James Madison is making a strong play for the eye-catching basketball-court-as-focal-point crown this season with this bulldog-themed motif that the school just unveiled.
But this has been a years-in-the-making evolution of court design. In 2010, Oregon stunned the world by debuting this unconventional and, oh, only slightly distracting basketball court image.
It looked so good, several imitators have since sprung up.
Last year, Cal State Bakersfield introduced the first completely blue court in college hoops, essentially repurposing Boise State's iconic blue turf on the hardwood.
Florida International's men's basketball coach promoted this "beach towel" design on Twitter back in March.
A few weeks and $25,000 later, the court was a reality.
This year, George Washington's court will feature iconic DC monuments.
And Cal's new court will feature a ginormous bear coming at you, ready to eat your face. So yeah, wacky basketball courts are very cool these days.
Oddly enough, the aforementioned Boise State, ye of the blue football turf, has actually simplified its court this season, moving away from horsehead interiors inside the three-point line to an easier two-toned look.
And if this is the next wave and we've hit Peak Wacky Basketball Court, that might be healthy because weird things aren't weird if everyone is doing them. (Except you, Oregon. Never change.)
