The basketball might not be the best, but our three non-D-I men's basketball home games could feature some dynamic mascot action:
1) November 4: While the Wayland Baptist women's basketball team still use their
historic "
Flying Queens" nickname, the men are called the Pioneers. The
latest "Pioneer Pete" mascot debuted in 2014.
(Wayland's current Pioneer Pete stands between his two predecessors. The
first Pioneer Pete was introduced in 1969.)
This will be the fourth time Rice has hosted Wayland Baptist's men's basketball team. We won the others 81-62 (1974), 81-62 (1976) and 99-67 (1978). (The last game is not shown in Rice's basketball factbook. I got the score from the
Jan 11, 1979, Thresher, page 10).
2) November 25: Last month was the
10th anniversary of St. Thomas Celts' use of a Lion in its university logo and mascot.
UST students, faculty and staff chose the lion, adapted from the Scottish royal coat of arms, over a Celtic helmet and Irish wolfhound. (St. Thomas' previous sports-team monikers were the Saints, Warriors and Fightin' Celts.)
UST's mascot, Lenny the Lion, debuted in 2009. (The original Lenny the Lion is now
International Admissions Counselor at UH.)
Since their first meeting in 2010, Rice has a 6-1 record vs. St. Thomas.
3) December 14: The St. Edward's athletic nickname is the Hilltoppers, so of course they have a mountain goat named Topper as its mascot:
(Aside: St. Edward's had surely gotten little useful mascot guidance from our own CUSA Hilltoppers:
)
Topper has been quite a success, however. In 2014, for example, he made the
Final Four in the 2014 Catholic Mascotology competition before being nosed out -- 50.2% - 49.8% -- by the ultimate winner, the
St. Mary's Mountaineer.
Rice is undefeated in five games against St. Edwards, which were played in 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 & 2016.