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Kicks Analysis 2015 #2b: Regional Sponsorships

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There’s nothing really telling about the kicks distribution in the regions of the 2015 tournament. See for yourself. Nothing eye popping, right?

While scanning images from the early round games, there weren’t true team shoes represented where the entire team wore the same shoe model. In general, players just wore whatever sponsored shoes matched their personal and playing styles. These were the team exceptions to the individual norm – Oregon and UAB.

Being so close to Nike HQ and the alma mater of Phil Knight, Oregon gets the best custom kicks, and the Ducks were decked out in KD7.

oregon-nike

While UAB didn’t quite have the same team shoe, they did collectively wear purposely mismatched Nikes. Throughout the entire season, the Blazers have worn “reversed” kicks to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer.

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-2nd Round-Iowa State vs UAB

Kicks Analysis 2015 #3: Sweet 16

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The sweet, sweet sixteen of ’15 looks like this:
ucla-adidas

  1. Kentucky (Nike)
  2. Purdue (Nike)
  3. Notre Dame (Under Armour)
  4. Wichita St. (Nike)
  5. Wisconsin (Adidas)
  6. North Carolina (Nike)
  7. Xavier (Nike)
  8. Arizona (Nike)
  9. Duke (Nike)
  10. Utah (Under Armour)
  11. UCLA (Adidas)
  12. Gonzaga (Nike)
  13. N.C. State (Adidas)
  14. Louisville (Adidas)
  15. Oklahoma (Nike)
  16. Michigan St. (Nike)

Nike commands 62.5% (10 out of 16) of the field, Adidas has 25% (4 out of 16), and Under Armour is still holding on with two teams in the Sweet 16 (12.5%).

How does this compare with the start of the tournament? Nike lost ground going from a 75% showing down to 62.5% so that means movement for Adidas and UA. Adidas upped their numbers going from 17% to 25% and Under Armour getting a slight bump from 8% to 12.5%.

Kicks Analysis 2015 #2a: Seed Sponsorship

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In 2015, while Nike is worn by 75% of the participants, the swoosh doesn’t have a lock on the top five seeded teams. Only starting from the sixth ranked teams is Nike worn by all represented teams (Providence, SMU, Xavier, and Butler). Interestingly enough, Under Armour has efficiently picked its spots. With its five teams, UA has three teams ranked fifth or better. That would be Notre Dame (#3), Maryland (#4), and Utah (#5). The other UA teams are St. Johns (#9) and S.F. Austin (#12), the sole UA team from the 2014 tournament. It’s no wonder Under Armour stands to make $83M if its teams do well. It’s too bad Utah and S.F. Austin went head to head in the Round of 64. Adidas teams are well dispersed with no more than two teams in each seed.

Gotta like the hyper green Curry Ones worn by S.F. Austin.

utah-under-armour

Kicks Analysis 2015 #2: Conference Sponsorships

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Like 2014, the Big 12 is well represented with seven teams in the 2015 tournament. But this year, the Big Ten tied the 12 with seven teams as well. The Atlantic 10 halved their conference representation going from six to three while the Pac-12 lost a deuce with four teams (but represented by all three kicks companies).

The Big West was bound to be represented by Adidas with either  UC Irvine or UH. But with UCI’s Big West tournament win, they got the bid with stripped big man, Mamadou Ndiaye.


ka15-shoe-sponsorship

Kicks Analysis 2015 #1: Shoe Sponsorship

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Nike picked up the pace in 2015 with a 75% representation of the teams making the Big Dance. 48 of the 64 teams (not counting the First Four) don the swoosh. Adidas had a significant lost from 2014, going down seven teams from 18 to 11 in 2015. Who gained from Adidas’s losses? Up and comer Under Armour. From a single team last year, UA sponsors five teams in the tournament, translating to 8%. UA has a good showing with Maryland, Notre Dame, St. Johns, Utah, and S.F. Austin.

ka15-shoe-sponsorship

This year saw no representation from Reebok, And1, Converse, or New Balance.

ka15-shoe-sponsorship-annual

Kicks Analysis 2014 #0: The First Four

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I don’t normally start my annual Kicks Analysis this early, but Yoda808 called me out on it, so here we go… Round 1 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament officially starts with the “First Four” as eight teams vie to enter the Round of 64. Here are the eight teams along with their shoe sponsorships.

  1. Manhattan Jaspers – Under Armour

    2. Manhattan Jaspers

  2. Hampton Pirates – Nike

    3. hampton

  3. BYU Cougars – Nike (based on jerseys)

    4. byu

  4. Ole Miss Rebels – Under Armour

    5. ole-miss

  5. North Florida Ospreys – Nike (based on jerseys)

    6. North Florida Ospreys

  6. Robert Morris Colonials – Nike

    7. Robert Morris University

  7. Boise State Broncos – Nike

    8. Boise State Bronocs

  8. Dayton Flyers – Nike (based on jerseys)

    9. flyers

So that’s six for Nike, two for Under Armour, and surprisingly zero for Adidas. Will the First Four field all Nike swooshes? Probably doesn’t matter since I doubt any of the First Four will make it past the Round of 64. While I couldn’t find pictures of all the team’s kicks, I must say that Robert Morris got their kicks game going with a variety of styles and colors.

Kicks Analysis 2014 #8: The Champ

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It was all said and done before tip off as both the Kentucky Wildcats and UConn Huskies laced up Nikes for the title matchup. But the championship kicks of UConn was somewhat surprising. Even with the Jordan-athlete Jesus Shuttlesworth as alumni, Air Jordans (retro or contemporary) were not prevalent. Neither were LeBrons (signature or Soldier) or the Slim Reaper’s KD line. I don’t even recall seeing the popular Nike HyperRev on the Huskies.

Instead, the Huskies handled the Wildcats thanks to the Black Mamba. Yep, it looks like Kobe’s kicks were a hit with the Huskies. And we’re not talking the latest Kobe 9 but other models like the Kobe 8 and the Venomenon (it’s so hard to tell with dark kicks with no contrasting details).

Congrats UConn
Congrats Connecticut

Rewinding back to 1999 (when Connecticut won in Nikes), the kicks title looks like this:

Wow, that’s four championships for UConn since 1999, 13 championships for Nike over 16 years, and one shining moment.

One Shining Moment 2014 by 3030fm

Kicks Analysis 2014 #7: The Finals

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Or this post could have been titled, “Why Air Jordans Remain Popular.” The Finals of 2014 are a role reversal from 2013 when Adidas locked in a victory. This Saturday, second-seeded Wisconsin and their Adidas was upended by an upstart and Nike-clad Kentucky crew. The Wildcats will take on the Huskies of Nike-sponsored Connecticut later today.

About that statement about the perpetual popularity of Air Jordans. This picture says it all.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison nailing the clutch game winning shot…in Air Jordan 11 “Gammas.” Just another Air Jordan moment immortalized, another symbol of success, another win for Jordan and Nike. It’s gotta be the shoes!

Kicks Analysis 2014 #6: The Final Four

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The wacky Final Four is set with #8 Kentucky (Nike), #2 Wisconsin (Adidas), #1 Florida (Nike), and #7 Connecticut (Nike) advancing. The odds of a Nike team winning the championship tracks with the original kicks distribution of 70% Nike and 28% Adidas. Can Wisconsin win two more times in the name of Adidas?

From a kicks perspective, Florida might edge Kentucky in style variety. The Gators’ kicks feature old school, new generation, muted colors, bright colors, high tops, low tops – you name it, they got it.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Kicks Analysis 2014 #4: Shoes of Champions

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As with 2013, sneakers of 2014 continue the bright-is-better theme with matching team colors optional.

I think Kentucky has a distinct look with the Wildcats sporting the high tops of the Kobe 9.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Baylor’s brightness cannot be ignored especially when your kicks don’t match.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

The Oregon Ducks have their (un)fair share of cool, custom Nikes like these matching KDs.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Retros were plentiful especially anything branded Jordan. Seemingly, there were more Jordan retros than contemporary models.

Air Jordan 11 Concords with pink socks (and blue and yellow uniform).

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Air Jordan 8 on Wichita State.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Air Jordan 14 on San Diego State and HyperRevs on North Dakota State.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Here’s an actual current Air Jordan (the XX8) sighting on Delaware.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

The Glove retro.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

LeBron James’ signature shoe didn’t make major appearances unlike his Zoom Soldier. Here’s the LeBron 11.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

But the LeBron Soldiers and HyperRevs are a popular pairing.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images
From Getty Images
From Getty Images

More traditional Adidas that matches Michigan’s uniforms.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Rare Under Armour sighting on Stephen F. Austin State University.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

I can’t identify those wheat colored Nikes on the Buffaloes from Colorado.

From Getty Images
From Getty Images

Which do you think are championship caliber kicks? The Nike HyperRev seems like a hit with most Nike teams.

Nike HyperRev
Nike HyperRev

Kicks Analysis 2014 #5: Elite 8

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The Sweet 16 breakdown was 10 Nike and 6 Adidas. From there, one more round leaves a surprising mix of eight that includes a 7th, an 8th, and an 11th seed. All three of these surprises rock the Nike along with three more teams for six of the Elite 8. Michigan and Wisconsin defend the Adidas brand.

Seed, Team, Shoe
8, Kentucky, Nike
2, Michigan, Adidas
1, Arizona, Nike
2, Wisconsin, Adidas
1, Florida, Nike
11, Dayton, Nike
4, Michigan St., Nike
7, Connecticut, Nike

Credit the Dayton Flyers for doing some serious damage in the tournament decked out in Nike HyperRev, KDs, and Kobes.

dayton-flyers

Kicks Analysis 2014 #3: Sweet 16

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The Sweet 16 of 2014 looks like this:

  1. Kentucky (Nike)
  2. Louisville (Adidas)
  3. Tennessee (Adidas)
  4. Michigan (Adidas)
  5. Arizona (Nike)
  6. San Diego St. (Nike)
  7. Baylor (Adidas)
  8. Wisconsin (Adidas)
  9. Florida (Nike)
  10. UCLA (Adidas)
  11. Dayton (Nike)
  12. Stanford (Nike)
  13. Virginia (Nike)
  14. Michigan St. (Nike)
  15. Iowa St. (Nike)
  16. Connecticut (Nike)

That’s ten teams for Nike (63%) and six for Adidas (37%). From the beginning distribution of 70% Nike and 28% Adidas, the numbers for the Sweet 16 look better for Adidas. Though I’m not intimate with Adidas’ shoe lineup, I must say that their sheer uniforms made for Baylor have incited interest during the tournament.

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