The Carolina-South Carolina exhibition game will be played. It has to.

How much more of a hit can the NCAA’s image take? Aside from the political discourse in the country today, the organization with the most controversial reputation might be the NCAA. Its job is to uphold what is voted on by the member institutions, but it often makes exceptions.

Some players who transfer from one school to another suddenly win their appeals to play immediately at their new school. The NCAA must have sound reasoning for making such exceptions, but it is still bad optics.

This one may be the worst look ever, which is why I think the NCAA will backtrack and allow the Tar Heels and Gamecocks to play a basketball exhibition in Charlotte with all proceeds going toward to the $22 billion relief effort caused by Hurricane Florence.

For the NCAA it is perfect PR to do so, and I will be shocked if some people with the juice sitting in some meeting somewhere between the Carolinas and Indianapolis don’t come to their senses. This is for humanity, for cripes sakes, not for absurd policies that they often change anyway.

How good would it look for the state universities whose coasts were ravaged by Florence to play a practice game in the arena donated by Michael Jordan to give the people who are still under water financially a helping hand. This is the biggest no-brainer of all time, and the NCAA will see that eventually. Has to.

For the record, the so-called rule limits teams to two exhibition games and one can be a secret scrimmage that isn’t open to the public. UNC’s this year is at Villanova. But a full NBA Spectrum Center in Charlotte with each ticket at $50 would generate almost a million bucks. Clemson is playing a benefit game at UNC-Wilmington, which will raise far less.

Roy Williams and USC coach Frank Martin had already agreed in principle to play the game, figuring the NCAA would gladly allow it. But, no, the game cannot be played because of its policy, even though a game in an empty gym with no fans and no media coverage is hardly a game.

The clock is ticking on the NCAA to do the right thing. And I say it will.

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