Zipcar has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Big Ten Conference to sponsor its men's and women's basketball tournaments. Each of the Big Ten schools will be represented by its own branded Zipcar vehicle, complete with school colors and logo, according to Zipcar.

With a total of 14 schools in the Big Ten Conference, 14 of these colorful branded vehicles are currently available for reservation in and around Chicago through the duration of the tournament. Zipcar will have company representatives at the Big Ten Basketball Tournament from March 11-15, where alumni, fans and visitors can sign up for Zipcar's carsharing service, says the company.

"Zipcar vehicles are on more than 400 colleges and universities across North America, so partnering with the iconic Big Ten Conference was the smart thing to do," said Charles Stephens, Zipcar Chicago’s regional general manager. "The Chicago area has a large population of Big Ten alumni eager to support their alma mater and who are also savvy city-dwellers that can benefit from simple and affordable access to wheels."

The 14 Big Ten-branded Zipcar vehicles are placed at various locations throughout Chicagoland, including the University of Illinois vehicle (named "B1G Illini") and the Northwestern University vehicle (named "B1G Wildcat"). For a full list of vehicle locations in and around Chicago with the corresponding school, please visit www.Zipcar.com/bigtentournament.

"The partnership with Zipcar was a natural fit with the amount of alumni we have in Chicago,” said Scott Bailey, Big Ten Sports Properties general manager. “We are able to promote our tournament in a fun and unique way while also helping spread the word about Zipcar."

Additionally, for every hour Zipcar members drive in one of the 14 Big Ten branded vehicles, Zipcar will donate $1 to Future Founders Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that inspires the youth of Chicago to explore and practice entrepreneurship.