Nevada fell on Saturday night in an upset loss to Utah State, which ended with a court storming.
That postgame scene, though, was exactly why court storming should be delegated out of college basketball. It started with a Nevada player punching through glass and ended with the Nevada coaching staff getting in a expletive-laced argument with police officers.
Video from the tunnel showed Nevada forward Jordan Caroline needing to be held back after punching through the glass case of a fire extinguisher. Caroline, who was still screaming after punching the glass, needed to be physically restrained and ushered to the locker room. (Warning: Strong language)
We then heard the Nevada coaching staff yell at responding officers about a lack of urgency when it came to Utah State fans touching players — one staffer had to be restrained in that separate confrontation.
The video of the court storming didn’t appear to show any players get touched by fans. There was a Utah State staffer ushering players to the roped-off area at the 2:15 mark, but it was still difficult to see if anything happened.
According to ESPN’s Michael Eaves, a Utah State staffer made a profane remark to Caroline after the game, which set him off in the hallway.
The Mountain West Conference is investigating the incident. Nevada athletics director Doug Knuth posted a statement in multiple Twitter posts Sunday, via USA TODAY Sports:
“We continue working closely with Utah State and the Mountain West Conference office to determine the facts of the emotional post game events. I have also been in regular communication with (Eric Musselman) and our Deputy AD who was at the game with the team. … I appreciate (Coach Musselman) maintaining a calm demeanor and helping his players and staff through a difficult situation. Coach Muss and I will continue gathering information and working with the MW office.”
You can read more here.
