Basketball Quote Of The Day: Ol’ Roy Wears Down NCAA

"I'm raising cane to get another appeal. It's silly. We're not going to class on Thursday, so why not let us go Wednesday night? What do the student-athletes gain by staying from 5 to 11 p.m.? What we lose is $120,000 by going charter…It's just ridiculous."

UNC head coach Roy Williams on the Suits In Indianapolis (Formerly Kansas)’s refusal to grant his team a waiver of the 48 hour rule for the Tar Heels game against Long Beach State (Nov. 16, 11 pm).  The rule prevents a team from traveling to a road game more than 48 hours before tipoff.

Yesterday, the NCAA caved and granted the waiver.

Williams told ESPN.com that the Heels had been denied in two attempts to overturn the waiver so they could leave for California on the last commercial flight at 5 p.m. out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

The plan was to go to classes Wednesday and then fly out, Williams said. The alternative, he said, would be for the Tar Heels to pay $120,000 for a charter flight.

Williams said the 48-hour rule shouldn't apply to a game three time zones away, pointing out that the Tar Heels haven't gone on a charter for a road game west of St. Louis since he has been at UNC.

The NCAA finally saw the light on the third attempt.