GREENSBORO, N.C. — From the beginning of the brackets to the first bars of "One Shining Moment", it's all about the ups and downs of who gets to cut down the nets!
"It's such an important thing and now there are multiple generations who know nothing but you're supposed to cut down the nets when you win a championship," said Tim Peeler, NC Sports Hall of Fame board member.
2 Wants To Know talked with Peeler a few years ago about how the tradition got started. He says the sports staple began with NC State Coach Everett Case.
It was 1947 and NC State beat Carolina twice in the regular season and then by two points in the championship game.
"The players put Coach Case on their shoulders and he said 'Hey boys, take me to the basket' and they didn't know why, it was the first time it had ever happened. He said, 'Lift me up and give me a pair of scissors' and he started cutting the nets down.
He told the team this is what we're going to do, every time we win a championship, we'll cut down the nets.
And so, they did. And so did the other ACC teams when they beat NC State. It became the end-all-be-all bragging right.
"That started the tradition, not just cutting it down, but using it as a weapon almost. As if the team was saying, 'We're going to show you what we can do', said Palmer.
The conference tournaments are all this week. Selection Sunday is on March 16, 2024, from 6 pm to 7 pm on WFMY News 2.