by Brendan Dunne
As March Madness begins this week, Sole Collector will dedicate plenty of Sole Watch space to documenting the sneakers worn by participating teams.
Ahead of that, Sporting News has created a full bracket that breaks down the sportswear endorsements of all the schools in the Big Dance with this "Brand Bracket" pictured below. Leading the field by far is Nike, which has 46 schools and an extra two via Jordan Brand. Rounding out the field are adidas (11), Under Armour (6), and Russell Athletic (3). In terms of just sneakers, Nike's number goes up, as the three schools wearing Russell Athletic gear all wear Nike footwear.
Nike's dominance of the field paid off last year, when three of the Final Four teams were Swoosh schools. The final, in which UConn prevailed, was an all-Nike affair.
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