No Dogs Allowed! Mascots Denied Entry to NCAA Tournament

Handsome Dan
Dan Flynn
Robert J. Marlow

When Butler tips off against Virginia tonight in Raleigh, North Carolina, Butler Blue III will be missing from the premises.

PNC Arena officials banned the beloved bulldog from the building on Thursday, depriving the mascot from witnessing his favorite university’s decisive victory in the first round of March Madness. 

NCAA Tournament rules prohibit live animal mascots from all games. Butler played on with out Blue III winning their game against Texas Tech  71-61 and advanced to the Midwest Region second-round game. It appears No. 1 seed Virginia serves as their next potential conquest in the  tournament.

The Yale Bulldogs also managed to win without their iconic canine “Handsome Dan” (pictured above at the 2015 Harvard-Yale football game) barking them on to victory. Yale shocked Baylor 79-75 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Breitbart Sports, which covered the game courtside, neither spotted evidence left behind nor heard barking indicating the presence of the famous mascot. 

When Yale faces Duke this afternoon in Providence, Handsome Dan, like Butler Blue II, again faces the cruel “no dogs allowed” rule.

Many of Butler Blue III’s twitter followers expressed their love for the critter, while others tweeted dismay that their doggy was left out:

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