Nike announced Wednesday that the men’s basketball team at Syracuse University will be one of nine basketball programs in the country to wear their new Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms during one game this season.

The gray uniforms will be worn by the men’s and women’s teams that have won national championships in Nike apparel, according to a Jan. 25 SU Athletics press release. SU won the national championship in 2003 when Carmelo Anthony played on the team.

In addition to SU, universities such as Arizona, the Baylor women’s team, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and both men’s and women’s teams at Connecticut will wear the specialty uniforms, according to the release.

Nike said in another news release that the uniforms ‘will pay tribute to those who have already reached elite status by outfitting select teams in the next generation of college basketball design.’

SU’s version of the Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms will have a gray base color with orange panels running up the side of the jersey and shorts. The jerseys will also say ‘Cuse’ on the front instead of the current ‘Orange’ for home games and ‘Syracuse’ for away games.

The uniforms were specifically designed for superior performance and a lower environmental effect. The shorts are made from 100 percent recycled polyester, and the jerseys are made from at least 96 percent recycled polyester. Both pieces of the uniform are also 5 percent lighter than the previous Hyper Elite Platinum uniform, according to the release.

Many fans were unhappy with the changes, expressing their frustration on Twitter and Facebook that the uniforms reminded them of Georgetown’s — SU’s longtime rival.

The team will wear the uniforms when it hosts South Florida on Feb. 22 in the Carrier Dome, according to the release. SU tweeted about the uniform change, reassuring some disgruntled fans the uniforms would be worn for one game only: ‘We’re getting lots of strong feedback on the Nike basketball uniforms. Remember — they’ll only be used for one game: USF on 2/22!’

egsawyer@syr.edu

Published on January 25, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Liz: egsawyer@syr.edu | @3sawyer