Indiana Should Be Above Court Storming
Jan 14, 2014; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers fans storm the floor after the victory against the Wisconsin Badgers at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats Wisconsin 75-72. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
On Tuesday night, the Indiana Hoosiers upset the third-ranked and previously undefeated Wisconsin Badgers. It was a close game which resulted with the Hoosiers winning, 75-72.
It was an emotional victory for the Hoosiers that was sealed by a defensive stop. As the final horn sounded, the students at Assembly Hall flooded the court. Let me repeat that. The students at the storied Indiana University stormed the floor after defeating a conference opponent — in January.
For the love of Bobby Knight, that is unacceptable.
Yeah, I know court storming is all the rage these days. Yes, I also know that I’m kind of an old school fan. I still think four steps is a walk under any circumstance. Regardless, I’m definitely prepared to hold the line on this one.
Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not a safety issue, nor am I a total killjoy (I’ve thrown Hershey Kisses onto the floor at Martz Hall to celebrate a high school team qualifying for the Pennsylvania state championship game). Court storming does have its place.
If you are a student who enrolled at a college that had no reason to believe it would ever knock off a top team during your four years on campus, then by all means, storm the court. Or, if you go to a school where none of your top recruits were coveted by schools in the power conferences, go ahead and rush onto the floor to celebrate a victory.
But, if you go to school that is home to one of the ten most successful college basketball programs of all time, cheer loudly and boisterously, but cheer from your seat.
I understand that college students are an energetic bunch. But, I believe that court storming is a matter of pride. I also believe that Indiana is a school that should have too much pride to ever storm the court after beating anyone — ever.