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Different Brand of Basketballs

mathboy

All-American
Feb 4, 2004
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Michigan
Did I just imagine this, or did I read somewhere that Maryland uses a different brand of basketball than most of the BIG? I think they are (obviously) compliant to NCAA standards, but they have a different feel. Can anyone confirm?

:cool:
 
Not sure if Maryland does, but I know Wisconsin uses a different brand than most -- Sterling, I think it's called. I have read that they have a different feel than most other brands.
 
Yes, Maryland has used the Under Armour ball for many years, dating back into the ACC days. I have to say, last week was the first time any opponent has ever mentioned it as being a factor (although I don't think the Iowa players mentioned it until prodded).
 
I would think if Maryland uses a different ball than the majority of schools, that would negatively effect them more than other teams that use the same balls.
 
I would think if Maryland uses a different ball than the majority of schools, that would negatively effect them more than other teams that use the same balls.
Maryland wins at home easily, struggles on the road, although they are very good in all games.

Maybe we shot poorly because of their 3-pt defense. Maybe. Maybe we shot poorly because of their brand of balls. We will get a check on this when they come to Purdue.

:cool:
 
Yes, Maryland has used the Under Armour ball for many years, dating back into the ACC days. I have to say, last week was the first time any opponent has ever mentioned it as being a factor (although I don't think the Iowa players mentioned it until prodded).

That is correct that Iowa players did not just come out and complain. They also made it very clear it wasn't an excuse for the outcome - they were asked specifically about the balls.

Iowa did say they practiced with them leading up to the game (don't know if Purdue did) and it should also be noted that even Gary Williams has gone on record basically saying they are differences and there should be 1 uniform ball used in college basketball.

So it's not like it's something that Iowa just randomly brought up.

Overall, a big deal? Probably not. But certainly it doesn't hurt Maryland.
 
Did I just imagine this, or did I read somewhere that Maryland uses a different brand of basketball than most of the BIG? I think they are (obviously) compliant to NCAA standards, but they have a different feel. Can anyone confirm?

:cool:
I am shocked that this is going on. I figured the Big all use the same ball...and that it would be the ball used in a tourney. I always liked Spauldings and Rawlings (showing my age) and thought Wilsons were second grade... :) ..and then it was Wilson AD? and other balls (Baden?). There can be a huge difference in the feel of balls...

If the other teams use the same ball, Maryland gets to use that ball many times in a season whereas the other teams may only use the ball used at Maryland once. I assume the Big tourney ball chosen is known before the first game is played...

THIS could absolutely be an issue...
 
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It does seem a little fishy to me to have different brands of balls, but I guess there have always been multiple brands. We've had probably 10 different kinds of basketballs as my kids have grown up, and each is a little different as far as how grippy it is & just how it feels. Now we get the indoor/outdoor "official NCAA" Wilsons from Costco - pretty good balls, but not quite as good as a true indoor full leather ball.
 
The way Biggie's been shooting 3's, it would be cool if the refs could just stop time whenever he gets the ball and substitute in a smaller girls' ball for him. :D
 
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Yes, Maryland uses an Under Armour ball. Iowa players last week complained about it feeling different and possibly being a reason why they shot poorly.

Again this is utterly so retarded I do not even know where to begin. The balls are just stamped differently. Most are made by same manufacturers.

2nd of all MSU at Northwestern using the same damn Under Armour ball shot 70% from three point range.

Just a idiotic excuse Iowa gave because Maryland clamped down on defense just like they did to Purdue and almost any team. Maryland is far better at defense than it is offense.
 
Again this is utterly so retarded I do not even know where to begin. The balls are just stamped differently. Most are made by same manufacturers.

2nd of all MSU at Northwestern using the same damn Under Armour ball shot 70% from three point range.

Just a idiotic excuse Iowa gave because Maryland clamped down on defense just like they did to Purdue and almost any team. Maryland is far better at defense than it is offense.
Well this is a pretty big pile...

Let me 'splain something to you. Let me assume you play golf, or more likely, you are a bowler. Imagine that you show up for a game, and someone hands you a different set of clubs, or in your case a different bowling ball. The replacement tools are the same weight. Do you think it might bother your game? Physically they might be just the same as your tools, but psychologically, they might affect your game.

By the way, you should check out your statements like "Most are made by same manufacturers" before you post? You might retain a little more credibility if you did. Let's be clear here. We are not talking about "Most". We are talking about Under Armour balls, and they are most certainly different than what everyone else uses.

Nobody here is knocking your team. They are playing great, and will probably get a #1 seed if they don't stumble. See you in West Lafayette - hope your guys can shoot with our balls. Thanks for stopping by. Bring some better information next time.



:cool:
 
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Well this is a pretty big pile...

Let me 'splain something to you. Let me assume you play golf, or more likely, you are a bowler. Imagine that you show up for a game, and someone hands you a different set of clubs, or in your case a different bowling ball. The replacement tools are the same weight. Do you think it might bother your game? Physically they might be just the same as your tools, but psychologically, they might affect your game.

By the way, you should check out your statements like "Most are made by same manufacturers" before you post? You might retain a little more credibility if you did. Let's be clear here. We are not talking about "Most". We are talking about Under Armour balls, and they are most certainly different than what everyone else uses.

Nobody here is knocking your team. They are playing great, and will probably get a #1 seed if they don't stumble. See you in West Lafayette - hope your guys can shoot with our balls. Thanks for stopping by. Bring some better information next time.



:cool:

Any athlete that complains that they missed because of the UA is full of crap. MSU shot 70% with the UA basketball which is different than their Nike basketball. The manufacturer of the ball remains the same for a lot of these companies and all that changes is the STAMP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/s...ams-can-pick-their-brands-of-basketballs.html

*Wisconsin is the only program from the six major conferences that uses a Sterling basketball.

*The most popular is Nike, which is used by 47 teams, or 63.5 percent. Wilson is the second most popular, used by 12 teams, or 16.2 percent.

*When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L. “That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”

MENTALLY, as in mental weak teams come up with that garbage.

P.S. Purdue didn't cry like babies because of poor shooting, Iowa did. Let that sink in.
 
Any athlete that complains that they missed because of the UA is full of crap. MSU shot 70% with the UA basketball which is different than their Nike basketball. The manufacturer of the ball remains the same for a lot of these companies and all that changes is the STAMP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/s...ams-can-pick-their-brands-of-basketballs.html

*Wisconsin is the only program from the six major conferences that uses a Sterling basketball.

*The most popular is Nike, which is used by 47 teams, or 63.5 percent. Wilson is the second most popular, used by 12 teams, or 16.2 percent.

*When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L. “That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”

MENTALLY, as in mental weak teams come up with that garbage.

P.S. Purdue didn't cry like babies because of poor shooting, Iowa did. Let that sink in.
You conveniently left out the fact that your linked article also quotes 3 players and 2 coaches expressing their opinions about how the different brands have different feel to them and personal accounts of how those preferences affected their shooting.

Also kind of hard to buy your "nothing different but the STAMP" argument when the brands range in color from pumpkin orange to burnt sienna.
54cba8973a1f0.image.jpg
 
You conveniently left out the fact that your linked article also quotes 3 players and 2 coaches expressing their opinions about how the different brands have different feel to them and personal accounts of how those preferences affected their shooting.

Also kind of hard to buy your "nothing different but the STAMP" argument when the brands range in color from pumpkin orange to burnt sienna.
54cba8973a1f0.image.jpg
Uh Oh! Guess we'd better get ready for another horrendous shooting game in Ann Arbor (hopefully, TIC). According to that graphic posted by FDB, Michigan is the only major team in the country that uses "The Rock". Apparently it's also the official game ball for the McDonalds All American games. Looked up the 2015 McD AA box score, and Biggie was 1-5 for two points (0-1 from three) in 15 minutes of playing time. Good news is he only had one turnover with this ball.
 
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Any athlete that complains that they missed because of the UA is full of crap. MSU shot 70% with the UA basketball which is different than their Nike basketball. The manufacturer of the ball remains the same for a lot of these companies and all that changes is the STAMP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/s...ams-can-pick-their-brands-of-basketballs.html

*Wisconsin is the only program from the six major conferences that uses a Sterling basketball.

*The most popular is Nike, which is used by 47 teams, or 63.5 percent. Wilson is the second most popular, used by 12 teams, or 16.2 percent.

*When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L. “That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”

MENTALLY, as in mental weak teams come up with that garbage.

P.S. Purdue didn't cry like babies because of poor shooting, Iowa did. Let that sink in.
loved the spaulding...hate the macgregor as many did years ago. Huge seams on the macgregor and the ball seemed more spongy
 
Maryland wins at home easily, struggles on the road, although they are very good in all games.

Maybe we shot poorly because of their 3-pt defense. Maybe. Maybe we shot poorly because of their brand of balls. We will get a check on this when they come to Purdue.

:cool:

Somewhere along the line, this thread took a very sick turn when this topic of checking out the opponents balls before the game came into discussion. Are there guys actually wanting to volunteer for that?
 
Another nail in this coffin:
Whisky is now talking about those Maryland balls.
http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/...under-armour-basketballs?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo
I prefer each conference choosing a ball for conference play. I prefer the home team determine the ball when games are outside the conference and not in tourney play. I prefer the tourney to use the ball of the higher seed in each game. While we are at it...I prefer the shot clock to go back to at least 45 seconds so coaches can coach and any semblance of disciplined ball return to the game and that perimeter fouls are only slightly less physical than inside play with perimeter calls reflecting a tougher call rather than the inside becoming softer. Get that clock back to 45 seconds and the difference in perimeter and internal calls will decrease
 
Any athlete that complains that they missed because of the UA is full of crap. MSU shot 70% with the UA basketball which is different than their Nike basketball. The manufacturer of the ball remains the same for a lot of these companies and all that changes is the STAMP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/s...ams-can-pick-their-brands-of-basketballs.html

*Wisconsin is the only program from the six major conferences that uses a Sterling basketball.

*The most popular is Nike, which is used by 47 teams, or 63.5 percent. Wilson is the second most popular, used by 12 teams, or 16.2 percent.

*When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L. “That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”

MENTALLY, as in mental weak teams come up with that garbage.

P.S. Purdue didn't cry like babies because of poor shooting, Iowa did. Let that sink in.

Not sure why you're getting so defensive.

Iowa did not cry like babies - they didn't even bring it up. They were asked about it and they said the balls felt differently, and specifically said it wasn't why they lost.
 
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