Under Armour

Under Armour's South Carolina Basketball Shirt
 

South Carolina's first trip to the Final Four is also a historic occasion for its sneaker and apparel provider. Under Armour has never had one of its schools in the showcase event of college basketball. (Wisconsin had a contract with Adidas when it reached the Final Four in 2014 and 2015, before switching to Under Armour in 2016.)

For Under Armour, the chance to capitalize on South Carolina's surprising run as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament is a welcome development. The company's stock has slumped in recent months, despite its most prominent athlete -- Tom Brady -- winning the Super Bowl.

South Carolina Final Four Gear

Under Armour had its strongest showing in the tournament this year year with 12 schools in the 68-team field. That's up from 10 last year. The Under Armour school with the best seed this year was Notre Dame, the No. 5 in the West region.

South Carolina, which has been with Under Armour since 2010, started a new 10-year, $71.5 million contract in 2016.

Nike continues to dominate as it had 40 teams in the tournament, including the other three Final Four schools: Oregon, North Carolina and Gonzaga.

In fact, Oregon and North Carolina are particularly prominent programs for Nike.

Nike founder Phil Knight is an Oregon alum and a major booster. He helped cut down the nets after the Ducks beat top-seeded Kansas (an Adidas school) in the Midwest regional final.

North Carolina is the alma mater of Michael Jordan, and the Tar Heels' deal is with Nike's Jordan Brand.

Since Kansas won it in 2008, the only other non-Nike NCAA basketball champion has been Louisville (Adidas) in 2013.