When the Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team arrived in Denver for the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, they noticed that something pretty big was missing.
The mid-major school had a flight chartered from Phoenix to Denver by the NCAA, and that private flight clearly threw off the equipment staff because the team arrived without their uniforms, gear and bags.
Luckily, Antelopes head coach Bryce Drew had a savior in Denver, his older brother, Scott Drew, who coaches the Baylor Bears.
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According to CBS Sports, the elder Drew came to the rescue as GCU was set for their first practice prior to Friday’s game against No. 3-seeded Gonzaga (the Antelopes are a 14 seed). GCU would use Baylor’s gear to practice in.
"We’re gonna hook ‘em up," Scott Drew said, via CBS Sports. "What are big brothers for!"
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Both GCU and Baylor wear Nike uniforms and equipment, so any gear needed to get the job done at practice was at Bryce Drew’s disposal.
However, come Friday, GCU will need to have their uniforms on before stepping on the court with the Bulldogs.
While the team claimed the airline failed to fly the equipment from Phoenix to Denver, that was not the case at all. The NCAA sent a memo out for scenarios where teams were chartered.
Because it was not through a commercial airline or terminal, each school was responsible for loading and unloading their gear on the plane. GCU did not read the memo too well.
So, while they wear green and gold Wednesday, the Antelopes will hope to see their purple and white in the locker room when game time arrives.
Gonzaga is the heavy favorite in this First Round matchup, as Fox Bet has the spread currently set at minus-15.5, which means the Bulldogs are expected to win by 16 or more points.
However, as March Madness has shown us, underdogs and Cinderella stories can happen with just about any team. Since GCU is already feeling the madness of the tournament with this snafu, who knows what else might happen to the Antelopes when tip-off rolls around.
