Tournament bb different than regular season basketballs

[sun]

The NCAA has partnered with Wilson to provide the official game balls for March Madness.
The NBA recently switched from Spaulding to Wilson basketballs, reportedly to the delight of players.
Yet, during the NCAA regular season, the coaches of individual schools and/or conferences are allowed to chose which brand of basketball can be used for each regular season or conference tournament games.

In 2015, the Big East made a multi-year deal with Nike to use their balls in its conference tournament games.

It's been a common practice for some coaches to select balls to use for their home games that they thought might provide their team with an advantage.
Some think that results in better odds for the home team to win because the home team can practice with that brand of game ball.

Apparently not all basketballs are the same.
They can vary in weight, feel and diameter to some minor degree.
Many schools use Nike balls.
A review of a new mens Wilson ball showed that the one examined weighed 10 grams less than the previous Wilson model, and had a 1/4" larger circumference.
The new ball was subjectively rated to be better for long range shooting, although the reviewer said that it often felt that the shot would be short but still went in due to the lighter weight.
He felt that it also bounces stronger, however the amount of air inflation can vary.

The question is why do most teams and conferences use Nike balls when all teams will be using Wilson balls in the NCAAT's?

The older articles show that the practice has been going on for years, and the newer articles show that it continues to this day.

References:

Wilson Sporting Goods and NCAA introduce new official game ball for men's and women's basketball championships

Wilson Sporting Goods Co., in partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association® (NCAA), today introduced its new official game ball for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships.

www.ncaa.com

The basketball wars: The hidden disadvantage facing every road team

Home teams get to choose the basketball for every game they host. Here's why coaches and others find that problematic.

www.espn.com

Indiana Basketball: Different basketballs part of road challenge in Big 10?

The NCAA allows different branded basketballs during home games based on sponsorship and preference. A reason for Indiana basketball's struggles?

hoosierstateofmind.com

BIG EAST and Nike Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal

BIG EAST and Nike Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal

www.bigeast.com

From 2016:

The college basketball difference: The ball can change from game to game

When UCLA tips off against California on Thursday, the referee will toss into the air an orangish inflated sphere with eight panels.

www.latimes.com

From 2015:

Shooters find not every basketball is same in college game

Developing a shooter's touch in college basketball means adjusting to different types of balls

www.usatoday.com

This shows how the Wilson NCAA BB's are hand made.

 

[sun]

Review of the Wilson NCAA EVO NXT Official Game Ball​

Nov. 24, 2021

 

[shiverz45]

After the Kentucky game, Dawn thanked Benedict College for the use of their Nike balls to prepare for Kentucky. SC is an Under Amour school, but plays with a Wilson basketball. Maybe the Nike schools have in their contract that they must use Nike equipment.

 

[bballnut90]

Kind of crazy that there isn't a standard regulation basketball for all NCAA games. It seems trivial to use ball brand as an excuse after losing a game, but type of ball used does make a difference.

 

[CocoHusky]

Kind of crazy that there isn't a standard regulation basketball for all NCAA games. It seems trivial to use ball brand as an excuse after losing a game, but type of ball used does make a difference.

It seems petty to use ball brand as an excuse after losing a game and Dawn is the only one that I know that has done it=not a good look.

 

[bballnut90]

It seems petty to use ball brand as an excuse after losing a game and Dawn is the only one that I know that has done it=not a good look.

Agreed. I think the point she made does have credence (balls aren't uniform), but when she made it (after a close loss) was bad timing.

 

[UConnCat]

It's been a common practice for some coaches to select balls to use for their home games that they thought might provide their team with an advantage.
Some think that results in better odds for the home team to win because the home team can practice with that brand of game ball.

That's quite a statement. Which coaches have done that?

 

[sun]

That's quite a statement. Which coaches have done that?

IIRC Wisconsin was mentioned in one of the articles.
The coach selected a heavier ball to give them an advantage for home games.
He admitted it too, it was a brand that virtually no other teams used.

 

[sun]

Apparently, after a school signs an apparel sponsorship, it can entitle the program to receive additional equipment and other perks depending on how close they get to winning a NC etc....
The article deals with New Balance and football at UMaine, but the same probably applies to basketball.

Only one D1 FB program has an apparel deal with a non Nike, Adidas or Under Armour company. Why?

A closer look at Maine, New Balance, and what's next:

extrapoints.substack.com

And in 2017, the FBI investigated mass corruption, bribery and wire fraud in connection with Addidas sending their sponsored high school athletes to schools that wanted free equipment in exchange for offering them scholarships.
The Southern District of NY issued 3 criminal complaints.

Which schools wear Nike, Adidas and Under Armour?

Here's a list of which college basketball programs are sponsored by each of the three major athletic apparel companies: Adidas, Nike and Under Armour.

www.si.com

 

[UConnCat]

IIRC Wisconsin was mentioned in one of the articles.
The coach selected a heavier ball to give them an advantage for home games.
He admitted it too, it was a brand that virtually no other teams used.

Oh. Bo Ryan did that (among other things).

Any connection to women's basketball?

 

[rubymae4]

I dont see the big problem. Any sport that uses equipment has performance variations. Gymnasts have home equipment and travelb to other places using different equipment. The bars can be tighter or the mats springier. As a long time soccer player, we used a different ball from game to game. Yes, there were slight differences. that’s what warm up is for—to work out how the equipment responds to your particular skills. There are set regulations for balls around pressure, etc. that help to standardize the feel, but there are still differences.