But for those who prefer to perch, they can now do so in cushioned comfort.

For $40, Tar Heel season ticket- holders can have a 17-inch wide, 2-inch padded, baby-blue seatback bolted to their allotted space on the stadium's aluminum benches.

Similar seats have been offered at N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Clemson, said Michael Beale, UNC assistant athletic director for marketing. This season, Carolina opted to offer the waterproof back-and-bottom supports as a revenue-producer -- and because fans requested it.

"The seating at Kenan isn't the most comfortable," Beale said, noting that the benches can get pretty hot before an afternoon kickoff. "... And [the seatbacks] are wide enough that you can kind of mark your space."

Roughly 1,300 Tar Heels fans have already leased the seatbacks, which will be provided by Wichita, Kan.-based Integrated Stadium Seating. Fans can also rent them at the stadium on a game-by-game basis but will have to pay the entire $40 fee. For more information, go to tarheelseatbacks.com.

— Robbi Pickeral

BASKETBALL

CHERRY A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: New South Carolina assistant basketball coach Scott Cherry always finds success, be it North Carolina's NCAA title in 1993, George Mason's unlikely charge to the Final Four in 2006 or Western Kentucky's trip to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 last March.

Now, Cherry wants the Gamecocks to find that kind of success.

"It can be done. It can be done anywhere, especially nowadays," Cherry said.

Brought to South Carolina by new head coach Darrin Horn, Cherry played for North Carolina coach Dean Smith from 1989-93. Cherry saw time in 33 of 38 games during the Tar Heels' run to the title in '93, including the championship game with Michigan that has become famous for Chris Webber calling a timeout the Wolverines didn't have.

Cherry enjoyed similar emotions 13 years later as an assistant for Jim Larranaga when George Mason ousted Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and finally Connecticut in overtime to reach the 2006 Final Four.

"What did they have, six draft picks?" Cherry said about UConn's team that season.

Cherry went to Western Kentucky a year ago, signing on in time for the Hilltoppers to reach the NCAA's round of 16 for the first time in 15 years.

When Horn left for South Carolina, Cherry thought he'd have a strong shot at filling the Western Kentucky vacancy. However, Texas assistant Ken McDonald -- also a former Hilltoppers assistant -- got the job, and Cherry followed Horn to South Carolina.

SE MISSOURI ACCEPTS PENALTIES: Southeast Missouri will not appeal NCAA sanctions calling for the forfeiture of 44 women's basketball victories as well as placing both the women's and men's programs on two years of probation.

The violations in the women's program in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons were more serious and primarily involved impermissible housing, transportation and meals for prospective student athletes.

The Associated Press

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