Passion

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).

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

• 1999 Connecticut (Nike)
• 2000 Michigan State (Reebok Answers)
• 2001 Duke (Nike)
• 2002 Maryland (Nike Shox Stunners)
• 2003 Syracuse (Nike Shox)
• 2004 Connecticut (Nike Lebron Zoom Generation and Air Force Operates)
• 2005 North Carolina (Nike Retro Jordan X)
• 2006 Florida (Nike)
• 2007 Florida (Nike)
• 2008 Kansas (Adidas)
• 2009 North Carolina (Nike)
• 2010 Duke (Nike)
• 2011 Connecticut (Nike)
• 2012 Kentucky (Nike)
• 2013 Louisville (Adidas)
• 2014 Connecticut (Nike Kobe 8 or Venomenon)

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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).

Air Jordan 8 on Wichita State.

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

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

The Glove retro.

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

But the LeBron Soldiers and HyperRevs are a popular pairing.

More traditional Adidas that matches Michigan’s uniforms.

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

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

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

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.

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.

The Midwest regional is fruitful for Adidas with half the teams sporting the three stripes. Sadly, with even odds, Kentucky’s surprise run as the eighth seed wearing Nike eclipsed the resurgence of Michigan and their Adidas.

With knowledge of the Final Four teams, Wisconsin (#2 in the West) is the sole Adidas team still standing. Looking at pictures from the games, many Nike teams are wearing the new HyperRev and LeBron’s Zoom Solider 7.

In 2013, three of the top regional seeds wore Adidas. 2014 is all Nike in the top spots. Florida, Wichita State, Arizona, and Virginia all bow to the goddess Nike.

The three seeds and a run from 7 to 10 all belong to Nike yielding six locks this year. The second seed has the most (and highest ranked) Adidas (Kansas, Wisconsin, and Michigan).

How’s the sneaker distribution look across the different conferences in 2014?

The Big 12 brought the heat this year, leading with seven nods. The Atlantic 10, the ACC, and the Pac-12 also flexed their muscles with six teams each. The Big Ten brought in the most Adidas teams with three (Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan).

Had Hawaii made a run in Big West, there would be one more Adidas entry instead of Cal Poly’s Nike. For the 2014-2015 season, I’m thinking Hawaii should rep these Adidas to showcase the Aloha State.

Wait, wait, wait, what’s going on here? On the surface, the kicks sponsorship of this year’s NCAA tournament looks favorable for Nike.

Seventy percent of the dancing 64 are adorned with the swoosh, followed distantly by Adidas’28%, and the single team (Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks) with Under Armour. Seventy percent of the teams is darn good right? Hold up NKE stockholders, let’s check the trend over the years.

With a high point in 2011, Nike’s numbers have been dropping year after year, slightly, but dropping nonetheless to Adidas’ gain. A concern or a just the craziness of March Madness?