FIU Now Happy to Play UNC

Merely a week ago Florida International, their coach Isiah Thomas and athletic director Pete Garcia were threatening to pull out of a preseason basketball tournament when they found out that they were going to play UNC rather than Ohio State. Forget that their contract specified that it was and either/or situation at the discretion of the organizers, they were taking a stand against being "bullied." They were standing up for the "little guys" in college basketball.

Yeah. So much for that. It's now about the greater good of the Coaches vs. Cancer charity that the tournament supports.

"We are honored to play against North Carolina, the defending national champions," Thomas said. "We are happy to participate in the cause and we are proud to be invited and want to help promote the American Cancer Society in any way we can."

Right. More likely it was the realization that they were locked into the contract. To say nothing of the fact that if they pulled out, they would also lose the three home games in late November that also came with the deal. Games they would have no chance to replace at this point.