For those of you counting at home, Mascotology is doing quite well in terms of tourney picks. Looking at the original bracket printed on March 15, Mascotology has correctly picked 78.3 percent of the matchups. (This number would have been substantially higher had the North Texas Mean Green actually showed up mean and not amicable. That misstep by North Texas cost Mascotology another three correct picks which would have bumped up our batting average to 83.3 percent.) Returning to shameless self-promotion, Mascotology has correctly picked all of the Final Four teams, six of the Elite Eight teams and 11 of the Sweet 16 teams. It should be safe to say that Mascotology is officially here to stay.

On that note, since the Final Four is set and Mascotology has already laid the groundwork for the Gator’s victory over Georgetown in the championship game, we’ll take a look at some of the most memorable moments from Mascotology this year. To the Delorean!

Way back on March 22:

Ohio State beat Xavier to get to the Sweet 16, not Nevada. That bone-headed coaching job can be attributed to Sean Miller. Our apologies to Mark Fox and Nevada and thanks to our honorary copy editor, Dave.

No. 5 USC over No. 1 UNC: Perhaps Mascotology jumped on the Trojan bandwagon with too much enthusiasm. We originally had them falling to Arkansas, but after defeating Texas, we felt the Trojans could defeat the Tar Heels. As it turns out, the Trojans climaxed too early for the Tar Heels who were still pumping away long after the Trojans had leveled off.

Way back on March 15:

No. 12 Old Dominion over No. 5 Butler: The Monarchs may be rulers of men, but people – especially Monarchs – can’t trust Bulldogs. While it’s nice to think of man’s best friend as a dependable companion, bulldogs are sneaky and will gladly blindside man … especially when it can lead to the fall of an empire.

No. 6 Notre Dame over No. 11 Winthrop: Apparently, the Fighting Irish started partying a bit too early. Perhaps they would have stood a chance in their first dance since 2003 if Brady Quinn were on the bench. Nevermind. That wouldn’t work; they need someone who can win a big game.

No. 15 North Texas over No. 2 Memphis: We plead the fifth.

Way back on February 22:

Who could forget the heated South Dakota State versus North Dakota State matchup? We sure can’t. That rivalry game was one for the ages. When the visiting SDSU Jackrabbits jumped out to a 7-4 lead, the 4,059 fans – the combined populations of North and South Dakota – in attendance were suspended in disbelief; the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a wet paper towel. That is what college basketball is all about.

Way back on October 30:

Mascotology was born. On this momentous day, The Legend wrote the first installment of Mascotology and provided the world with such brilliance as, “The [Providence] Friars are men of God, but outside of the Jesuits, they tend not to make good fighters,” and, “I’m going to count out the Huskies and Hoyas, because, unlike clowns and mummers, dogs just don’t illicit a sense of fear.” Wherever The Legend is, may all around him stand in awe of his greatness. See you next year.