Fun facts about the Final Four schools

By now you may or may not know that the NCAA tourney has dwindled from 65 teams to just four. Unfortunately, the boys in blue. I'm sorry, UK blue, are no longer in there. They were knocked out in the Elite Eight by a very strong West Virginia team.

Anyway, I found these fun facts about the final four teams over on ESPN, and thought that they would be fun to share.

Butler Bulldogs

Location: Indianapolis
Enrollment: 4,512
Colors: Blue and white
School motto says: “Education, Research, Service”
Original name: North Western Christian University, founded in 1855
White House connection: Harry S. New went to Butler and went on to serve as Postmaster General in the Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge cabinets.
Last NBA draft pick: Lynn Mitchem, 1983, ninth round
Mascot trivia: Butler Blue II, a 60-pound English Bulldog, celebrated his sixth birthday last week and even has his own blog. He roams around Hinkle Fieldhouse with a gigantic bone in his mouth during games. Hink is the costumed version of the bulldog.

Duke Blue Devils

Location: Durham, N.C.
Enrollment: 13,662
Colors: Royal blue & white
School motto says: “Knowledge and Faith”
Original name: Union Institute, founded in 1838
White House connection: Reggie Love, the personal aide to President Obama, played basketball and football at Duke and was on the Blue Devils' national championship team in 2001. Oh, and Richard Nixon got his law degree at Duke.
Last NBA draft pick: Gerald Henderson, 2009, first round
Mascot trivia: In the 1920s, nominated mascot possibilities included the Blue Titans, Blue Eagles, Polar Bears, Royal Blazes and Blue Warriors. The student newspaper began using Blue Devils for the sports teams, and it caught on.

Michigan State Spartans

Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Enrollment: 47,278
Colors: Green and white
School motto says: “Advancing Knowledge, Transforming Lives”
Original name: Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, founded in 1855
White House connection: Spencer Abraham, a Michigan State grad, was the Secretary of Energy during George W. Bush’s first term.
Last NBA draft pick: Goran Suton, 2009, second round
Mascot trivia: Sparty the Spartan was named national mascot champion in 2007 after impressing with a skit featuring spoofs of Kiss, Lord of the Dance and Justin Timberlake.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Location: Morgantown, W.Va.
Enrollment: 28,898
Colors: Old Gold and blue
School motto says: “Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge”
Original name: Agricultural College of West Virginia, founded in 1867
White House connection: William Courtney, a West Virginia grad, served as U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia for Bill Clinton.
Last NBA draft pick: Joe Alexander, 2008, first round
Mascot trivia: Rebecca Durst became the second female Mountaineer mascot in school history this year. She carries a rifle and wears buckskin and a coonskin cap. She does not, however, have to grow a beard.

Credits: Diamond Leung, ESPN