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He'll have a lot on his mind.

Mary Thomas, Isiah's 86-year-old mother, suffered a heart attack Saturday night and was reportedly set to undergo heart surgery Monday morning.

"She told me to go to work," Thomas told FOXSports.com.

Thomas spent much of Sunday with his mother in Chicago before flying to North Carolina Sunday night, according to FoxSports.com.

FIU is also due to play Monmouth on Friday night in West Long Branch, N.J.

An NBA Hall of Famer and former coach and executive with the Knicks and Indiana Pacers, Thomas signed a five-year deal with FIU last spring after an unusccessful tenure in New York. FIU is coming off nine consecutive losing seasons.

His team -- which includes Brooklyn native Marvin Roberts -- was initially due to play Ohio State in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches' vs. Cancer.

When the bracket was changed to feature FIU against North Carolina, Thomas at first threatened not to play the game.

Now, he and his program are looking to use it as a marketing opportunity.

"Well, Cinderella doesn't have to come in March. She can come in November," Thomas told a group of FIU boosters in October.

The No. 6 Tar Heels won 34 games last season alone, but FIU has won 34 games in the last three seasons combined.

"We like being underdogs," Roberts told The Associated Press. "We're going to be underdogs all year. And we'll be the real underdogs on Monday, so we'll just play like we have nothing to lose."

In Thomas' last college game, he led Indiana to the 1981 NCAA championship over North Carolina.

Current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was a reserve on that North Carolina team.

"I don't know him real well," Williams said. "I was on the bench when he played his last college game and beat us in the national championship game in '81. Followed his career a great deal throughout his time in the NBA. I know probably a lot more of his accomplishments than he knows of mine, that's for sure."

Thomas came to FIU after several years of losing and legal problems in New York.

The Knicks finished 23-59 in the 2007-08 season, prompting Thomas' firing. They never won a playoff game in his stay as president or coach, and his overall record as a coach in New York was 56-108.

Thomas' hiring met with some resistance at FIU, in part because two years ago a jury ordered Madison Square Garden to pay $11.6 million to Anucha Browne Sanders, a former team executive who alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas. Thomas continually maintained his innocence and was never found personally liable.

"Given that a federal district jury found he sexually harassed a colleague and created a hostile working environment, this hire sends the wrong message about FIU's commitment to the success of all students, faculty and staff, regardless of their gender," Laurie Shrage, the director of women's studies and a philosophy professor at the university, wrote in a-n email to Thomas, according to The New York Times.

Shrage also said she planned to hand deliver to Thomas a copy of the university's sexual harassment policy.

Thomas scrambled to put together a roster after taking over at the beginning of the late NCAA signing period. He made a run at several of the top uncommitted players in the nation and was reportedly interested in Brooklyn Lincoln star Lance Stephenson. Stephenson ultimately signed a financial-aid agreement with Cincinnati.

Thomas has already secured commitments this year from 5-foot-9 point guard Phil Taylor of Marietta, Ga., and 6-9 power forward Dominique Ferguson of Chatham, Va., a four-star prospect who chose FIU over Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana and UCLA because he believes Thomas can help him get to the NBA.

Chris Coleman, a 6-9, 260-pound junior center from Buffalo who attends Durham (N.C.) Mt. Zion, initially gave Thomas a verbal commitment, choosing FIU over traditional powerhouses like Connecticut , Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh. He then re-opened his recruitment but is still considering FIU.

Matt Milk, a 6-8 forward from Wantagh, N.Y., now playing at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest, is also leaning toward signing with FIU and will announce his decision on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA early signing period, his mother said.

"We loved every part of the school," said Mary Milk, Matt's mother. "The school is beautiful, the coaching staff is wonderful."

Mary Milk said Thomas presented a vision to her son of what the program could be going forward, including a goal of making the NCAA Tournament.

"He's very enthusiastic about what's going to happen with this team," she said.

Thomas may be enthusiastic about the future, but right now he's thinking about his mother's health while hoping to use the North Carolina game as a "teachable moment."

"It'll be a very teachable moment," Thomas said. "So many times in life, you run into that immovable object or you get knocked down. When you get knocked down, you've got to find a way to get back up. ... The most important part is getting the kids ready to go in and face something they've never faced in their life. It's what they all dream of, but when they walk in, it'll be a different story."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.