Et Tu, Wilson?

Different schools use different brands as their game balls, and in this article, Virginia's Sammy Zeglinski talks about why the Wilson-brand basketballs are his favorite.

"The Wilson has kind of like a spongy feel," Zeglinski explained.

If you think the brand of basketball used for games doesn’t really matter, consider this: Two of the best games in Zeglinski’s career have come against Maryland — a school that just so happens to use Wilson.

I realize how silly this may sound, but if you've played basketball on a regular basis, you probably know what he's talking about. Playing with a basketball you like is a psychological thing that automatically makes your shooting form better. I can't explain it, but that's how it goes.

"Yeah, balls are different," Bennett said. "You do notice it."

(That's what she said.)

Maryland, N.C. State and Boston College are the only schools in the ACC that use Wilson balls. Everyone else uses Nike. The choice of the game ball is up to the home team with that decision often being tied to the school’s equipment manufacturer.

I knew it! The three-point shooting success of NC State's opponents at the RBC Center? That's all Wilson's fault. Zeglinski was 4-5 from beyond the arc during Virginia's win in Raleigh this season. Does Under Armour make basketballs?

Just for the hell of it, I looked at Zeglinski's three-point shooting percentages against the Wilson schools over the course of his career. He's hit 18-38 (47.4%) threes in Wilson situations (i.e. road games against those schools), versus his 198-555 (35.7%) career totals (including all games, home and away). The former is a small sample and holds no predictive value whatsoever, and yet I cannot help but think there is a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of Wilson. But there is good news:

Spalding will be the ball of choice at this week’s ACC Tournament.

Whew.