How Adidas, Nike and Under Armour Have Divvied Up Major College Basketball
As the FBI’s investigation into mass corruption, bribery and wire fraud involving a number of prominent college basketball programs continues, the ominous words of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York—“We have your playbook”—indicated that the fallout is only beginning to spread in a scandal that is rocking the sport. In particular, the allegations against Adidas director of global marketing James Gatto outlined in one of the three criminal complaints paint the picture of an underground market for players in which shoe companies play an active role in schools’ recruitment of high school stars with designs on signing those players to endorsement deals once they reach the NBA.
Though a school’s simple affiliation with a certain sneaker brand doesn’t automatically point to any NCAA or criminal violation, it’s natural to read the details of the investigation findings and wonder how many athletic departments work with the companies that sponsor them so closely. Here’s a conference-by-conference look at which schools are under contract with each of the three major apparel brands entering the 2017–18 season.
American
Cincinnati: Under Armour
Connecticut: Nike
East Carolina: Adidas
Houston: Nike
Memphis: Nike
SMU: Nike
South Florida: Under Armour
Temple: Under Armour
Tulane: Nike
Tulsa: Adidas
UCF: Nike
Wichita State: Under Armour
ACC
Boston College: Under Armour
Clemson: Nike
Duke: Nike
Florida State: Nike
Georgia Tech: Russell Athletic*
Louisville: Adidas
Miami: Adidas
NC State: Adidas
North Carolina: Nike
Notre Dame: Under Armour
Pittsburgh: Nike
Syracuse: Nike
Virginia: Nike
Virginia Tech: Nike
Wake Forest: Nike
*Georgia Tech will switch to Adidas in 2018
Big 12
Baylor: Nike
Iowa State: Nike
Kansas: Adidas
Kansas State: Nike
Oklahoma: Nike
Oklahoma State: Nike
TCU: Nike
Texas: Nike
Texas Tech: Under Armour
West Virginia: Nike
Big East
Butler: Nike
Creighton: Nike
DePaul: Nike
Georgetown: Nike
Marquette: Nike
Providence: Nike
Seton Hall: Under Armour
St. John’s: Under Armour
Xavier: Nike
Villanova: Nike
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Big Ten
Illinois: Nike
Indiana: Adidas
Iowa: Nike
Maryland: Under Armour
Michigan: Nike
Michigan State: Nike
Minnesota: Nike
Nebraska: Adidas
Northwestern: Under Armour
Ohio State: Nike
Penn State: Nike
Purdue: Nike
Rutgers: Adidas
Wisconsin: Under Armour
Pac-12
Arizona: Nike
Arizona State: Adidas
California: Under Armour
Colorado: Under Armour
Oregon: Nike
Oregon State: Nike
Stanford: Nike
UCLA: Under Armour
USC: Nike
Utah: Under Armour
Washington: Nike
Washington State: Nike
SEC
Alabama: Nike
Arkansas: Nike
Auburn: Under Armour
Florida: Nike
Georgia: Nike
Kentucky: Nike
LSU: Nike
Mississippi State: Adidas
Missouri: Nike
Ole Miss: Nike
South Carolina: Under Armour
Tennessee: Nike
Texas A&M: Adidas
Vanderbilt: Nike
