I asked some of my followers on Instagram about what projects they would like to see. One of them suggested a sort of college basketball "city" edition, similar to an older project I had done for college football. It was a great idea, so I set forth making a series that would incorporate some of those things.
I decided on a NCAA basketball "earned" edition, taking inspiration from the Earned uniforms Nike has done for playoff qualifying teams over the course of a few seasons. This was a chance to get crazy and include some cool inspirations from around the community of the college. I decided to go with uniforms for each of the teams that made the Sweet Sixteen, although I could be open to expanding it should I want too.
One of the most well-known alumni of the University of Arkansas is Jerry Jones, the enigmatic owner of the Dallas Cowboys. The Razorbacks have previously alluded to this, wearing replicas of the Cowboys uniforms in Arkansas colors and branding during a trip to Jerryland a few years ago. Why not carry this theme into the Earned editions? This idea takes all of the elements of that uniform and puts them onto a basketball jersey. I do say, it doesn't look too bad. All that's left is to get Jerry's seal of approval.
For the Zags, as they are affectionately known, I decided to take that nickname almost seriously and mix a zig-zag theme with a very forward-thinking design. A broad zig-zag stripe appears down the left side of the uniform, with "Gonzaga" in the center of it, and a tonal zig-zag pattern appears in the navy base behind it. The fonts are meant to play into the zig-zag motif as well. A bold navy and red color scheme helps to give the uniform a unique look that truly makes it feel different from anything else they currently wear.
I did have another really cool idea for the Bulldogs, but changed ideas due to certain circumstances around that theme. I may post it at another time.
Admittedly, I did go for an easy reach theme for the Cougars, as their home city is known as Space City for a reason. I went with a classic look here inspired by vintage rockets and spacesuits, complete with a red, white, and black color scheme, a NASA-esque font for the lettering and wordmark, and "HOU" on the front, reflecting a "USA" script found on spacecraft. The coolest part on the uniform comes on the side panels, which feature a space-scape of stars, which give the uniform a "stellar" addition.
Before the 2022 Sweet Sixteen, St. Peter's was a little known mid-major school in Jersey City with just over 3,000 undergrads. After the tournament, the school become one of America's favorite underdog teams in recent years due to their unexpected performance. Such a team deserves a bold Earned edition to honor their run.
The look, from the diamond "feather" pattern on the sides, to the green, gold, and blue color scheme, is meant to mimic an actual peacock. It's a great way to break the mold of the team's rather dull navy/silver color scheme, and to flaunt a stellar performance in an attention-grabbing way.