The UNC men’s basketball team will be looking for rings this weekend. Turns out, they aren’t the only ones.
A pair of soon-to-be-newlyweds, Trent Brown and Grace Smith of Raleigh and Kegan Cox and Ryan Kendall of Wilmington, scheduled their weddings for Saturday, April 2 well in advance. All four of them are UNC alumni and proud fans of the Tar Heels. At the time they finalized their plans, they didn’t think anything could potentially interfere with them, and certainly not Carolina basketball.
“We won like 30 games in two seasons,” Brown said. “So we were like, ‘There’s no chance.'”
But as the day drew nearer, and UNC advanced further in the NCAA Tournament, the possibility of a doomsday scenario grew ever-larger.
“Didn’t necessarily put that together until a month or so ago,” Cox said. “And it was a little over a week ago that we were like, ‘Oh wow, this is going to happen.'”
And happen it did: Carolina defeated Saint Peter’s on Sunday evening in the Elite Eight to clinch a trip to the 2022 Final Four. Their semifinal game against Duke will be played mere hours after the couples are set to be married on Saturday.
“I think we laughed for an hour straight after the Saint Peter’s game,” Brown said. “Like, are you kidding me? Why did we plan it for Final Four night?
“This is one of the most frustrating seasons,” Brown went on. “And you figure it out now? And we’ve gotta play Duke of all people?”
But not to worry: both ceremonies, and their large contingent of Tar Heel fans, have plans in place. Brown and Smith are using a projector at their reception to watch the game (despite the fact that their DJ is a Duke fan), while Cox and Kendall will be going to a local brewery in Wilmington. Both couples have UNC, and Carolina basketball in particular, in their blood. Both met on campus and spent countless nights cheering for the Tar Heels in the Smith Center.
“Grace and I went to every game together,” Brown said. “So it was like, ‘Alright, I guess we’re doing this thing.’ There’s no chance we don’t watch it. It’s so important.”
“I was a bio major, so it wasn’t necessarily the easiest to stay up some nights,” said Cox. “But it was just so important. It’s always been a huge part of our relationship.”
Ryan Kendall and Kegan Cox (Image via Ryan Kendall)
Cox said her wedding is fully leaning into the UNC angle, and in a unique way at that. Needless to say, it will go over well with the Carolina fans and alumni in attendance.
“Our dog is gonna be part of the ceremony,” Cox said. “She’s gonna have a UNC jersey on.”
Talk about ‘something blue.’
Ultimately, it will be a can’t-lose day for the newlyweds. Even if Carolina sees its tournament run come to a sad end in New Orleans, the two couples can still celebrate the happiest day of their lives. But don’t get it twisted: they’re highly invested in the game’s outcome.
“The wedding aspect [of the day], I feel great,” said Cox. “The game… a little nervous. I want to say I’m confident in our team but… I’m a healthy nervous, how about that?”
Is Brown a ‘healthy nervous?’ Let’s just say he’s hedging his bets.
“I told Grace, if it’s like the first game, and we get down by a lot early,” he said, “We’ll just turn it off.”
Featured image via Trent Brown
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