Why Does Every Player in the NCAA Tournament Have the Same Damn Haircut?

Beyond the uniform of a fresh jersey and shorts, compression tights, branded socks, and (usually) Nikes, it seems there is one more important component to being game-ready for college basketball's big dance: the haircut.

Last year's national championship tilt between North Carolina and Villanova drew an average audience of 17.8 million viewers; that's a lot of people to potentially catch you slippin'. The lineup must be fresh. The waves must cause seasickness—if you're still rocking a low cut, that is. Because this season, a new style has swept the tourney. Everyone, and we mean everyone, is taking the court with this look. But from whence did this trend originate? Complex investigates.

First, let's start with some examples of the hairdo in question.

Michigan's D.J. Wilson's hair is the textbook example.

Here it is up close:

On the left we have Florida State's Braian Angola-Rodas. No. 11 doesn't have the lustrous curls of Wilson, above, but as long as those sides are in formation, the natural texture gets to be on full display on the top.

But it doesn't stop there. Here we have a near-twofer, as the Seminoles' PJ Savoy defends Clemson's Gabe Devoe. Savoy stays a little more true to form, but this will be ubiquitous throughout March Madness—variations of the same signature hairdo going head to head. (No pun intended.)

Blue Devil Marques Bolden is serving more fro than hawk, but he gets extra style points for the parts on the side. While the idea is the same, this style does allow for personalization.

Let's continue, just to show the pure pervasiveness. In the Big 12, the style makes an appearance with Kansas and Oklahoma State on the Jayhawks' Lagerald Vick and Cowboys' Jeffrey Carroll. Truly, the examples across the NCAA are endless. Turn the TV on right now and you'll see a few more.

We should acknowledge that Kanye West himself veered into Afro territory in his 808s and Heartbreak days, but he rode the wave and wiped out years ago. Nobody was following his lead with this:

None of the NCAA youths have gone so far as to bleach their hair—the bite would be too obvious—but there's no denying OBJ's trademark style is often imitated. From the flowing tendrils to the expert-level fade to the lush beard, the man has fashioned himself into a new-age icon.

While a youngin' at LSU, Beckham rocked his bowl cuts and what not, but his time there coincided with a cultural phenomenon known as the natural hair movement. Black women began ditching their relaxers and straighteners in droves, embracing the way their hair naturally grows. Slowly, their male counterparts began letting go of their obsessions with the low cut Caesers with the deep waves, and they joined the movement, too.

Thanks to his growing visibility, the Giants' star helped normalize the look for the masses—hell, he's even selling Head & Shoulders with it.