adidas on Thursday unveiled the Made in March Uniform System for the '14 NCAA men's basketball postseason. Baylor, UCLA, Cincinnati and Louisville will wear short-sleeve versions of the uniforms, while Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Wisconsin will wear sleeveless jerseys. The uniforms debut during conference tournament play. Made in March items are now available at adidas.com and campus bookstores (adidas). In Indianapolis, Zach Osterman writes Indiana's uniforms are "a slight departure from their traditional 'cream and crimson' design," even though their home and away uniforms both "still feature the department's two primary colors." The home uniforms "have red numbers on white jerseys, and road uniforms have white numbers on red jerseys." IU will not wear the new uniforms "past the duration of its stay in the Big Ten Tournament" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 3/7). A Kansas official said that the team will wear the jersey "at least once ... in the Big 12 tournament" (K.C. STAR, 3/7).
IMPROVEMENT OVER LAST YEAR: USATODAY.com's Chris Chase wrote adidas took the "radical step of dressing its storied programs in modern, but recognizable, uniforms" this year instead of the "neon and Zubaz that caused so much consternation last year." Jerseys for Kansas, Louisville, Michigan and Wisconsin are "classic" and "look like they should." The new design elements on the shoulders and shorts are "hardly cause for commotion" (USATODAY.com, 3/6). YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Eisenberg wrote while the color schemes for Baylor, Notre Dame and UCLA are a "break from tradition, the appearance of this year's set of jerseys is a huge improvement over last year." The most "notable of this year's new looks is Baylor's, which features the phrase 'Sic'Em Bears' on the front where the school's name would normally be" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/6). ESPN.com's Paul Lukas wrote the '14 uniforms are "definitely better than what adidas came up with last year," which he has dubbed "the Fruit Stripe set." The new designs compared to last year's are "fairly conventional" (ESPN.com, 3/6). CBS Sports Network's Doug Gottlieb said the sleeved jerseys that several of the school will wear is a "very interesting the uniform trend." CBSSN's Allie LaForce noted some NBA players, including Heat F LeBron James, are "really against the sleeves just because they feel like it limits their shooting form." Gottlieb said of the jerseys, "It's not what you and I think. ... It's what 18-year-old, 17-year-old kids think, because those are the ones they're designed to get the attention of to go play in those sports" ("Lead Off," CBSSN, 3/6).
