Sweet 16: Rough ride for West Virginia to Boston, with smoke in the plane, Hail Marys

Nancy Armour | USA TODAY

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West Virginia had a rough ride to the Sweet 16.

Not the games the first week of the NCAA men's tournament, the trip itself.

After the Mountaineers moved their trip to Boston up a day to avoid getting stuck in a heavy snowstorm, they had smoke in the cabin of their plane because of a problem with an air conditioning unit.

"The air conditioning unit, something happened to it, and then we got smoke into the deal," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said Thursday. "People are saying Hail Marys and trying to think of all the bad things they did and ask forgiveness and all that.

"But it really wasn't all that bad."

At least it didn't rattle the players.

"I slept through it," Jevon Carter said.