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Some of you probably saw this coming a mile away. Others might be thinking WHAT?! But fashion is in the eye of the beholder, eh? Other schools do the multicolored piping down the sides of the shorts, or around the neck, but Marquette is in whole-hog. They put strips of this stuff everywhere.

The blue version is almost as good as the gold, though I'm not 100% on board with the gold epaulettes. It takes a certain kind of balls to wear epaulettes: the kind only seen on third-world military strongmen and the King of Pop.

The home whites are a bit 'meh', but I blame that on college basketball in general. Why wear your least impressive uniforms at home? I have no idea where that rule originated. In my opinion, home team should get to choose ahead of time, and the visitor should have to take what's left.

Then there's this beauty, which would be my choice for everyday wear. Fortunately, I'm not in charge, because the true alt-unis should be saved for special occasions. The only drawback to that plan is that if you break out your special jerseys for, say, a holiday tournament, and then lose, nobody ever wants to see them again. The uniform jinx is in full effect. This may have happened in January of 2008, as evidenced by the headline for an article by the Associated Press: Louisville dominates No. 13 Marquette. Yep, they tripped the light blue fantastic in a 71-51 beatdown. Curses!

I would be remiss if I did not point out that this is a complete 180-degree turnaround for the Milwaukee-based school. Scroll to the bottom of this post, and you'll see that Marquette once sported the worst array of tanks and shorts known to college hoops.

That's my list. Compare/contrast/argue if you wish.

#2 Cal Golden Bears

#3 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

#4 Ole Miss Rebels

#5 Cal-Irvine Anteaters

#6 Southern University Jaguars

#7 Gonzaga Bulldogs

#8 South Florida Bulls

#9 St. Mary's Gaels

#10 Texas Longhorns

You may be tempted to call this the OH GOD MY EYES bracket. Despite the unusual color combinations in evidence, I actually like these uniforms. Quit complaining and put on some sunglasses.

Today, we feature the #6 Southern University Jaguars.

For some reason, when I saw the bright yellow unis with light blue trim, I was crazy about them. The Jaguars also sport a light blue version with the yellow as trim. You can see that one here, modeled by Madut Bol, son of the late Manute Bol. Madut is a foot shorter than his dad, and doesn't seem to have the same shot-blocking instincts. He'll be a sophomore this season for the Jags, who haven't had a 20-win season since 1999, though they will always have their 1993 upset of Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament to keep them warm.

One of my other examples of Ugly Beauty comes from the MEAC, or, as I think of it, the historically black ACC. It's tough to do anything palatable with green and orange, but the Florida A&M Rattlers make a "Don't Tread On Me" type of statement with their dynamite look. I appreciate a school that can take odd color combos and make them work. If you're going to fight, clash!

Finally, we hie on over to the CAA and hit the beaches of Wilmington, North Carolina with the UNCW Seahawks. It takes a strong team to look good in teal.

On Monday, we'll be back with our #5 favorite uniform, which gives a whole new meaning to West Coast cool.

#7 Gonzaga Bulldogs

#8 South Florida Bulls

#9 St. Mary's Gaels

#10 Texas Longhorns

We're looking at uniforms this week and next. With over 300 college hoops teams in DI alone, programs must do something to stand out, and quite often, that means a flashy variation on the standard look.

Today's style is exemplified by the nation's first Cinderella gone big-time, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Today's uniform is an alternate, but a very stylish one. It's the black Gonzaga jersey that says "ZAGS" in sort of a 70s throwback double-line font. I like it because it's unlike any uniform I've seen any other team wear in recent years, and because I'd bet that your casual, March-only basketball fan has no idea that the team from Spokane is actually nicknamed the Bulldogs, so prevalent has the Zags moniker become.

I like the short-nickname jerseys in general, so I picked out a few others that have caught my eye during this alarming fashion phase as well. First up is another school that goes by a nickname, to the point where it is known by hoops fans far and wide. In this case, it's Mizzou, the shortened state name of the University of Missouri Tigers. I'm also fond of the no-nonsense Navy home whites, which have a similar vibe, even though it's not a nickname per se (technically, yes, but there's no way you're going to fit United States Naval Academy on a wife-beater). Navy also has one of the best ever wardrobe malfunctions, from football season several years back.

Finally, a relatively new kid on the block. Marco and I have always been a fan of the whole USC-Upstate concept. The Spartans had a pretty cool uniform option this past season, with a gray jersey with green and white accents and the winning nickname UPSTATE emblazoned across the front. So as not to be confused with either USC's Trojans or Michigan State's Spartans, we assume, with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Good show, gentlemen.

Well finish out the week with our #6 uniform tomorrow, then start up again next Monday with the run up to #1.

Previous Entries:

#8 South Florida Bulls

#9 St. Mary's Gaels

#10 Texas Longhorns

We're taking a look at our top ten favorite uniforms this week and next. Each uniform selected usually has several cousins that share a stylistic aspect, and in each case, those similar unis will be mentioned as well.

Today, we have #8, the South Florida Bulls togs, as modeled above by Lt. Daniels/Agent Broyles of TV fame.

Some probably find it cheesy, but I like the horned "U" in the USF logo. It's used two ways on alternate uniforms by the Big East school. Seen above is the horny u in the school's initials, but there's also one that spells out Bulls with the same anthropomorphic letter in place. When you're the most forgettable team in the Big East (seriously, you'll remember Providence before you think of USF), you have to take your style points where you can get them.

Plenty of schools have similar styles, which I call the onomatopoeia of basketball uniforms. There's the Pepperdine Waves, who turn the central D into the semblance of a breaker (also notable for their truly freakish mascot). The Troy University TroJans seem to be employing some kind of subtle gamesmanship to increase their players' ability to make the pull up jumpshot. Finally, the Rice Owls give it ye olde Renaissance Faire vibe with the calligraphy pen their grandma gave them. Nothing, and I mean nothing, grabs a prospect's attention like gothic lettering. I'm not sure which came first, the gothic letters or the venue name for Tudor Fieldhouse, but there's clearly some connection there.

#9 St. Mary's Gaels

#10 Texas Longhorns

Via USA Today:

Tue, Nov 16

Midnight: Miami at Memphis, ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 a.m.: St. John's at Saint Mary's, ESPN/ESPN3.com

4 a.m.: Central Michigan at Hawaii, ESPN/ESPN3.com

6 a.m.: Stony Brook at Monmouth, ESPN/ESPN3.com

8 a.m.: Robert Morris at Kent State, ESPN/ESPN3.com

10 a.m.: Northeastern at Southern Illinois, ESPN/ESPN3.com

Noon: Oral Roberts at Tulsa, ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 p.m.: La Salle at Baylor, ESPN/ESPN3.com

4 p.m.: Virginia Tech at Kansas State, ESPN/ESPN3.com

5:30 p.m.: Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (from Villanova): Marist at Villanova, ESPNU

6 p.m.: Ohio State at Florida, ESPN/ESPN3.com

6 p.m.: State Farm Women's Tip-Off Classic (from Hartford): Baylor at Connecticut, ESPN2/ESPN3.com

7:30 p.m.: O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic (from Durham): Miami (Ohio) at Duke, ESPNU

8 p.m.: Butler at Louisville, ESPN/ESPN3.com

9:30 p.m.: Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (from Knoxville): Belmont at Tennessee, ESPNU

10 p.m.: South Carolina at Michigan State, ESPN/ESPN3.com

11 p.m.: O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic (from Spokane): San Diego State vs. Gonzaga, ESPN2/ESPN3.com

11:30 p.m.: Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (from Los Angeles): Nevada or Pacific at UCLA, ESPNU

TBD: St. Joseph's at Penn State, ESPN3.com

TBD: North Dakota at Wisconsin, ESPN3.com