It's Black and White For Nichols

"One night I had a Wake Forest-North Carolina game," he said. "I called the captains to midcourt and said, 'Now you know, fellas, it's an absolute fact that we refs get 96 percent of our calls right. You can to the library, and it's right there in the book on reffing. Your job as captains is to keep your guys off us on the other 4 percent of the calls.

"Buzz Peterson was Carolina's captain. He looked at me and said, 'That book is in the library?' I said absolutely, and he shook his head and said, 'Well, one thing's for sure: If that book is in the library, it's in the fiction section.' "

Nichols always has enjoyed telling the story about the night Jim Valvano asked him if he could give him a technical for what he was thinking.

"No, Jimmy, I can't give you a tech for what you're thinking," Nichols told him.

"Good," Valvano said. "In that case, I think you suck."

"The thing about coaches is they never forget," Nichols said. "I mean never."

Example: In 2006, Nichols was in Hawaii, in charge of the officials for the tournament in Maui. North Carolina was playing and Dean Smith was there watching. Nichols introduced a friend to Smith in a restaurant one night, and "Dean shook her hand, pointed at me and said, 'You know, he let Len Bias double-dribble.' "

The alleged double-dribble had taken place in 1986.

"I really don't think I got that one wrong," Nichols said.

He got very few wrong. And because of his work the last 22 years, his guys have gotten a lot fewer calls wrong.

"We're a long way from perfect," he said. "But we're definitely better."

And all of them are proud to be known as Hank's guys.