I admit it: This has been one of the most exciting March Madness tournaments to watch in a long time for me personally. Seeing underdogs like FDU and FAU go at it for a spot in the Sweet 16 was so much fun. Quite a few no. 1 seeds have been upset, and there’s even a 15 seed in the Sweet Sixteen on the men’s side.

Because of that, many probably find their brackets busted, or at the very least, beat up. So we thought we’d create a new kind of tournament to have fun with that involves our favorite March Madness Merch.

Of course, there are quite simply too many cool shirts and other gear out there that we don’t have space to include them all here, but hopefully these matchups inspire some winning ideas for your shop.

Game One: Women’s NIL Versus Mizzou Madness

Women’s NIL Shirts: Name, image, and likeness (NIL) gear has upended the world of college merch. For RAYGUN, this year’s shirts have been solid gold when it comes to Iowa Hawkeyes women’s gear. Featuring some super sweet slogans like “Work like Warnock” and “Money Martin,” we love these shirts for a variety of reasons.

 

Mizzou x March Madness: For fans of the Missouri Tigers, this eye-catching T was a play on subtle but cool. While the Tigers were ousted from the tourney by another Tiger team (the 15 seed and underdog Princeton Tigers to be exact), we still like this design from Breaking T on the men’s side.

Game Two: The Big Dance Versus The Ugly Sweater

The Big Dance: Also making the cut from Breaking T is the design it released featuring “The Big Dance!” We chose this one because it’s a recognizable slogan across the country. You would be hard pressed to find a fan who doesn’t know what The Big Dance refers to.

The Ugly Sweater: It might be well past the holidays, but who doesn’t love an ugly sweater? Clothing company FOCO has several licensed ugly sweaters repping teams such as Penn State (ousted, but hey, there’s always next season), Alabama (still rolling), and more. We love the holiday look to this style as well as the custom feel that’s unique compared to other fan gear.

Game Three: Floral Versus Retro

A Floral Button-Up: FOCO is back at it with the floral button-up. Yes, you read that correctly. Who needs a T-shirt when you can go next level with a floral design? We’re feeling those vacation vibes with this button-up shirt that takes the corporate theme and changes it in for fun fanwear. It’s hard not to laugh when you check out this officially licensed shirt, and perhaps that’s the biggest reason we love it.

Retro Merch: We continue to see the emergence of retro and nostalgic styles across all apparel. March Madness gear isn’t immune to this trend, with retro jerseys leading the charge. Spotted throughout the opening weekend of both the men’s and women’s tournaments, fans everywhere sported these jerseys. It wasn’t just limited to parents and alumni, either. Current college students seem to be on the bandwagon as well.

Game Four: Month of Madness Versus Socks

Skipping the Month of March: Say it with me: January, February, March, April, May … from the time we were in pre-k, we were taught the order of the months of the year. But for basketball fans everywhere, March is synonymous with The Big Dance, and thus why this next design made our tourney. Bonus: You could really apply any school to this design — it’s extremely versatile.

Novelty Socks: So often it seems socks are ignored, so perhaps we can classify this apparel item as the underdog FDU of the group. You can find some sweet hoops-inspired novelty socks from Urban-Peacock on Amazon. The best part of this particular design is it doesn’t matter who you cheer for since it’s a general basketball design.

Game Five: Traditional Versus … Traditional

Tried-and-True T Designs: For all the hype created around custom, unique styles, there’s something alluring about tried-and-true designs. Nike released a rather large collection in celebration of the men’s and women’s March Madness tournament, but we’re singling out this one for Tennessee. At the time of writing, both the men’s and women’s teams are still in the fight for the championship, but that’s not why we picked this shirt. Instead of featuring the university’s name, it sports “Rocky Top,” a famous spot in the state that’s well loved and even has a song written about it.

A Play of an Old Adage: If we’re going to go the nostalgia route, what better way than “play” off an old adage. This shirt from OpportuniTeesCo takes the old saying, “Eat. Sleep. Repeat.” and capitalizes on the obsession around March Madness. Even people who aren’t basketball fans year-round would probably love this shirt. Plus, the double play on the word “Madness” (i.e. March Madness, the madness surrounding the tournament/obsessions in general) is highlighted by the use of orange, traditionally associated with basketball.