The University of Arizona Men's Basketball squad is one of nine elite teams who will soon don new Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniform. Nike's selectees for the new gear (seven men's team and two women's) are from those who have won national championships in the past while sporting Nike gear.

With perhaps a tip of the hat to Arizona's student section, the ZONAZOO, Nike is making ZONA the focal point of the new designs. The design may be controversial in Tucson. Without the use of a primary school color in navy blue and the truncated Arizona name, traditionalists will be uneasy. To younger fans and potential recruits, the style color and abbreviated name are sure to resonate.

Like the football Combat Dress System for the Oregon Ducks I shared last month, while design is the visual focus, the underlying technology is just as much of an accomplishment. With laser perforations for enhanced breathability; a lightweight, woven 4-way stretch design for extreme comfort; and bonded hem detailing to maximize comfort and fit, Nike sacrificed nothing in performance, making the new uniform five percent lighter than its predecessors.

Other teams that will wear the exclusive line include, Baylor University (women’s), Duke University, University of Florida, University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, The University of Connecticut (men’s and women’s) and University of North Carolina.

The schools will wear the uniforms in special games beginning next week, including match-ups UConn vs. Notre Dame (1/29), Kentucky vs. Tennessee (1/31), Duke vs. Maryland (2/11), Baylor (women’s) vs. Texas A&M (2/11), Florida vs. Tennessee (2/11), Syracuse vs. USF (2/22), Arizona vs. UCLA (2/25), UConn (women’s) vs. Notre Dame (2/27) and UNC vs. Maryland (2/29).

Some other hand-picked posts you might enjoy on our Design Blog:

Nike Fuelband: Not Your Mama's Pedometer
New Big Ten Logo Design vs. New Pac-10 Logo Design
Designer Feature: Charis Tsevis & Colorful Basketball

Via Nike Blog and AZ Desert Swarm