#97/341 - UNC Asheville Bulldogs

This jersey came thanks to a clearance sale on the University's bookstore web site. The state of North Carolina boasts 18 D1 schools so I have a way to go.

#96/341 - LSU Tigers

For once this jersey didn't come from ebay or a donation. I found it new on a site with a clearance sale and was still able to stay under budget. Before George Mason and VCU made their 11-seed Cinderella runs, the LSU Tigers were the original when they made the Final Four in 1986. Apart from that and a few good years with Shaquille O'Neal in the 90's, their basketball team has been relatively quiet.

#95/341 - Seton Hall Pirates

My first foray into the Garden State with the Seton Hall Pirates. It's nice to get a jersey that is modern despite there being so many cheap old jerseys clogging up my path.

#94/341 - Mississippi State Bulldogs

I really like that this jersey doesn't have 'Mississippi' above the numbers and 'State' below. It feels very modern. 

#93/341 - Yale Bulldogs

We've broken into the Ivy League! Don't get me started on how problematic it is to find a Brown University jersey. I really like this jersey and not just because I feel smarter when I wear it. The Yale Bulldogs last NCAA Tournament appearance was the year before Kennedy was assassinated. But this past year they did make the finals of the CIT. So if you don't care about the other postseason tournaments consider this, in 117 years (1896-2013) of basketball the Yale Bulldogs had 1 postseason win. In 2014 they had 4.

#92/341 - Tulane Green Wave

As I said in the last post, that font. Tulane plays out of New Orleans, LA and have the unfortunate name of the Green Wave. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of their last NCAA Tournament appearance. My guess is that they dream a little too big when it comes to conference alignment. Bottom-dwellers in Conference USA for as long as I can remember, they're moving up to the American Athletic Conference next year so I don't see things getting any easier. Roll on Green Wave.

#91/341 - Utah State Aggies

There is something uniquely satisfying about getting a jersey with a font that is unique and recognizable to the team. I won't pretend I can explain it. You may remember the Utah State Aggies as the last team ranked in the AP Top 25 at the end of the season to not make the NCAA Tournament. In 2004 they finished 25-3 and somehow didn't get an at large bid.

#90/341 - UC Irvine Anteaters

I'm going to assume that this jersey needs to be replaced simply because I can't find any evidence either way that the ol' Anteaters ever wore ones that look like these. Despite having the greatest team name of all time, the Anteaters have never made an NCAA Tournament appearance.

STATUS: NEEDS TO BE REPLACED

#89/341 - Clemson Tigers

I would be genuinely curious to know how the fandom of the state of South Carolina plays. Even up here in Maryland I have seen many people representing the Clemson Tigers. I have never seen a Gamecocks fan. Is it a regional thing? Economic class? I'd love to know. Clemson is another school rich in football history but lacking on the hardwood. But they did make the NIT Final 4 this past year so maybe they're on the rise again.

#88/341 - Southern Illinois Salukis

First rule of jersey-quest, no practice jerseys! I broke this rule because this was really cheap and reversible. So this needs to be replaced. Sorry Saluki fans.

#87/341 - Norfolk State Spartans

I really like the little details of this jersey. The crazy font of the lettering, the little NSU on the collar, and the patters around the sleeves give it a nice touch. This is another team from the aforementioned MEAC. You may know the Spartans from their only appearance in the NCAA Tournament when they upset #2-seeded Missouri.

#86/341 - SMU Mustangs

I guess the flash didn't go off for this picture but oh well. The SMU Mustangs, also known as the team everyone considered the biggest snub from this year's NCAA Tournament, but they ended up proving their worth by making the NIT Final. Here's a fun fact.

If SMU had held on to win the NIT Championship, we would have had a season in which the NIT Champions beat the NCAA Champions twice during the regular season. The Mustangs beat UConn at home by 9 in January and then travelled to Connecticut a month later and beat the Huskies by 9 again.

A lot of people felt the brand new American Athletic Conference got shafted by the tournament selection but I don't think that was the case. I thought that on paper the conference didn't look as good aside from beating each other up. But the tournament(s) made fools of us all.

#85/341 - Hampton Pirates

This is another jersey that looks worse in the photo. In fact I got this in the mail and thought it looked fake until I searched for Hampton's actual uniforms and found, yeah, this is what they wear.

Hampton is a Virginia school and plays out of the MEAC conference. Now I hate to use the term "black college" but that seems to be the commonly accepted phrase. The MEAC and SWAC conferences are made up of primarily black schools. I've found, with the MEAC especially, that their jerseys are generally easier to find on the internet. I don't know if this is because there is simply a bigger market, or if it's an economic thing, but combing my way through what seems to be unofficial jerseys is a hassle. On the bottom right of this jersey is a MEAC official patch, which is nice.

Getting back to Hampton, when I was younger I must have watched their monumental first round upset of 2-seed Iowa State a hundred times. One of the classic finishes to a tournament game. Seeing their coach get bear-hugged and hoisted into the air is burned into my memory.

#84/341 - Furman Paladins

Okay who? The Furman Paladins hail from Greenville, South Carolina and play out of the Southern Conference. As I've said I like the American flag patch because it's a sign that this could be a team-issued jersey. Furman's last NCAA Tournament appearance was 4 months before I was born. Crazy.

#83/341 - Northern Kentucky Norse

This is part two of the guy who randomly had 2 jerseys I needed on the cheap. I love this jersey because it's an obscure school with a cool name and they only recently joined Division 1. The Norse, how cool is that?

#82/341 - BYU Cougars

This was a team I was genuinely concerned with. Obscure but still well-known, with a well known player that made most of the jerseys I found way over budget. I got lucky one day and found a seller with two jerseys I needed for under $10 each so I jumped on them.

Now I know when we all think of BYU we think of weirdo Mormons and to be fair, that is totally true. I remember them suspending their best player for having consensual sex. They can't play games on Sundays and if they see two men holding hands their hair will spontaneously burst into flames. Their first All-American player was a guy named Elwood Romney, yes that Romney family.

#81/341 - Colorado State Rams

I really like the look of this jersey. The team name and number are very unconventional for a jersey. The Colorado State Rams play out of Fort Collins, CO. I have some family out that way and I can honestly say I hope to be lucky enough to live there someday. Everywhere is gorgeous and lively and there's tons to do even if you don't do drugs.

#80/341 - USC Trojans

Still working on that California dent. All I can say about USC basketball is that they handed their program over to the coach from Florida Gulf Coast based on a 2 game resume. Coach Enfield responded by talking some trash about UCLA before going 2-16 in conference play including two losses to UCLA by a combined 44 points. I don't know if he's insane, a genius, or both. I guess time will tell.

#79/341 - Temple Owls

Back to my hometown for piece #3 of the Big 5. I'm really starting to enjoy seeing the Under Armour logo. Their designs aren't the best but it's a sign of quality. My fondest memory of the Owls would be in 2001 when they snuck in as an 11-seed and advanced to the Elite 8. They even held their own for much of their game with Michigan State.

#78/341 - Georgetown Hoyas

Those dastardly villains!

I genuinely feel bad for Hoyas fans. Apart from having a team name that no one understands and doesn't even register as a proper word, Georgetown seems to be doomed to play the antagonist in everyone else's rise to glory. From my hometown of Philadelphia to Tobacco Road and on down to Dunk City it seems nearly every great Cinderella story involves crushing the evil empire from the beltway.

#77/341 - Cal Poly Mustangs

Ah the state of California. Even with this, the 4th jersey attained, I've barely made a dent in the state of 23 D1 schools. This jersey looks much worse in the picture than reality. Here it looks like a practice jersey, which is a big no-no in jersey quest.

I'd also like to note that after 20 years in Division 1, Cal Poly made their first trip to the NCAA tournament in 2014. They even picked up a win over Texas Southern in that fake 1st round that no fan will call the first round. In fact it cheapens the accomplishment of winning a tournament game and for that, I'm sorry Cal Poly Mustangs.

#76/341 - TCU Horned Frogs

One of the bigger challenges in tracking down these jerseys is finding the ones from schools that are well known but not for the sport of basketball. That was certainly the case here as I've had to flip through hundreds of TCU football jerseys (I blame you LaDainian Tomlinson.) Sixteen years removed from their last tournament appearance, TCU seems to be making things more difficult as they journey uphill in changing conferences. They currently reside in the Big 12 where a tournament bid now seems less likely than the 2nd coming.

#75/341 - Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

After obtaining the obscure school known as Oral Roberts I now have the state of Oklahoma completed. This is the 3rd state I've knocked out.

#3/50 States - Oklahoma

#74/341 - Auburn Tigers

This is a really nice, comfortable, sharp looking jersey. I wish I had more to say but when I think of the words "Auburn" and "basketball" my mind goes completely blank. I have absolutely no recollection of them having a good team, making the tournament, or a single player. A few days ago I posted "Cal" and while they haven't had a lot of success I can still at least recall the Jason Kidd years. I'm sorry Auburn, I got nothing.

#73/341 - Fairfield Stage

Another nice jersey that's too small and serves as motivation to get into shape. Good news, down another 10 pounds in the last month. But that's not what this blog is about so you don't care. It serves as nice filler when you have to write something interesting about the Fairfield Stage.

#72/341 - California Golden Bears

"Cal" is another one of those schools that just has "first round exit" written all over them. Despite making the tournament 4 of the last 6 years they haven't advanced past the first weekend since 1997. Here's to better years in Berkeley, California.

#71/341 - Murray State Racers

Let's talk about kindness. I had made some posts about this journey on the college basketball section of Reddit. I received a message from a user claiming to work at Murray State University who said he'd send a jersey my way. Soon I found myself looking eagerly for it in the mail. But weeks turned into months and I gave up. I carefully crafted a message to him because how do you remind someone to give you something they don't owe you for free? He wrote back apologizing and again promised a jersey. A few more weeks of checking the mail yielded nothing so I left it alone.

Finally a package showed up from Murray, Kentucky that felt much heavier than a jersey. I opened it to find not one, not two, but four beautiful Murray State Racers jerseys. The level of this man's kindness to a complete stranger and his odd quest for completion was touching and unprecedented.

I have been a Racers fan ever since.

#70/341 - Prairie View A&M Panthers

Apart from having one of the most godawful logos I've ever seen, the Prairie View A&M Panthers play in the SWAC Conference. They have made one appearance in the NCAA tournament where they lost by 58 points in the first round.

Digging aside, this is a fairly decent jersey from a decently obscure school.

#69/341 - Oregon State Beavers

Clearly this jersey is awesome. Despite being in the Pac 10, Oregon State is a relatively obscure jersey to own. Their postseason ineptness is almost legendary. Next season will be the 25th anniversary of the last Beavers squad to make the NCAA Tournament. That team was upset in the first round. It will also be the 10th anniversary of the last Beavers squad to make the NIT Tournament. That team was upset in the first round. Hopefully next year's team can improve on the 2014 team. They made the CBI tournament last year, but were upset in the first round.

#68/341 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Another decent find from ebay on the cheap. Georgia Tech has had a rough go of it of late. Four years since an NCAA Tournament appearance and 10 years since they made it past the first weekend.

I was absolutely astonished to learn that they made the championship game in 2004 because I have absolutely no memory of this and I could swear this happened in an alternate dimension.