8 "Oregon Style" Revolutionary Basketball Courts to Ponder for the Future

University of Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena

If you are looking for a university with the most flair involving their athletic programs, the University of Oregon is easily who you are looking for. Their football team has attracted the attention of fans from Boston to Portland with their unique football jersey combinations that they started unveiling years back. 

From then on, recruits have had their interest piqued by the school's ever-evolving style in regard to their athletics teams. This year, their pioneering spilled over to the basketball team's Matthew Knight Arena, where Nike created college basketball's most unique basketball court to date.

“We wanted to design the most iconic television presence possible for the University of Oregon by conjuring up a highly unique and visible basketball floor design,” according to Nike's Tinker Hatfield. “It’s inspired by our beautiful tree-covered region and the UO 1939 NCAA Championship basketball team nick-named the ‘Tall Firs”.

Since Oregon Ducks football began unveiling their new jersey schemes each year, other division one schools have followed suit. Now, it is only a matter of time until basketball teams across the country start mimicking the Ducks. Thanks to freelance designer Jake Donahue, here are a few ideas for major college teams to get started with. 

If the following teams ever do create arenas like the University of Oregon, they would take the term "home court advantage" to a whole new level. Enjoy!

University of Arizona

Here is a design for the Lute and Bobbi Olson Court on the campus of the University of Arizona. As you can see, it is inspired by its location in the desert Southwest. The cactus perimeter seems a little crowded and it makes sense. Jake Donahue did this as a joke, but this really is a pretty logical idea.

What I like the most about this court design is the "Out In The Desert" slogan underneath the center court Arizona logo. It really brings out the home court feel for the Wildcats. 

University of Colorado

I absolutely love the idea for the home floor of the Colorado Buffaloes, The Coors Events Center. The Rocky Mountain theme looks stunning along the outskirts of the court. Nothing signifies the region and state quite like the Rockies, and this is a fantastic idea for the Pac-12 school to incorporate onto their court.

University of Hawaii

The design for the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii is by far my least favorite of the futuristic court designs. I think that there is potential for a pretty awesome design, involving light blue water and some aquatic sea life. They could bring a nice light blue color to the outer rim of the court, and keep the "Middle Of The Pacific" slogan. 

There is definitely some potential for the university located in "paradise", but this design is not doing the Warriors any justice.

Louisiana State University

Another design that I absolutely love. The "Deep In The Bayou" immediately screams out an intimidating force for the Tigers. The plant life only enhances this affect. If you are looking for a school that can get the most out of a unique regional court design, look no further than the Baton Rouge campus.

University of Louisville

Though I prefer colleges appealing to their fans by using a regional logo to keep their fan base interested, I like this court inspired design. The KFC Yum! Center's Colonel Sanders imprints may seem a tad corny, but you have to admit, they do look professionally done with their lighter color scheme. 

It does not look overdone, and the court would be a big hit with the Cardinals fans, I believe.

University of Miami

This design for the Bank United Center is pretty good. The accepted notion that Miami, Florida is a tropical utopia is shown perfectly on this design. The green palm trees with the light orange and green hues in between the trees further beautifies the design of the Hurricanes home court. 

If there was one idea I would like to throw out to a future designer, it would be to think about making a unique hurricane style design to set the university apart from other programs.

University of Nebraska

This is easily my least favorite court design. It looks like Nebraska's Devaney Sports Center is covered with red hair, instead of the corn stalks that I am assuming it should be. It is a pretty solid idea, but the stalks need to be more clearly defined, and done so in a lighter red color. 

The University of Nevada-Las Vegas

UNLV's Thomas &Mack Center is my favorite futuristic court design. The lust and wonder of Sin City is exhibited on the court, with the silhouettes of beautiful women, casinos, and tall buildings found everywhere along the Las Vegas strip. The "Lost On The Strip" slogan is pretty good; however, I am sure the NCAA would step in and ban this court from ever happening.

Still, the concept is pretty neat. I also like the Mountain West Conference logo's that give it a bit more color. If the school could ever get a court like this, I would expect a few more highly touted recruits to sign on to play for the Runnin' Rebels.