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Message: [QUOTE="sun, post: 4202821, member: 11664"] 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: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2021-06-23/wilson-sporting-goods-and-ncaa-introduce-new-official-game-ball-mens-and-womens[/URL] [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28072023/the-hidden-disadvantage-facing-college-basketball-road-teams[/URL] [URL unfurl="true"]https://hoosierstateofmind.com/2020/03/03/indiana-basketball-different-basketballs-part-road-challenge-big-10/[/URL] [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.bigeast.com/news/2015/2/7/BIG_EAST_and_Nike_Announce_Multi_Year_Sponsorship_Deal.aspx[/URL] From 2016: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-different-basketballs-20160225-story.html[/URL] From 2015: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/01/27/shooters-find-not-every-basketball-is-same-in-college-game/22420647/[/URL] This shows how the Wilson NCAA BB's are hand made. [MEDIA=youtube]aLJ4Hg5oeyA[/MEDIA] [/QUOTE]

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