It's that time of year again for March Madness and our annual look at Catholic colleges that received bids to the Big Dance! Enjoy the time with your students but also allow some opportunities to talk about the benefits of attending a Catholic college as well as some of the interesting facts and stories surrounding higher Catholic education in the United States and the religious communities that have founded these schools.
Here is the list of Catholic colleges in this year's tournament (seedings in parenthesis):
West Regional
Xavier (6)
Gonzaga (8)
Xavier (6)
Gonzaga (8)
Midwest Regional
Georgetown (3)
Mideast Regional
Villanova (2)
Notre Dame (6)
St. Mary's CA (10)
Siena (13)
East Regional
Marquette (6)
Marquette (6)
Overall Team Rankings of Catholic Colleges in this Year's Tourney
1. Villanova
2. Georgetown
3. Notre Dame
Marquette
5. Gonzaga
6. St. Mary's CA
7. Siena
1. Villanova
2. Georgetown
3. Notre Dame
Marquette
5. Gonzaga
6. St. Mary's CA
7. Siena
Activities and Exercises
- Ask: "What are some good reasons to attend a Catholic college?"
- Research and name one Catholic college you would like to attend.
- Make some lists ranking Catholic colleges according to their participation in the NCAA tournament: 1) most national championships; 2) most Final Four appearances; 3) most tournament bids; 4) most all-time wins.
- Read and report on the 1986 Sports Illustrated article by Frank Deford, "A Heavenly Game."
