Shortly after Hurricane Florence battered North and South Carolina, the Tar Heels and Gamecocks had put together a plan to play an exhibition game.

The two teams were set to meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, which sits roughly halfway between the two universities, and use the game to raise money to help those effected by the massive storm last month that left more than 40 dead.

South Carolina coach Frank Martin and North Carolina coach Roy Williams had the game booked and had worked with Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan — who agreed to let the two teams play at the Spectrum Center in downtown Charlotte.

It’s an idea many schools have used in the past — one that could have had a tremendous impact after a tragedy.

There was just one problem: the NCAA said no.

The NCAA rejected the proposal for the exhibition game, according to The Post and Courier, because both the Tar Heels and Gamecocks already have two exhibition games scheduled — its limit each season. South Carolina will take on Augusta University in its exhibition, and North Carolina will host Mount Olive.

The NCAA permits the public allotted scrimmage to be used as a charity game if the schools wish, and has approved third extra scrimmages for schools in the past for extreme circumstances — like a natural disaster.

It approved a hurricane relief game between South Carolina and Virginia Tech last season, and approved a both a Clemson-UNC Wilmington game and a West Virginia-Penn State game this season.

For some reason, though, it shut down the North Carolina-South Carolina proposal — something that could have had a real positive impact in the Carolinas.

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