CORRECTION

A story on the Sports front Saturday incorrectly said that UNC-Chapel Hill's basketball museum is the country's first basketball-only museum at a university. The University of Kentucky also has a basketball museum.

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CHAPEL HILL -- When Dean Smith found out the NCAA did not supply enough watches to his team from the 1982 Final Four, the former North Carolina coach gave his own timepiece to student manager Dave Hart.

Now, it is one of the more than 450 artifacts on display at the 8,000-foot, $3.4 million Carolina basketball museum, which will open to the public Monday.

"I donated it because I wanted people to know how I got it," said Hart, now a financial analyst in Asheville, "... and to understand that there's a lot more to Coach Smith, and the program, that a lot of fans don't get to see.''

The collection, which is located on the first floor of the new Ernie Williamson Athletics Center on Skipper Bowles Drive, is the first basketball-only museum for a university in the country, said Terry Healy, a partner at Maryland-based Gallagher and Associates, which designed it.

It showcases memorabilia from every era of UNC basketball, including: 1950s legend Lennie Rosenbluth's shorts (which featured a red stripe around the waistband), the floor from the 2005 championship game, Mitch Kupchak's No. 21 socks, current coach Roy Williams' collegiate textbooks, Bobby Jones' 1972 Olympics jersey, and the protective facemask All-America forward Tyler Hansbrough wore last season after suffering a broken nose against Duke.

It also displays the evolution of the Tar Heels' uniforms, Smith's basketball innovations, a six-minute game day theater presentation, interactive videos of the 30 greatest plays in Carolina basketball history; and a database that will feature biographies, photos and statistics of every Tar Heels player. Eventually, every former coach and player still living will autograph a giant interlocking NC on one wall.

"It's all designed to bring out emotion; not just to see the history, but to re-live the history," said Steve Kirschner, UNC's Associate Athletic Director for Communications and a member of the museum committee.

The idea for a new museum was forged about five years ago, when Smith decided to donate his extensive collection of memorabilia to the school. With 12 ACC trophies and 12 Final Four trophies divided between Carmichael Auditorium (where the team used to play) and the Smith Center, it seemed like a good idea to put it all in once place.

UNC's Educational Foundation raised the $15.1 million needed for the four-floor building, which also will include offices for senior athletics department administrators (such at athletic director Dick Baddour) and the Rams Club. It is, by far, the most massive single basketball showcase in the Triangle. Duke displays its hoops memorabilia on the concourse of Cameron Indoor Stadium and its all-sports Hall of Fame in the adjacent Schwartz-Butters building; N.C. State's trophies and pictures are at the RBC Center and its practice court.

Dozens of former Tar Heels donated items, and offers for additional memorabilia keep coming in. And just in case, enough space in the "Championships" room was left for four more title trophies.

"Our challenge is to keep it updated," Kirschner said. "We don't want people to come here a year from now and say, 'I've seen it before.' ''

Admission is free, and the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (except on game days, when it will close 60 minutes before tipoff on weekdays, and open 3 1/2 hours before weekend games).

And while Hart's watch, Vince Carter's warmup jacket and Eric Montross' massive hightop shoes will all appeal to UNC fans, there is even a reason for the Duke faithful to sneak a peek.

Showcased among Michael Jordan's letters of intent, Dream Team jersey and game-improvement tips from Smith is a type-written letter signed by Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski. Dated Oct. 29, 1980, it begins: "I am sorry to hear that you no longer have an interest in learning about Duke University ..."