UNC couldn't fill its student section, so Arizona State students stepped in
The cheers from the North Carolina student section in Glendale, Ariz., apparently weren’t all coming from Tar Heel fans.
According to For the Win, about an hour and a half prior to the NCAA championship game, UNC began to let in students dressed in white shirts. UNC failed to sellout its student section and the young men and women in white were Arizona State students who volunteered to make some noise in exchange for a free ticket to the game.
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Roughly 70 percent of the student section was made up of ASU students.
This isn’t as uncommon as one might think. In 2011, Rice and University of Houston students filled out the student sections of the final game between UConn and Butler at Reliant Stadium.
ASU senior Cory Nelson told For the Win that he made the trip from Tempe with four friends and the only instruction they were given was to wear white.
“It can’t be any other school, and it can’t be ASU. So, just plain white,” Nelson said.
Another student, Mitch Johnson, was unapologetic about being there to represent ASU.
“I’m here representing ASU, and I’m excited to be here,” Johnston said. “This was a huge surprise. I didn’t know what to do yesterday when I realized it. But I was like, ‘Alright I’m about to do it. I can’t miss this opportunity.”
Despite dressing in white, there were times Arizona State students couldn’t help but show their roots. When an ASU commercial aired on the arena screen during a TV timeout, students held up ASU’s “Fork ‘Em” symbol.
More NCAA tournament coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Everyone thought NCAA title game refs were bad … even LeBron
• Way-too-early Top 25 for the 2017-18 college basketball season
• Joel Berry II wins tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award
• UNC couldn’t fill its student section, so ASU students stepped in
