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Baylor’s electric yellow uniforms get shut off

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Xavier v Baylor

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 23: Pierre Jackson #55 of the Baylor Bears reacts after drawing a foul in the second half against the Xavier Musketeers during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball South Regional Semifinal game at the Georgia Dome on March 23, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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The 2012 NCAA Tournament hasn’t exactly been easy on the eyes.

There has been only one overtime game, and no buzzer-beaters. Many late-game situations have been marred by unforced errors and sloppy play.

To make matters worse, we’ve been forced to view “nuclear radiation in motion”, otherwise known as the Baylor uniforms.

The neon yellow Adidas Adizero “Electricity” jerseys, shorts and socks were made specifically for the postseason and have caused much buzz (and seizures) from the viewing public. Two of the tournament’s biggest moments, Brady Heslip’s nine 3-pointers against against Colorado, and Quincy Acy’s one-handed alley-oop dunk against Xavier, were shrouded in a bright, radiating glow.

But with the No.2 Bears facing off against the No.1 Kentucky Wildcats in the South Region final, the electricity will be shut off. The NCAA prefers the road team to wear a visibly darker uniform than the home team, so the Bears will instead go with AdiZero " Blackout” uniforms on Sunday.

There have been instances this season when both teams have worn similar uniforms. Wichita State wore gray uniforms on the road against Creighton’s white home uniforms, and Illinois wore orange uniforms on the road against Michigan’s yellow home uniforms. But there will be no such issue in the NCAA tournament.

The last time Baylor wore the “Blackout” uniforms was in a loss to Missouri in the Big-XII Tournament championship game. Overall, the Bears are 4-0 when wearing the “Electricity” uniforms and 1-1 when wearing the “Blackout” uniforms.

Baylor is not the only school to don Adidas Adizero uniforms for post-season play. Louisville’s “InfraRED” uniforms received a fair amount of publicity during the Big East tournament, and is the napalm to Baylor’s nuclear radiation, the “lava lamp” to their “highlighter”.

Cincinnati also received new uniforms for the postseason, and when the Bearcats faced the cardinals in the Big East tournament championship game, there was a strong glow emanating from the court.

With Louisville’s win over Florida in the Elite Eight on Saturday, it is still possible that “InfraRED” meets “electricity” in the Final Four. The people at Adidas would certainly be thrilled, but the corneas and retinas of the viewing public would not.

But before that happens, Baylor has to beat Kentucky, and that is no small task.

Troy Machir is the managing editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @TroyMachir.