Let’s see if I’ve got this straight.

West Rowan was playing a 4 p.m. game on the first day of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic.

West Rowan playing on the first day? West Rowan not getting a first-round bye?

That may have been the biggest story of Opening Day, bigger than East Rowan’s boys win over South, even bigger than the flunking off the team by several Salisbury senior boys.

“I’ve never seen anywhere where it says we have a divine right to always be undefeated and always be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed,” scoffed West coach Mike Gurley, who then sighed, “but based on expectations, I guess we are.”

And it doesn’t matter that Gurley starts a junior (6-7 Donte Minter), three sophomores (point guard T.J. Gaither and 6-7 trees Junior Hairston and Phillip Williams) and a senior with little playing time until now (Tim Mauldin). It doesn’t matter that his top reserves like Josh Goodnight, Vicco Barringer and Jonathan Diggs made only cameo appearances last year. It doesn’t matter that senior leader Terris Sifford is sitting on the bench with a bum knee or Horatio Everhart is sitting due to disciplinary reasons.

It just doesn’t matter. West Rowan has been in five Moir Tournament finals since 1992 and has won four of them.

Wins and titles are expected.

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West won Wednesday, 69-44 over Salisbury. That’s a typical Falcon score in this event. And the Falcons are in today’s semifinals. That’s also typical.

But what isn’t typical is that this tournament really means something for West Rowan this year.

“I think in the past, I’ve alienated some people at the tournament by making it unimportant,” Gurley said. “To be honest with you, in the past with the teams we had, it didn’t feel that important. But with the young team we have, I consider this to be very important. This is the first time this group has gone through a 1-game elimination-type tournament.”

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Gurley realizes that even while his team learns, the expectations of the fans are always there. And why not? This is the first time since 1988 that West has had three losses by Christmas.

The fans feel the wins should come, regardless of who’s playing or who’s coaching. In fact, the four Moir titles this decade have come under the direction of Gurley, Charles Hellard and Bobby Shipwash.

Gurley explained, “If you’re a West Rowan fan, you’ve been to the regionals. You’ve been to the state finals. You’ve been in Christmas Tournament championships. You’ve been through a lot of these battles.

“These kids haven’t been.”

Gurley likens his children to a great artist’s painting.

“We’re not a Picasso,” he said. “We’re like the paint-by-the-numbers painting where you connect the dots.”

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While Gurley paced and talked in the bowels of Goodman Gym, Salisbury coach Drew Mathews simply sat. Disappointed in his seniors. Absolutely satisfied with his youngsters.

You want inexperience, Gurley? Talk to Mathews.

The Hornets’ coach knew his team didn’t stand much of a chance against West Rowan’s trees Wednesday. He had to replace his senior lineup with freshman and jayvees.

“Academically ineligible,” were the first words out of his mouth when asked where his seniors were.

The baby Hornets played hard enough for Mathews to never sit down and rest his chin on his hands. He stood and coached the entire 32 minutes. And he seemed to enjoy it.

“We’re going to learn from those senior mistakes,” Mathews said. “Now, we have a young group of kids who are doing it the right way in the classroom and doing it the right way in practice.”

Mathews, a former shooting star for Catawba College, hates it for his seniors but he has to accept the outcome.

“You see this all the time,” he lamented. “I was reading the paper today about All-American football players who can’t play in bowl games because they’re academically ineligible. I think, sometimes, when young people get successful, they get caught up in that success. They think things are going to be given to them all the time. But in this world, you have to work to set up breaks and opportunities.”

One Hornet had no experience at all — Shawn Boyd — but still played 26 minutes. Perhaps the biggest smile on Mathews’ face came after the verdict had been decided. Boyd fired a fundamentally-sound bounce pass to Chris Geter for a layup.

“Itold them they’re going to take some hard knocks,” Mathews said. “But the future looks bright.”

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Whether Gurley likes it or not, the future is always now at West Rowan.

And today, he faces a loose, high-scoring Davie County team which will be favored.

Let’s see if I’ve got this straight. Somebody is favored over West Rowan in the Christmas Tournament?

Gurley had that familiar gleam in his eye.

“Idon’t know what we’re going to do against Davie,” he said. “But I’ll bet you 20 bucks — I’ll bet you my life savings, which is about 22 bucks — that we’re going to show up and give Davie 32 minutes of (intensity).”

Will West give its fans a win? You can bet everyone wearing the tradition-laden blue is expecting it.

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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.