M Uniform Bracket - Men's Elite 8

UPDATE:Voting has ended on this round. Stay tuned for the Final Four!

The regions have champions!

And it wasn't easy -- for example, in the Sweet 16 round, the OP screwed up the use of the word cagers. In the end, however, the cagers (meaning the basketball team) flamed out, losing all three of their remaining unis. It's down to two hockey sweaters, the baseball whites, and, oh yeah, those rags the football team's been sportin' since before yer daddy was born.

So now it's down to four men's and (once voting is completed) four women's unis. Just eight elites from the best-dressed university in America.

By now, you know the drill. The one difference: click on the images to vote.
 

Game 1:

Ice Hockey - Maize (Gallery)
Standing Out from the Crowd Champ
Use: The least-worn alternate of three sweaters for the Icers, primarily worn for home games (worn 8 games last year).

How They Got Here: Defeated 7th-seed Soccer - maize; 4th seed Baseball -blues, and 1st seed Basketball - maize.

First Worn: The current Adidas version was a carryover from the old Nike sweaters, which replaced the old maize alternate (a Block M version) for the 2006-07 season.

Wings Factor: The icers were the second team among Michigan athletics to adopt the winged helmet, when Red Berenson handed them out before the 1989 CCHA Playoffs - 2/3.

Claim to Fame: When The MGoBlueShop unveiled new for-sale sweaters for 2009-'10, all three sweaters (maize, white and blue) will use the diagonal "MICHIGAN" design. Howeva: the team will continue wearing its three mixed unis (HT: jcgary).



Football - Home (Gallery)
Not Everyone Looks Good in Blue Champ

Use: Worn for home games and occasionally bowl games.

How They Got Here: Trounced 8th seed Gymnastics, Obliterated 5th seed Soccer - blues, and Alan-Branch-on-Anthony-Morelli'ed 2nd seed Basketball - blue.

First Worn: The blue jerseys originated in the 19th century, and the maize leggins' joined in the 1910s, but this uniform wasn't complete until Coach Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler brought the iconic helmet design in 1938.

Wings Factor: It all started here, from a practice Fritz carried over from Princeton - 3/3.

Claim to Fame: ESPN named it the Best Uniform in All of Sports. New York Daily News agreed. Also: About. Longhorns blog "40 Acres" puts it second to the Longhorns. Etc.

Game 2:
Ice Hockey - Blue (Gallery)
In My Day We Wore X Champ

Use: Worn in 2008-'09 season as the team's primary uniform (18 of 40 games last year).

How They Got Here: Handily upset 2nd seed '89 Hoops Throwbacks, upset the OP by taking out the 3rd seed Ice Hockey '60s throwbacks, then rolled over the last remaining football away uniform (the '05-'07s).

First Worn: Blue sweaters with big maize block M's were not a new invention. But the current affairs appeared after the 1997-'98 National Championship Season. After the team hardly wore their old blue alternates that year, the Icers switched the blue alts to a similar design as their whites.The look was refined in 2000-'01, experiencing some minor changes (like added white stripes) since.

Wings Factor: The icers were the second team among Michigan athletics to adopt the winged helmet, when Red Berenson handed them out before the 1989 CCHA Playoffs - 2/3.

Claim to Fame: When the hockey team went with three different looks last year, the Block M blues (11-7), got more wear than the whites (12-3), and maizes (6-2). Round 2 reader "mytrlebeachmaizenblue" explains.



Baseball - Whites (Gallery)
Scientifically Speaking, I'm Actually Wearing Every Color Right Now Champ

Use: Most commonly worn uniform for home games.

How They Got Here: Beat 5th seed Lacrosse - white, won a squeaker over their 8th seed gray dopplegangers, then upset 2nd seed Hoops - white.

First Worn: Though the Wolverines spent the '70s, '80s and '90s in pullovers, script versions, and plainer fare, this classic look has been around, changed little (lots more), since the button piping was added after WWII.

Wings Factor: Only the catcher wears the wings and stripes (seen here with the blue alts), and then only when the Wolverines are on defense (ironic considering Fritz first used them to assist on offense). (1/3)

Claim to Fame: Since adding back the stripes in 2001, the boys of summer have had just one (2002 under Chris Harrison) losing season.