State Outlines Revisited (2/19/10)

Reader Kevin Z. added a comment to the previous (Vanderbilt) thread, asking about universities that do (or did) include a state shape or outline as part of their center-court design:

You have mentioned state outlines on courts before on the blog. Do you know if there is a list anywhere or do you know many off the top of your head?

Here's what I have:
Current: UNC, Indiana, Mizzou, Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan State
Former: Tennessee, Kansas

The earlier entry on state shapes and outlines was posted roughly a year ago and is available here. It features a photo of Tennessee's old court design. Kevin was also kind enough to provide a link to Kansas's old court with the shape of the state (click here and then see Comments).

Missouri's court (shown below in a screenshot I made from YouTube) seems to barely qualify, as the relatively faint state outline is overwhelmed by the Tiger logo.


I don't know if Michigan State should be included, as its state shape is not used as the main center-circle design, but rather in a complementary fashion.

To the list of schools that formerly featured a state shape at midcourt, we can add Ohio State (St. John's Arena) and Oregon. Also, I think Kentucky's pre-Rupp Arena court may have featured a state shape, but I can't find any photos right now.

Vanderbilt's Extra Floor Space

Normally on this blog, we discuss court design elements such as logos and whether the keys or three-point areas are painted in. Vanderbilt's court is unique in a different way, namely the extra empty space surrounding the court.

FAU: Colorful, Though Not Overdone

Last night, ESPN telecast a Florida high school match-up between two hot-shot prospects. The game was held at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Arena, whose court I don't recall having seen before. Yes, the owl logo with outstretched wings is pretty big. I tend not to like courts I perceive as being too busy, designwise, but FAU stops short of crossing the line into excessive visual stimulation, in my view. And I do like the vivid colors. Here are some screen captures I took from ESPN360.com.