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Kicks Analysis 2013 #2a: Seed Sponsorship

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Even though three quarters of the teams in the tournament are wearing Nike’s swoosh, the top seeds in each region show a different trend. Three of the four top seeds wear Adidas. Now that’s representing the three stripes of Adidas, Louisville, Kansas, and Indiana! Gonzaga was the sole Swoosher at Number 1, and the Bulldogs have already been eliminated. So if one of the other top seeds prevail then Adidas can add another championship to their brand.

In 2013, Nike has a lock of 5 seeds – #2, #3, #12, #15, and #16. Adidas nor Under Armour have any locks this year. In 2012, Nike also had five locks, and Adidas had one at #4.

Kicks Analysis 2013 #2: Conference Sponsorhips

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Okay, with all the changes to the conferences over time, I can’t recall who’s where anymore, and more changes are coming. But year after year, the Big East and the Big Ten continue to be the perennial powerhouse conferences with 8 and 7 teams respectively in 2013. Is it true that the Pac-12 only had one team in 2012 but five this year? Granted the Pac-12 teams aren’t highly seeded, but UCLA (#6 South), Arizona (#6 West), Colorado (#10 East), Oregon (#12 Midwest), and California (#12 East) have the third highest conference representation, tied with the Atlantic-10 and Big 12.

ka13-conference

Kicks Analysis 2013 #1: Shoe Sponsorship

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Without a clearly dominant team in this year’s tournament, it’s an open field for anyone’s taking. But the shoes. The shoes tell a different story. For 2013, Nike is still well represented with 75% of the field of 64. There are 13 lucky teams dancing in Adidas, and Under Armour holds at 3 teams (Temple, La Salle, and South Dakota).

ka13-teams-sponsors

Even with Nike’s strong overall showing, the top seeds show a reversal in the trend (more in a future post). The breakdown for 2013 isn’t much different from last year.

ka13-annual

Props to Adidas

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Props to Adidas for their crazy wild uniforms for the NCAA Men’s Tournament. The colors and the patterns!

Adidas Uniforms
Adidas Uniforms

The Cincinnati Bearcats uniforms though black is the primary color really contrasts with the orange.

Bearcats in Adidas
Bearcats in Adidas

Dwellable’s Road to the Final Four

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dwellable-cover
Where are you going?

Did you know Dwellable’s new mobile app can help you on your road to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four? No, the Dwellable app can’t divine the winners for your March Madness bracket, but it can help you find lodging at the 13 different sites where games are played.

Simply put, Dwellable is “the world’s foremost online vacation rental search engine” and aims to answer the question, “Where are you going?” Their new app is an awesome extension of their service. So if you’re fortunate enough to attend any of the Big Dance games, use Dwellable to find a place to stay. While I’m not in this lucky bunch, I can still take my fantasy trip to the 2013 Final Four thanks to Dwellable. While on this fantasy tour, let’s ignore costs and availability shall we? It’s more fun that way!

First Four (March 19 and 20)

University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio.

the-barn

Where does the road begin? In Dayton, Ohio, and what catches my eye on Dwellable is this authentic gem! A barn?! Yes, a barn.

I can see it now – Coach Norman Dale barking out plays, Jimmy Chitwood swishing jumpers, and recovering Scooter stammering, “Run the picket fence!” This is not the Hoosiers of Indiana, but this barn speaks the history of basketball.

Second and Third Rounds

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

Michigan is a far ways away from Hawaii and while on this fairy tale tour, I would definitely stay at the Hansel and Gretel cottage. Look at the gorgeous pictures!

Hansel and Gretel Cottage
Hansel and Gretel Cottage

Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky

Defending champions Kentucky Wildcats didn’t receive a bid this year, so the welcoming canine of this Charming Town Home must definitely be a sign. Hope you didn’t pick any cat teams in your bracket.

To help plan your stay, be sure to check out the app’s availability calendar.

Calendar
Charming Town Home Availability

EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

While March Madness is all about basketball, Utah is known for its skiing. If I were to enjoy the snow, the Canyon Racquet Club would be my home court. I marked the Canyon Racquet Club as a favorite in the app, but unfortunately, these favorites don’t sync with your favorites marked on Dwellable.com. 🙁

HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

First one to arrive
First one to arrive

San Jose is one of those rental markets that Dwellable doesn’t have many listings (four at this time), but I’d be happy at the Executive Victorian Home in Downtown Willow Glen. While Dwellable’s listings will grow over time, you can accelerate the process by contacting them.

University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio

I’m still at the Barn! 😉

Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas

I’ve heard that there’s a certain artistry in Austin and The Zen Den surely portrays that. For the Austin games, I’m hoping the Florida teams emerge victorious.

Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri

According to Dwellable’s map of the Missouri area, there are 138 locations, but I like the getaway appeal of the Circle O Lodge and Tree Farm. Besides doesn’t that “O” in Circle O remind you of a basketball hoop?

Missouri
Missouri

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I’m thinking there won’t be any major upsets in Philadelphia with the Hoyas and Blue Devils defending their second seedings. Might as well enjoy the view from this Downtown Philly Luxury Penthouse.

Living on an island, geography isn’t my strong suit, but to maximize Dwellable, it helps if you’re familiar with some state geography. Luckily, Pennsylvania only has a few regions to look through.

Pennsylvania regions
Pennsylvania regions

Regional Sites

East Regional, Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.

Now the road continues on to the regional sites, and I predict the 2013 champion will come from the East bracket. While in DC, I’d have to take in the sights, perfect for the One Block From the Convention Center! Walk to Monuments! apartment.

One Block From the Convention Center
One Block From the Convention Center

West Regional, Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

West coast basketball played on the beaches of LA? You know what that means. Yep, Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in White Men Can’t Jump. The Ultra Modern Beach House is the perfect venue!

White Men Can't Jump
White Men Can’t Jump

Midwest Regional, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Midwest region games are held in Indiana, and this Log Cabin in Brown County feels the “most Midwest” to this Pacific Islander (what do I know of the Midwest??). Out of the Midwest region, I believe Louisville will show why it’s the tournament’s overall top seed.

Log Cabin in Brown County
Log Cabin in Brown County

South Regional, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

From Austin to Arlington to Granbury, Texas, I’m loving this Lake House in Granbury. In the South Regional, will Shaka Smart and the VCU Rams pull off more upsets?

Lake House in Granbury
Lake House in Granbury

Final Four, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

And finally, our road ends in Atlanta, Georgia, specifically the Wilderness Lodge in Georgia. Georgia is where the Indiana Hoosiers will be named the 2013 national champs.

Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge

Bonus: It’s somewhat of a surprise that the University of Hawaii is hosting a CollegeInsider.com post season game (or two). So if you’re going to be on Oahu, you may as well live like a President. Stay at the “Obama Winter Whitehouse” in Kailua where the First Family usually spends their Holiday vacations.

Obama Winter Whitehouse
Obama Winter Whitehouse

While I’ve blogged about President Obama’s winter vacations in Hawaii and shared posts with Dwellable, I don’t see shared posts available on the Dwellable app. I’m thinking fans of Dwellable would love this addition. 😉

There it is, my virtual road to the Final Four thanks to Dwellable. Where are you going?

Backed Simple Bracket

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You ever participate in those March Madness brackets with the weighted scoring system where whoever picks the final winning team typically wins the bracket? Yeah, it’s pretty standard, and it’s kind of a bummer scoring system. A biostatistician, Ted Gooley, developed a more equitable way of assigning points based on many variables. I won’t explain his system but you can read about it here.

So what’s it to you? There’s a Kickstarter project that has taken the Gooley method and created an iOS app called Simple Bracket for the upcoming March Madness festivities. For a mere $1, you can have access to the app. Pay more for additional goodies.

Now here’s the challenge from my point of view. The app is the thing, but the developers are only asking for $1. The entire project is aiming at $10,000 in funding by March 5. That’s a heck of a lot of $1 pledges in a short period of time. Sure, there are higher pledge packages, but I don’t see many paying more. I’m hoping this project gets funded, and this video will convince you to offer up a buck.

NCAA Men's Championship Game - Kansas v Kentucky

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #8: The Champ

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Too many Cats – Miller, Jones, Lamb, Kidd-Gilchrist, Teague, and some freakish freshman named Davis.

Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats for their victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. This year’s Nike-clad Cats were just too much for the Adidas-striped Jayhawks.

Rolling it back to 1999, the championship kickscape looks like this:

That’s 12 out of the last 14 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships going to Nike sponsored teams. Not a bad percentage (86%) at all. The most recent Adidas championship belonged to the 2008 Kansas Jayhawks. But the message is clear. If you want an excellent chance of winning your March Madness bracket, be sure to pick a Nike team.

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #7: The Finals

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Flip a coin – heads for Nike and Kentucky, tails for Adidas and Kansas.  It’s that simple, a 50-50 toss up.  What started as a significant statistically advantage  for Nike has been completed negated by the play of Team Adidas.  Crazy Light beats crazy odds.

Will it be Rise As One or All In?

Adizero Crazy Light
Nike Zoom Hyperenforcer
Final Four - Ohio State v Kansas

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #6: The Final Four

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My, oh my, how the odds have been beaten. The 2012 Tournament started with 76% of the teams (49) wearing a swoosh. The three stripes of Adidas were on 19% (12 teams) and Under Armour picking up 3 spots.

The Sweet 16 began the trend towards parity, going to 9 Nike teams to 7 Adidas teams. The Elite 8 halved the Sweet 16 teams and somewhat halved the shoe representation going from 9 to 5 Nike teams and 7 to 3 Adidas teams.

The Final Four is all tied up, two to two. Ohio State and Kentucky for Nike and Kansas and Louisville for Adidas. Both brands are even steven at 50%.

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #5: Elite 8

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The 2012 Sweet 16 stood with 9 Nike and 7 Adidas teams. As half have fallen, the Elite 8 stands at 5 Nike and 3 Adidas teams. They are:

  1. Syracuse (Nike)
  2. Ohio St. (Nike)
  3. North Carolina (Nike)
  4. Kansas (Adidas)
  5. Kentucky (Nike)
  6. Baylor (Adidas)
  7. Louisville (Adidas)
  8. Florida (Nike)

Last year, the 2011 field of 8 stood 7 strong with Nike and one sole Adidas. In ’08, it was a 4-all tie, and in ’07, Nike had a slight nod, 5-3 over Adidas.

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #4: Shoes of Champions

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Adidas is All In by outfitting teams with the adiZero Crazy Light shoes. The most noticeable colorway being Baylor’s neon Electricity. Although Nike says Rise As One, they have a variety of team shoes on display during the Madness of March. Jordans remain popular and can be seen on any team, but Nike is pushing the LeBron 9 and the Zoom Hyperenforcer.

In either case, I’m not liking both. The Zoom Hyperenforcer looks “run of the mill” without anything really standing out with its design. While the Crazy Light may be crazy light, it has an appearance of an ankle brace. I still say Nike missed an opportunity with the Zoom Rookie.

rise-as-one

March Madness 2012 Kicks Analysis #3: Sweet 16

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Historically, Kicks Analysis #3 is reserved for the breakdown of teams and the first 48 victories of March Madness. But really, I don’t know what this stat showed other than a continuation of the distribution of the overall shoe sponsorship. So I’m gonna scrap this one and move on to the shoes worn by the teams who made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Amazingly, with Nike starting the tournament with a 49 to 12 ratio compared to Adidas wearing teams, the Sweet Sixteen has 7 teams wearing Adidas and 9 teams wearing Nike. From a 76% Nike, 19% Adidas start, it’s now a 56% for Nike’s Rise as One and 44% Adidas’ All In (no representation by Under Armour).

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