A little late, but here are the teams that made it to the Elite 8 and which shoe companies they represent.
The NCAA men’s basketball Sweet 16 teams are set and unlike last year, only two kicks brands are represented. Nike has 11 of the Sweet 16 teams, and Adidas has the remaining 5. Reebok and New Balance teams are out.
Here are the Sweet 16 teams and their shoe brands:
After the first two rounds (and 48 victories) of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Nike teams have about two-thirds of all the wins. In 2006, Adidas, Nike, and Reebok teams had victories in the first weekend of play. Last year, Nike owned 73% of the first 48 victories, Adidas had 23%, and Reebok had 4%.
This year, four brands have victories – Nike, Adidas, New Balance (Winthrop), and Reebok (Boston College). This comes out to 67% for Nike, 29% for Adidas, 2% for New Balance, and 2% for Reebok.
Fixed the kicks sponsorships for each conference by removing the unknown status. Here’s the new chart showing the representation of Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Reebok.
Just updating the original March Madness 2007 Kicks Analysis by correcting the unknown status of Creighton and Jackson State. Both teams wear Nikes although both teams have been eliminated from the Tourney.
Percentage of Team Shoe Sponsorship
Count of Team Shoe Sponsorship
Technorati Tags: basketball, Kicks, March Madness, Nike, shoes, sneakers
By now you know how many Big Dance teams are wearing what brand of kicks and you also know how the 2007 bracket looks with respect to sneaks. How do the conference shoe sponsorships look? Well, they look like this:
For comparison, take a look at the conference shoe sponsorships for March Madness 2006.
Although the games have begun, and it’s too late to change your picks, here is a look at this year’s brackets along with their respective shoe sponsorships.
And just remember that teams wearing Nikes have won 85% of the championships since 2000.
In 2006, the Final Four consisted of three Nike teams (George Mason, LSU, and Florida) and one Adidas squad in UCLA.
It’s time for the madness to begin, and like last year, I’ll be keeping an eye out on the kicks worn during the NCAA Tournament. Why check out the various kicks? Well, because in recent history, teams wearing Nike’s swoosh have been the champions 6 of the last 7 times. The kicks don’t lie!
So without further delay, I present the 2007 March Madness Kicks Analysis.
Nike continues to dominate team sponsorships, upping their count to 44 teams this year compared to 42 teams in 2006. Adidas is a distant second with 15 sponsorships, followed by Reebok (Boston College and Niagara), and only Winthrop rocking New Balance. And1 failed to make a showing this year. I must admit that I missed two teams, Jackson State and Creighton, and can’t yet determine their sponsorships. After these teams play their first round games, there’ll be enough footage to correct these errors.
Okay, I lied. I got one more Kicks Analysis for March Madness. Here’s a visual representation of the brackets and shoe sponsorships.
No wonder an Adidas-sponsored team came out of the Oakland bracket.
Can’t promise that I won’t have any other Kicks Analyses. 😉
Ooops! I forgot to add Reebok to the legend. Reebok teams are orange.
With March Madness officially over, here’s a wrap up of this year’s Kicks Analyses.
Of the 63 victories in the entire tournament, teams wearing Nike shoes won 46 games, a whopping 73% of the wins. Adidas came in second with 15 wins, or 24%. Reebok was a distant third with 2 wins good for 3% of the victories. And1 and New Balance were shut out this year.
Until next year…
The recent trend of NCAA March Madness Tournament winners wearing Nike shoes continues with Florida’s victory over UCLA. Since 2000, teams wearing Nike have now taken 6 of the last 7 championships.
Would it have mattered if UCLA were wearing these?
Teams wearing Nike may be a consideration when picking brackets next year.
It doesn’t get any easier than this, UCLA and Adidas going against Florida and Nike. One game, one winner. The three-stripes against the Swoosh.
Kobe the rookie versus Kobe the veteran. TMac, KG, TD, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison versus MJ, Lebron, Amare, Carmelo, and Vince Carter.
Can Adidas buck the recent trend of Nike-wearing teams winning the Big Dance?