Rolling out the carpet is a top NCAA basketball tradition
West Virginia basketball fans have just grown accustomed to it over the years. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just something that happens.
It’s rolling out the carpet for the Mountaineers, and it’s one of the best traditions in NCAA basketball.
According to a video on NCAA.com, rolling out the carpet for WVU basketball introductions is the No. 4 best pregame tradition in all of NCAA basketball.
"“What originally was an idea introduced as a marketing tool to bring in a larger crowd has turned into a pregame staple at the West Virginia Coliseum,” the narrator in the video states."
The idea was first brought up in 1955 by Hall of Fame head basketball coach Fred Schaus. He coached the Mountaineers until 1960, then the carpet was rolled up.
It wasn’t until 1978 when Hedgesville, W.Va. native Gale Catlett took over the WVU program and restored the tradition.
Rolling out the carpet has stayed a traditon under coaches John Beilein and Bob Huggins to the delight of thousands of fans who attend each NCAA basketball game in Morgantown.
The tradition of rolling out the carpet was ahead of the No. 5 moment, which was the Wake Forest mascot riding a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle before each game. It’s a fairly new tradition that was introduced under head coach Skip Prosser in the early 2000s.
The No. 3 tradition was “Campin’ at Cameron” where Duke student erect tents outside of the Blue Devils basketball arena before big games. The tent city, of sorts, is loving referred to as Krzyewskiville in honor of head coach Mike Kryzyewski.
That started in 1986, according to the video.
The No. 2 tradition is a joint effort between the University of Minnesota and the Nevada Wolfpack. With the Golden Gophers in the 1970s, head coach Bill Musselman came up with a unique pregame warm up routine for his team, which included Harlem Globetrotter-like ballhandling skills.
Now, that practice is instituted by Musselman’s son, Eric, at Nevada.
The No. 1 tradition is called, “Confetti in Kansas.” Basically, the Kansas Jayhawks student section reads a newspaper as the opponent’s starting line up is being announced. Then, the students in the stands will rip up the paper into tiny pieces and toss them in the air.
It’s not stated if that tradition was started in Kansas, or not. Because, it’s a common theme with many student sections across the country. At WVU, specifically, students will rip up a newspaper and throw tiny pieces into the air after the Mountaineers’ first points of the game.
In the end, no matter who is No. 1 in the Associated Press or Coaches Poll, diehard fans will represent their schools to the fullest, each time out. These pregame traditions are special and continue to withhold the test of time.
That’s what makes NCAA basketball so special.