By MARK SNYDER • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • April 2, 2009
The NCAA has long feared what holding the Final Four in a city with casinos may bring.
There were careful negotiations to keep the teams from staying in those hotels and the players at a safe distance from the ultimate NCAA curse word: gambling.
So much for planning.
One night in, North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson already was enjoying himself with his favorite pastime, craps.
“Actually, I already played,” Lawson said this afternoon. “We got in last night, and Coach gave us a curfew of 1:30 (a.m.). I went over to Greektown and won about $250. So I already had my time there. It’s probably the last time I go there before the games start.”
Much like on the court, Lawson is usually a winner, having peaked with an $1,800 score in the Bahamas.
“The only time I lost was in Reno; that’s when everybody on the team lost,” Lawson said. "It’s the only place I lost. The other five or six times I did gamble, I won at least $500. Last night, it was all craps. It was like within an hour.”
The NCAA has long feared what holding the Final Four in a city with casinos may bring.
There were careful negotiations to keep the teams from staying in those hotels and the players at a safe distance from the ultimate NCAA curse word: gambling.
So much for planning.
One night in, North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson already was enjoying himself with his favorite pastime, craps.
“Actually, I already played,” Lawson said this afternoon. “We got in last night, and Coach gave us a curfew of 1:30 (a.m.). I went over to Greektown and won about $250. So I already had my time there. It’s probably the last time I go there before the games start.”
Much like on the court, Lawson is usually a winner, having peaked with an $1,800 score in the Bahamas.
“The only time I lost was in Reno; that’s when everybody on the team lost,” Lawson said. "It’s the only place I lost. The other five or six times I did gamble, I won at least $500. Last night, it was all craps. It was like within an hour.”
