In a post on March 17th, Andy revealed his picks for the fictional “digital” bracket that ended with Kansas over Duke for the title. This post outlines why there is no way Kansas over Duke in the online world. The AD sites are both templates (as 99% of all schools sadly are) so they are a wash, and this comes down to BillSelf.com vs. DukeBluePlanet.com & the related SM channels.

Branding:

• BillSelf.com is not even in the same conversation as DukeBluePlanet.com from design and branding.
• This is actually a weak point of the Kansas offering compared to other schools. It feels old, out-dated, and you get no energy or excitement from the experience.
• When you compare visual branding, design, and overall experience of the two, there is no comparison. (The small double scroll content window also being a major drawback).

Content:

• BillSelf.com again is not even in the same conversation as DukeBluePlanet.com.
• There is no frequently updated content on BillSelf.com This is such a huge point that is overlooked in program/coach websites. Recruits can easily tell if content has been updated frequently or annually. If a recruit comes back once vs. 20x over course of season which is the bigger impact?
• Overall depth of content is nowhere near Duke’s.
• Integration of current program staff and players is nowhere near.
• Amount of video is nowhere near Duke’s.
• The KU Game Notes, Roster, and Plays of the Week aren’t even this year’s. Goes back of updated content – this cannot be overlooked.
• There’s also a bit of controversy in the NBA Success section: Dee Brown, Deron Williams, James Augustine, played 2-3 seasons under Weber at ILL and only their FR season under Self, Roger Powell & Luther Head were a 2-2 split. Lets face it these kids got drafted based on success of 04-05 & 05-06 seasons & individual development.

Social Media:

• BillSelf.com has no feeds, and no universal icon nav links (the most basic SM 101 thing)
• The Twitter & Facebook activations are nowhere near Duke’s. Just review posts over the season – current/former player promotion, contests integration, insider information.
• This is a major drawback for Kansas, how can you reward them when the Coach (@CoachBillSelf) and Program (@KU_Hoops) twitter accts haven’t been updated since Oct. 2010? Programs that don’t have updated Twitter & Facebook accts (and these should be dedicated, not general AD ones) should not even be in the brackets. Such a basic & easy thing for programs…brutal.
• BillSelf.com is missing photo & video social media channels.

In conclusion – if this digital match-up was played out on the court it would be the biggest blowout in title game history.