There?s a saying in sports: act like you?ve been there. Purdue fans, take note.
After watching the Badger basketball team get ?upset? by the Boilermakers 60-56 Saturday, I was just as surprised to see the students rush the court as I was by the final score.
If history tells us anything, this home victory shouldn?t have come as much of a shock for Purdue. After all, Saturday marked the 31st time in 32 tries that UW walked out of Mackey Arena on the losing end, with their only win coming in 2005. Talk about domination.
And it?s not as if this was a David-versus-Goliath matchup that would warrant the type of post-game celebration that we saw Saturday. The Badgers carried the No. 11 ranking into West Lafayette, but let?s be honest here: they just don?t have the look of a top 10 team. Without the big-game players like Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor of last year?s squad, it?s tough to see them ever reaching the rankings they did in 2007.
The Boilermakers, on the other hand, are now 15-5 and 6-1 in the Big Ten, exceeding many people?s preseason expectations. And they?re doing it without a real marquee name on their roster now that Carl Landry, brother of Wisconsin?s Marcus, is gone.
Given their record, one could argue that Purdue?s victory over Wisconsin was a much needed ?r?sum? win,? much like the Badgers? upset of Texas was. But if you truly want to be among the conference elite, you have to act as if you belong there.
When you storm the court, you clearly don?t.
While I appreciate the love the ?Paint Crew? (aptly named after head coach Matt Painter) has for their Boilermakers, I completely disagree with their method of celebration Saturday.
In my opinion, there are only a select number of instances where it is appropriate to jump from your seats and run out onto the middle of the court. Obviously, the aforementioned David slaying Goliath example holds true here. And by Goliath, I don?t mean the 11th-ranked team in the country and the third-best team in the conference.
Last season, when the Badgers had the No. 2 ranking and a 17-game winning streak, they traveled to one of the most historic venues ? Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. ? to take on the No. 25 Hoosiers. The winning streak came to a screeching halt when Indiana prevailed 71-66.
Did this win merit a storming of the court? No. Granted, the Badgers were the second-best team in the country, but the Hoosiers were ranked too.
When Kentucky ? a program that has struggled in recent years ? defeated No. 5 Tennessee last Tuesday, I was half-expecting the Wildcat faithful to rush the floor. Certainly, a win like this ? more of an upset than either of the Badger losses mentioned ? was worthy of such action.
But they didn?t. As the players celebrated in jubilation at midcourt, the fans remained in their seats.
The only other time it should be appropriate for students and fans to do what the Boilermakers did is if the win means something. For instance, when the Badgers clinched the Big Ten title at home in 2003, players were swarmed by adoring fans. Makes sense here, as they not only clinched the conference crown but it was also senior Kirk Penney?s last game at the Kohl Center.
The same thing happened to Wisconsin on the road last season against Ohio State. The Buckeye fans rushed the floor after OSU’s victory earned them the Big Ten title.
Moments like this are good cause for celebration, but they don’t come along often for any team.
I guess you could consider it somewhat of an honor when the opposing team?s fans rush the court after they beat you. It means you?re a team everyone wants to be (and beat). If the fans are ho-hum after a victory over you, it probably means you?re just not that good.
When Purdue comes to the Kohl Center Feb. 9 for a rematch, I can guarantee you none of the Grateful Red will rush the court if and when the Badgers avenge their loss.
We?ve been there before.
Tyler is a junior majoring in journalism. If you?ve ever stormed the court or field after a win, let him know your reasoning at [email protected].
