Andrew Powell wins bet with rival student body president

Thanks to Marcus Paige and the efforts of the rest of the men’s basketball team in their game against N.C. State on Wednesday, UNC Student Body President Andrew Powell’s mirror won’t be seeing red for the rematch.

Powell won the friendly wager he made with N.C. State Student Body President Rusty Mau and will not have to wear N.C. State’s colors when the teams meet again on Feb. 24.

“I just texted him typical trash talk on the day of the game and said, ‘Hey man, looking forward to Carolina winning tonight. Hope you’re ready,’” Powell said. “I proposed the idea for whoever loses, they have to wear the colors of the other team for the day of the rematch.”

On Feb. 24, Mau will have to wear Carolina Blue all day.

“He’s going to wear a Carolina T-shirt that very explicitly is Carolina blue,” Powell said. “No question about it. I’m going to make sure that I get pictures and document that through and through. Secretly, I think he’s looking forward to it because he gets to wear a much more attractive color for a day.”

Mau has been a good sport about the wager result.

“I knew the game would be close, I knew we had a really great shot to win, as referenced by the score,” Mau said. “But it would have been much sweeter if Andrew were going to be wearing red and white the day of the game in Chapel Hill.”

Powell said even though the game was close, he was never nervous.

“We have Marcus Paige, and Marcus Paige 100 percent owns N.C. State’s arena,” Powell said. “(He) dominates that court day and night, so I had no doubt that we were in good hands playing N.C. State.”

Powell said if UNC had lost, he would have honored the deal.

“I would have had to borrow a State shirt from someone else because obviously I don’t own any of that clothing. It would have been tough. I’m pleased that we won,” he said.

Mau said he thinks Powell secretly wants to wear red and white.

“There’s a reason we all bleed red,” Mau said.

Powell said he and Mau became friends during the summer at a student leadership event in Washington, D.C.

“We talked about playing golf one time. We haven’t played yet, but I’m sure we’re both pretty busy,” Powell said.

Before Mau enrolled at N.C. State, he was accepted to and considered attending UNC.

“I have never paid for Carolina paraphernalia in my life,” Mau said. “I did receive a free Carolina T-shirt when I visited as a high school senior, and this will be the perfect opportunity to wear that shirt.”

South Moore, president of UNC’s Order of the Bell Tower, said this type of wager is not a tradition.

“It is really interesting to me whenever I work with alumni, though, and we’re singing the alma mater — to see the difference in age of people who, when they choose to condemn somebody, they choose Duke or State,” Moore said.

Older generations, he said, tend to choose N.C. State.

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