Michigan grapples with Final Four X-factor: The ever-changing basketball

SAN ANTONIO -- Michigan's March Madness hero doesn't care for the basketball he shot through the net to advance the Wolverines to the Sweet 16.

"I hate it," freshman Jordan Poole said of the Wilson brand ball used in the NCAA Tournament. Poole doesn't like the Spalding ball used in the Big Ten Tournament either. He prefers the Nike ball that Michigan uses for its home games.

It didn't stop Poole from draining a 28-footer at the buzzer to beat Houston two weeks ago. And it won't keep him from hoisting up shots in Saturday's Final Four game against Loyola-Chicago.

The NCAA rule book states that the basketball adheres to certain physical requirements. It must be spherical and orange, red-orange, or brown. It has to have a deeply pebbled leather or composite cover with eight panels. It should be inflated such that, when dropped from a height of six feet, it should bounce 49 to 54 inches off the playing surface. The circumference and weight must fall within certain parameters.

The brand, however, is up to the home team. Most schools receive basketballs at part of their apparel contracts. Michigan, along with seven other Big Ten schools, including Michigan State, is a Nike school and therefore uses Nike balls. The Big Ten includes three Adidas schools and two Under Armour schools that use balls from those companies. Wisconsin wears Under Armour gear but is the only Division I school to use Sterling basketballs.

Michigan is not unique in that it stocks up on the other brands. "We have racks for every school," John Beilein said. For the two days of practice leading up to an away game, the Wolverines practice with those balls. They used Spalding balls before heading to New York and have been using Wilson balls since returning.

"It's all over the place," Poole said.

"You definitely notice the differences," Michigan junior Moritz Wagner said. "I don't necessarily have a preference. I would just love to agree on one. That doesn't make sense to me at all, that there isn't an NCAA ball."

Wagner makes a good point. The teams in professional leagues, including the NBA, all use one ball, but their uniform deals are also the same. Still, the inconsistency in college basketball can be frustrating for the players.

"It does (bother me) but it shouldn't," Duncan Robinson said. "I let it bother me more than it should. There shouldn't be a difference. I'm the type of OCD where I'll miss a shot and think, This ball is heavy. This ball is definitely heavy. But it's not and they're all the same. I'm just silly with that sort of stuff."

Robinson, one of the best shooters in Michigan history, prefers the Wilson ball used in the NCAA Tournament. "That's my favorite basketball. Over my life, I've practiced with that ball. That's like my own ball I feel."

Robinson's shooting percentages are slightly up in the NCAA Tournament this year compared to his numbers in the regular season.

Michigan's guards, the primary ball handlers, expressed indifference over the different brands. "Bouncy ball, non-bouncy, you've got to just play," Zavier Simpson said. "During a game, the last thing I'm worried about is the ball." Jaaron Simmons, another point guard, said it takes a few minutes of dribbling and shooting to get used to a different ball.

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan's starting shooting guard, likes the feel of the Wilson ball. "I have sweaty hands and it kind of absorbs the sweat."

No conclusions can be drawn from Michigan's shooting performances during the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines shot a combined 39 percent (and 25 percent from 3) in wins over Montana, Houston, and Florida State. But they shot 62 percent (58 percent from 3) in a Sweet 16 victory over Texas A&M.

A common saying in hoops is "ball don't lie." But it does change throughout the season, and the players have no choice but to adjust.

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