University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: NCAA Quirks Familiar To Tar Heels
March 20, 2008 | Men's Basketball
March 20, 2008
By Adam Lucas
Carolina Basketball thrives on tradition. Or maybe it's superstition. Whatever you call it, though, this is the time of year when routine becomes required.
Spit in the river. Don't shave until the end of the postseason (if you're Jack Wooten, who is sporting an elegant moustache). And keep the same roommates throughout the month of March.
At least, that's always been the routine under Roy Williams. In past years, the Tar Heels have kept the same roommates throughout the postseason. This year, however, C.B. McGrath--who is in charge of room assignments--is making a bold move.
"Yep, we're changing it up," he said Thursday afternoon as the Tar Heels prepared to go through what could generously be called a practice on the RBC Center floor.
Even though Carolina captured the ACC Tournament crown last weekend in Charlotte, the roommates for that weekend have already been switched for this weekend (the team is staying in an NCAA-assigned hotel to ensure a tournament-type routine). And if the Tar Heels are fortunate enough to advance to next weekend, the assignments will switch again.
For a program--and a head coach--that thrives on routine, this is downright audacious.
Players don't mind the changing roomies, as long as they avoid the dreaded pairing with Will Graves.
"Will snores like a monster," said Mike Copeland.
"If you don't go to sleep before Will, you're not going to sleep at all," said Deon Thompson.
Naturally, a good reporter had to go straight to the source. Will, why do your teammates think you're the worst roommate?
"I snore," he said. "I'm not going to deny it. Sometimes I wake myself up and I can hear myself snoring. If I'm to that point where I'm not that asleep yet, I wake myself up all the time."
Despite the changing roommates, the rest of the familiar NCAA quirks are back this week for the Tar Heels. The NCAA puts on one of the best sporting events in America...but the organization also creates red tape that can sometimes be frustrating. Tournament details include:
Mandatory needless interview sessions: During the pre-practice interview period, all players are required to stay in the locker room. It doesn't matter if the room is tiny (Carolina's locker room at the RBC Center is, in fact, tiny) or if no one is talking to them. They must stay in the locker room for the full 30 minutes of media availability.
"This is by far the worst part of the NCAA Tournament," said Surry Wood.
Those ubiquitous Dasani cups: Do not try to go anywhere close to the floor at an NCAA Tournament event with a beverage that is not in a Dasani cup. Roy Williams learned this the hard way several years ago, when he was accosted by a tournament official to put his postgame soft drink in a Dasani cup. A sign printed with bold letters on the media beverage cooler reads, "NCAA regulations state that any can or bottle must be poured in an NCAA-approved cup."
And you wonder how the NCAA rulebook became so big? It's because they have rules about drink cups.
Don't touch the basketballs: If, at some point during the NCAA Tournament, you make it out to a UNC open practice, you'll notice that no players ever touch a basketball before the 40-minute clock begins. That's because the NCAA forbids it. All basketballs must stay on the 12-ball rack until the clock is started. Violators are subject to...well, no one is sure, but there's no doubt it's almost as stiff a penalty as drinking out of a non-NCAA-approved cup.
"They sit the basketballs out there for you, but then you have to wait and watch the clock before you can touch them," said an exasperated Marcus Ginyard.
But for every insignificant detail that is made into a ridiculous obsession, there's another equally beneficial postseason advantage. For example...
Postseason meals: The Tar Heels never eat poorly. But once the postseason begins, their meals are four-star.
Last week in Charlotte, the team had three open nights. Dinner on those nights was held at three of the area's best restaurants. In Raleigh, they'll dine at two of the area's best steak houses. As long as the wins continue, so does the fine dining.
"We go to great places to eat in the tournament," Thompson said. "It's something really good every night."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
