Griff II, Drakes live bulldog mascot, is winning March Madness even if hes not allowed in the building

Griff II, Drake’s live bulldog mascot, has been seen everywhere in the early days of March Madness.Well, almost.While the 6-year-old pup has spent time napping alongside the Bulldogs team as it went through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, sat through Selection Sunday and signed autographs in downtown Wichita, he’s not allowed to attend the West Region games at Intrust Bank Arena.According to NCAA rules, live mascots are banned from early rounds of the NCAA tournament, with exceptions only made for Final Four matchups.It’s a rule the governing body won’t bend on, either, even if fans are petitioning to get him in.“Griff II the bulldog is undeniably adorable, and to the disappointment of dog lovers everywhere, including many NCAA staff, we unfortunately must apply the rules fairly for all teams,” an NCAA spokesperson told TMZ on Wednesday.“We couldn’t have a Texas longhorn like Bevo or a North American bison like Ralphie sitting courtside in the early rounds, so unfortunately we cannot permit any live mascots despite Griff II being far cuter.“Should Drake make it all the way to the Final Four, we encourage Griff II to apply for an exception because the venue and game schedules can accommodate a bulldog.”Griff II — who also goes by George and “has an insatiable appetite for human interaction and adores everyone and everything he meets,” according to the Drake website — was still able to enjoy 11th-seeded Drake’s 67-57 upset win over No.

6 Missouri on Thursday.“Winning,” the doggo’s official Instagram account posted, with him next to a bracket and Tee Grizzley’s 2020 song “Winning” playing over it.Want to tune into as much March Madness as you can? DIRECTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV both have you covered with every channel you’ll need, plus free trials.The shocking win by the team of Division II transfers helped the opening day evisceration of March Madness brackets, with left under 1% still perfect.Griff II can spe...