name like Rice, I’m really pleased that Soda was the choice of first name here.
Excellanxt Greer (UNC Greensboro) – #7 seed, Ebube Ebube Region. If Excellanxt had any kind of unique last name, she’d be a serious contender to win this whole thing. There are so many questions: Is the X silent? Was it an accident? Is the ending pronounced like “angst?”
Matchups to Watch
Miriam Oldacre vs. Frannie Hottinger – First Round, Mo Beavers Region. Two names that sound like they could be from the 1930s. A nice change of pace from some of the outrageous modern names you’ll see this year, and a Frannie win would give us Fanny vs. Frannie in round two.
Imani Butts vs. Tuti Jones – First Round, Mo Beavers Region. This tournament would not be complete without a Butts, and since there’s also a Tuti, they need to be matched up immediately. Tuti/Butts. There you have it.
Rain Green vs. Sunshine McCrae – First Round, Mo Beavers Region. The classic battle of Rain vs. Sunshine. Based on the seeds, I see much more Rain in the forecast for March 2021.
Fanny Wadling vs. Imani Butts – Sweet 16 (potentially), Mo Beavers Region. Based on seeds, a Wadling/Butts clash seems likely as we get further into the bracket.
Precious Johnson vs. Precious Johnson – First Round, Shabooty Phillips Region. Maybe the closest matchup in the history of this tournament.
Nancy Panagiotopoulou Andritsopoulou vs. Stella Popp – First Round, Buck Eagleburger Region. The longest name in the bracket vs. one of the shortest.
Destiny Salary vs. Olivia Pennypacker – First Round, Buck Eagleburger Region. David vs. Goliath of the 2021 Tournament of Names.
Amelia McNutt vs. Amelia Sniffin – First Round, Buck Eagleburger Region. Two Amelias, two hilarious last names. Are you sniffin’ an upset?
Treasure Hunt vs. Diamond Hunter – Sweet 16 (potentially), Buck Eagleburger Region. Both of these names are on a hunt for the biggest prize of all… a Tournament of Names title. Who will emerge from this showdown?
Forever Toppin vs. Tippy Robertson – First Round, Ebube Ebube Region. A tip top matchup to kick off the region Forever won in 2019.
Divine Tanks vs. Ke’Airah Massiah – First Round, Ebube Ebube Region. A very spiritual sounding matchup, but it’s probably not a good idea to bet against the Tanks.
Divine Tanks vs. Heaven Evans – Elite Eight (potentially), Ebube Ebube Region. It’s not too far a stretch to think we could have a Divine/Heaven battle if an Angels in the Outfield situation emerges with these two names.
Fun Facts
- If Fanny Wadling makes it to the Final Four, she passes Leroy Butts IV for most wins ever in Tournament of Names competition.
- 2018 #14 seed Alpha Diallo remains the lowest seed to advance out of the first round.
- 2020 #13 seed Trip Day is the lowest seed to make the Sweet 16.
- From 2018 to 2020, the seed distribution of the 12 Final Four names are as follows: seven #1s, two #2s, two #3s, and one #4
