Auction Block: Brackets Are T-Shirt (And Other Swag) Heaven

Your team is finally in the tourney. Where's your t-shirt?

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Our boss says recently, "My sleeper is Louisville." Uh, sleeper? No. 1 overall seed? Sleeper? Time for Dictionary.Com.

The buzzer sounds in a small gymnasium, and students flood the hardwood to celebrate an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Hugging, high-fiving, and jumping on the center-court logo are de rigeur. To the victor goes the swag spoils, too: ecstatic players are immediately rewarded with pre-printed T-shirts and hats that officially proclaim them league champions.

They earned theirs on the court. If you want one, however, it's going to cost you. But proud alums of a 13-seed will gladly part with a few bucks to commemorate their moment of glory.

The Cleveland State Vikings won the Horizon League championship over heavily-favored Butler this season to dance for the first time in 23 years. "We've received orders from as far away as San Francisco from fans and alumni," says CSU Bookstore Director Keith McCann. "Since we beat Butler, we've sold more than 20 times what we sold last year during the same time period."

The most popular item? The gaudy NCAA tournament shirt, of course.

Jamming a lot of verbiage and logos on championship gear is pretty normal. For the Bison of North Dakota State, who won the Summit League's auto bid in their first full season of D1 eligibility, the over-the-top enthusiasm of Bison Fever is to be expected. All of the seniors on this year's team red-shirted their first season on campus in order to take one shot at the national tourney as their eligibility runs out. This is the T-shirt of destiny.

Some teams sell classic merchandise with a timeless appeal. Like this miniature stuffed version of Western Kentucky's loony mascot, Big Red. When your nickname is "Hilltoppers," why not go with a maniacally-grinning crimson blob?

Selling this kind of schwag is about more than just making money. For a long-suffering fanbase that has to constantly explain just what and where Radford University is, a conference championship hat or shirt is a badge of honor. It says you and your team have survived a non-conference season crammed with road games, an unbalanced NCAA financial system, and the crushing indifference of the average basketball fan. It's a symbol of unswerving community pride rewarded.

Then again, if you didn't go there, they could just be…sort of funny.

University of Akron sweatshirt: Akron's nickname—"Zips"—functions as sort of a double-entendre on this item.

Blank SFA Championship Shirt: Since Stephen F. Austin's Lumberjacks just won their bid on Sunday, the shirts haven't hit the stores yet. We love that they're still trying to charge $19.95 for this gray "image not available" placeholder, though.

Morehead State zip-up hoodie: It doesn't take a lot of imagination to guess why these might be popular even with people who have never heard of the Ohio Valley champs.

MO/RG/AN: Most bookstores stock very simple logos. We think this design, from Baltimore's Morgan State University, is one of the more creative ones we've seen.

RMU's multi-colored sock: The original Robert Morris was the man who figured out how to pay for the American Revolution. We suppose if you sell enough $8 socks, that's a few extra muskets for the troops.

Xavier O'Musketeers Shirt: Honestly, this whole concept doesn't even make sense to us. But it's sure to be a big hit on St. Patrick's day.

Binghamton Keychain: Ever wonder what a Bearcat looks like? It's the sort of thing that only comes up when discussing collegiate nicknames. But first-time dancers Binghamton assuage our curiosity with this keychain fob.

East Tennessee State Stein: You know that whole ridiculous "pirates vs. ninjas" meme that's been holding on to the national consciousness for so long? We're not sure if this settles anything, but we've seen dozens of college and pro teams that celebrate the buccaneer lifestyle. Not one ninja to be seen.

Chattanooga Sandal: But wait, what's funny about a pair of flip-flops with the Tennessee-Chattanooga logo on them? Well, the school's nickname is "Mocs", which is short for moccasins. OK, we're reaching.

Seen any other cool school gear? Let us know at collectespn@gmail.com.

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