Late Night with Roy is now earlier than ever. How come?

Remember when October 15 was a sacred day in college basketball? The start of practice, no matter when in the week the 15th fell. Maryland coach Lefty Driesell, a recent inductee into the Naismith Hall of Fame, changed all that with his brilliant idea.

Driesell decided his team would hold its first practice just as the clock struck midnight on October 14 and open it to the public. Immediately billed Midnight Madness, it became a happening in College Park and on other campuses whose coaches followed suit.

When October 14-15 kept falling on a school night, the NCAA scheduling committee started moving the first practice around on the calendar. Carolina got into the midnight act, when Dean Smith held a nationally televised workout on the Halloween Saturday in 1992, which was carried by ESPN and hosted by Dick Vitale.

UNC students went to the Dean Dome dressed as super heroes and even basketball players. Hey, coach, put me in! Smith ran his team through some drills before holding a short scrimmage. He had them back in the empty dome Sunday morning for an official practice. That group went on to win the 1993 NCAA championship.

Schools were soon allowed to open the season earlier than ever with tournaments that counted on their record but not in the number of games they were limited to during the regular schedule. Teams could attend one of those tourneys every four years, then every year but not the same tourney. That’s why Roy Williams, who loves Hawaii, takes his Tar Heels to the Maui Classic every four years.

Now those tournaments are well into the regular season. Carolina’s first game is November 6 against Notre Dame, an ACC Network special. Thus, Late Night with Roy will be on September 27, the night before UNC’s football team hosts defending national champion Clemson, and the earliest Late Night has ever been.

That is almost six weeks before the Heels play the Fighting Irish in the Smith Center. And after losing four starters and their top five scorers, they can use the extra time to adjust to six new players.

But that makes the season even longer, from start of practice through the Final Four, 6-plus months. Apparently, TV complained about too many non-conference cupcake games and low ratings. So with the new 20-game ACC schedule, it starts for real from the start.

(featured photo via Todd Melet)

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