Watch: Xavier carrying around urn with ashes of February's schedule
The Undertaker isn't the only one carrying around an urn for inspiration. #Elite8 pic.twitter.com/9k87JgxTuS
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 25, 2017
We've heard of weird motivational tactics from coaches before, but Xavier's Chris Mack has taken that to a new level in the NCAA tournament.
The Musketeers have apparently been carrying around an urn - containing the ashes of the team's burned February schedule - during the first three rounds.
It wasn't the team's best month. After a win over DePaul on Feb. 8, Xavier sat with an 18-6 record and looked set for a high seed in March Madness.
However, the Musketeers proceeded to lose six straight games and limped into the NCAA tournament as an 11-seed. And while everything has turned out okay - Xavier has since rolled through three rounds into a matchup with No. 1 Gonzaga on Saturday - Mack clearly wants his team to stay focused.
As Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura note in the above video, it certainly took the players a little time before they got on board with the idea, but it appears to be working.