Auburn’s two basketball programs will be sporting new uniforms for the upcoming season.
The men’s team shared detailed images of the three new uniform colorways on Wednesday, just a few hours before the annual SEC Basketball Tipoff events. The only sneak peek available prior to these tweets were on Auburn’s official roster site, in which grainy headshots of the players showcased the jerseys from just below the chestmark and above.
Countless other Under Armour-outfitted teams have showcased their new uniforms on the company’s latest template over the recent months. It was simply a matter of time before Auburn did so as well.
One of the first noticeable changes to the template is the mesh pattern. Under Armour has been utilizing a unique mesh design with their basketball uniforms for a few seasons now, but it had been confined to a few specific areas. Now, it embodies the entirety of the jersey and shorts. The first Auburn uniforms to use the pattern were the 2015 alternate “tiger stripe” uniforms that were worn during the improbable SEC Tournament run. Auburn used that same template the following year when they transitioned to the first throwback uniform design. The mesh was utilized on the backside of the jerseys and shorts, along with the front portion of the collar.
New year, new threads (image via SEC Twitter)
While the pattern is incredibly prominent in studio photo shoots, it probably won’t be very visible during gameplay. Wisconsin wore their new uniforms on the same template for their public scrimmage, and it’s difficult to see the pattern. It could also be similar to the dreaded “tiretread” marks that adidas was infamous for with their football uniforms, in which the pattern was more prominent on some colors rather than others.
Auburn’s uniforms will feature a ton of stripes. The traditional Northwestern Striping that the football team has worn every year since 1956 are plastered all over the basketball uniforms.
Starting from the top, the stripes first appear as a small detail on the top of the shoulders on the arm-hole trim. The side panels change from dual-colored stripes to the three-striped pattern. It also continues down the side of the shorts until it takes a sharp turn around the AU logo.
The waistband is also striped – the first time since 2015 – but also feature a brand new detail. The “belt buckle” on the front has housed the AU logo since 2012, but will now showcase the eagle silhouette logo. This will be the first time that the design has been worn on an Auburn athletic uniform.
The eagle logo feels similar to a few other previous Auburn logos. In 1998, Auburn football wore the then-brand new Tiger Eyes logo on the pants hip. It only lasted the one season – Auburn went 3-8 that year. The logo would also be worn for a single season on the basketball team’s tiger-striped white uniforms in 2000. Back in 1976, when Doug Barfield accepted the head football coach position, “weagle” decals used as rewards for good play. The USPS-like eagle logo was only used during Barfield’s era and wiped clean following the 1980 season.
Brand new logo for Auburn uniforms (image via Auburn MBB Twitter)
Under Armour’s new template features a rounded-crew neck and arm-hole panels that don’t quite match up in the back, somewhat similar to Nike’s most recent cut. Most teams revealing their new threads have had a partially-colored collar or arm-hole stripes, with few having fully colored details. Auburn partially joined this group, as the white and blue jerseys have no colored panels, but the orange jersey has a navy half-collar and half arm-hole stripes.
The orange uniforms also feature a different design than the other two. The Northwestern stripes aren’t worn on the side panels of the jersey or shorts, but rather placed diagonally on the waistband and bottom of the shorts. The hemline stripes are placed on a thick navy field, which fails to fully wrap the leg due to the template panels.
Besides the striping, the biggest detail with the orange uniforms are with the chestmark. In 2015, Auburn debuted a new white alternate uniform. That was the first time in program history that Auburn had worn the team nickname on a basketball jersey. Only a few other uniforms have been graced with the “Tigers” wordmark over the years, including baseball and softball.
Former Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs once told me via email that the University prefers to push the school name in branding rather than the nickname. With two other teams in the SEC utilizing the one of the most popular nicknames in college athletics, Auburn’s decision certainly is understandable.
Here is a look at all of the changes made to the Auburn Men’s Basketball uniforms for the upcoming season:
For a historic look at Auburn Men’s Basketball uniforms dating back to 1969, click here.
Unlike the men’s team, the Auburn Women’s Basketball team has only revealed their white uniforms for the new season. Auburn posted a video showcasing the new design on September 23, showing a lot of close-up shots of the details.
Much like their male counterparts, the women’s team will utilize the Northwestern stripes on their new threads. These uniforms are more simplified than the men’s threads and only use the stripes on the side panels of the jerseys and shorts.
New uni, who this? (image via SEC Twitter)
The unique feature of the new uniforms is how the stripe takes a 45 degree bend towards the front of the jersey and the wordmark. Making the stripes end at the arm-holes would’ve made for a much more natural-looking design. In the few images shared of these uniforms, the stripe bend feels a bit bulky and a bit unnecessary.
These uniforms are on a template similar to the men’s, but don’t have the Under Armour patterned mesh throughout. Instead, the women’s uniforms feature a simple dot-mesh pattern throughout, one that won’t be nearly as noticeable on or off the court.
Auburn WBB will also wear the new eagle silhouette logo on the “belt buckle.”
Orange uniforms have been rather rare under head coach Terri Flournoy. Auburn broke out their third uniforms last season just twice following a full season layoff. Based on history, it wouldn’t surprise me if Auburn avoided the orange uniforms again this season. The Tigers also have a pink uniform that is entering just it’s third season, so expect those to hang around for this year as well.
In a vacuum, I think both of these new uniform sets are rather good. As is normal with uniforms, they’re graded on what they replace. Auburn MBB’s throwback uniforms were one of the best looks in program history. The last four seasons did see two different versions of the Charles Barkley-era uniforms, but each was an incredibly strong design. The previous WBB uniforms were also a great look, especially in how they used the Northwestern striping.
It’s rather clear that Under Armour is pushing their new template incredibly hard this season with the sheer number of teams that will be wearing it. Thankfully they’ve allowed teams to have some unique designs and not simply place their colors and logo on a templated look like they and others have done in the past.
Some fans have responded wondering how a team can change from a uniform that was worn during such a great season like Auburn’s Final Four run. One aspect that isn’t explained very often is that athletic equipment teams are a year or two ahead of the game. Even though all of these uniforms have just recently been revealed to the public, the work designing and ordering them began at least two years ago. In fact, the equipment needed for the 2020-21 season has more than likely already been purchased.
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I personally would like a combination of:
–the striping of the 2019 jerseys (minus the awkward shoulder stripes)
–the collar of the 2018 jerseys
–the block lettering/numbers of the 2018 jerseys