Nike Holds Steady with 52 Men's NCAA Tournament Teams Wearing Its Shoes

Nike and its affiliated brands sponsor 52 of the 68 teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, equaling last year's tourney. THE DAILY's annual breakdown of the shoe and apparel brands worn in the tourney shows there are 48 schools that wear Nike shoes, while four teams wear Jordan Brand. Thirteen teams wear adidas shoes, one more than last year. Under Armour, which had four teams in last year’s tournament, has three this year. Russell Athletic supplies the jerseys for three schools, a decline from five last year. Schools in the chart below are listed by region in their seed order. The first round of the NCAA tournament begins tomorrow (THE DAILY).

UNIFORMS GOING TOO FAR? ESPN’s John Saunders said college sports' "old-school look began to fade recently," led by Oregon, but this year "we’ve gone over the top.” Baylor "started things with a uniform that looked like five highlighters making jump shots, and this week Cincinnati broke out the two-tone, non-matching red zebra skin." This look "popped up a few places, then Notre Dame ramped-up the ugly.” Saunders said, “If I can’t have lunch before I watch a game, we have a problem” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 3/17). ESPN’s Digger Phelps said Notre Dame’s uniforms “aren’t even Irish green, but the fact is if you win with them don’t change” (“PTI,” ESPN, 3/15). Notre Dame will play Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and while analyzing the matchup, ESPN’s Jay Bilas said, “The biggest problem: if Notre Dame wears those uniforms. ... It could be very disorienting for any team. In a second round matchup, that’s almost unfair for Iowa State. I think the committee should have factored in the ugliness of those uniforms and the effect it can have on an opponent. I think the committee dropped the ball on this one. Do they know what color those uniforms are?” ESPN’s Rece Davis said, “I think you should behave yourself because those uniforms look a lot like Digger’s tie.” Bilas: “That’s right. They’re ugly!” (“Bracketology,” ESPN, 3/17).

ALL PRESS IS GOOD PRESS: ESPN’s J.A. Adande said adidas debuting its adiZero jerseys during the postseason was "not a good idea." Adande: "When you want people to buy your product, it’s not a good idea to have people saying how bad that product looked.” But columnist Kevin Blackistone said, “For someone who spends a lot of time at the University of Maryland, which had its football uniforms talked a lot about last year, made by Under Armour, I can tell you for a fact that it’s big for the school, but it’s bigger for the manufacturer -- in this case adidas” (“Around the Horn,” ESPN, 3/15).