Storming Time

We're No. 18!

Looks like it's once again time for me to write about my rules for storming the court at the end of a college basketball game. The short and simple version goes as follows: Don't.

99.9 percent of the time when you storm the court all you are saying about your school is that "We suck and we know it!" Now, that's fine if you're an 0-15 team and you upset No. 1 in the nation. By all means, go crazy. After all, in that case you're more than welcome to revel in the victory.

But at least in that case I understand why you'd want to go nuts at the end of the game. When you're No. 3 in the country and you beat No. 14? Don't storm the court. You're supposed to win. Be happy. Cheer like madmen! Stay off the court.

See this picture below? This is the celebration that happened after Florida State beat No. 1 Duke. A truly once-in-a-lifetime win that is certainly cause for euphoria, right?

Huzzah! Seminoles win! P.S. - WE SUCK!

Here's the problem... the picture above is not from last night (Wednesday) when said upset took place. It's from March of 2006 when the same exact said upset took place. Storming the court against Duke only says one thing to the fans of Duke: your team is better than ours. 

That said, there are a few exceptions to this rule. In my opinion, you are allowed to storm the court under the following circumstances without it reflecting poorly on your school. They are as follows:

1) You win the last home game of the season and in the process either win your conference title or complete an undefeated season. This is clearly a celebration of your team's season and the identity of your opponent in this situation is irrelevant. 

2) A spontaneous rushing as a result of a buzzer-beater. Nobody is going to call you out if rushing of the court seems natural... in fact this classic one at the Carrier Dome -- fast forward to 1:06 to get to the good stuff -- takes forever to actually develop. 

3) Huge comeback against a rival. It's not enough for a Big 12 team to come from 15 points down to a Great West  team with ten minutes to play to warrant a court-storming. When you're supposed to win by 40, a nail-biter is nothing to celebrate. However, if you're Michigan and you  score the last ten points to beat Michigan State, or vice versa... regardless of the records or the time of year, go for it.

Remember... storming the court is a grand statement by a fan base. Before you do it, make darn sure it's saying what you want it to.