Rushing the court has been a staple this season in college basketball.
And why not?
These days, top-5 teams are dropping like flies on the road, turning into what seems to be a weekly occurrence.
The Duke Blue Devils were the latest squad to suffer a road loss to an unranked foe Thursday, as Virginia played lights-out in the 73-68 upset[1]. As the final seconds ticked away, students prepared to blanket the court in celebration, while the visiting team had to get out of dodge for the fourth time this season.
Watch as student pandemonium ensues in Charlottesville, Va.
Earlier this season, it was N.C. State that upset then-No.1 Duke on Jan. 12. Wolfpack faithful rushed to center-court, led by this brave soul.[2]
Then, it was Miami’s 90-63 thrashing of the top-ranked Blue Devils in Coral Gables, Fla on Jan. 23 that sparked another rush.
Maryland would soon get its turn, as Terp fans stormed the court in College Park on Feb. 16. for the second time in four years against their ACC rival.
TOP 10: The best court-rushing games in college basketball[3]
While fans in the stands haven’t thought twice about rushing the court against Duke this season, Coach Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, calling it a safety concern Thursday after sifting through Cavaliers fans.
“Whatever you’re doing, you need to get the team off first,” Krzyzewski said, according to the Raleigh News & Observer[4]. “Look, celebrate, have fun, obviously you won, that’s cool. Just get our team off the court and our coaching staff before students come on.
“Look do you know how close you are to, just put yourself in the position of one of our players or coaches. I’m not saying any fan did this, but the potential is there all the time for a fan to just go up to you and say, ‘Coach you’re a … ‘ or push you or hit you. And what do you do? What if you did something? That would be the story. We deserve that type of protection.”
This isn’t the first time Coach K has been critical of students leaving their seats following a big win. Following Duke’s win over North Carolina on Feb. 13, it looked as though Krzyzewski raised his hands[5] to the fans as to keep them from rushing the court. While his motives weren’t entirely clear at the time, perhaps his comments Thursday can provide a little more insight to his feelings on the celebration.
PHOTOS: VIRGINIA BEATS DUKE
Krzyzewski wanted to note that his comments were not meant to overshadow Virginia’s performance.
“I don’t want to demean the game with this,” he said. “They played great. Harris was unbelievable. That’s the story of the game.”
Well that was nice of him. But, what’s a Coach K press conference without a little wise crack to finish things off?
“Again, congratulations to them, and they should have fun and burn benches and do all that stuff,” he quipped. “I’m all for that.”
References
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/02/28/virginia-topples-no-3-duke/1955605/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/12/man-in-wheelchair-joins-nc-state-court-rush-after-duke-win/1828957/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/02/06/ranking-the-five-best-court-rushes-this-college-basketball-season/1894435/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://blogs.newsobserver.com/dukenow/postgame-thoughts-from-dukes-73-68-loss-at-virginia (blogs.newsobserver.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/02/14/coach-k-cameron-crazies-storm-court/1919993/ (www.usatoday.com)
