After a series of widely-publicized incidents involving college basketball, the issue of fans storming the courts has once again come under scrutiny by college athletic officials. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark discussed this topic with ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” stressing that court-storming is an industry-wide concern that demands collective attention. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey even proposed the possibility of the home team forfeiting the game if its fans storm the playing field.
Despite these concerns, incidents of court-storming have been a rare occurrence in the Texas basketball scene. Over the course of two seasons at the Moody Center, fans have never rushed onto the court, even after significant home victories over top-ranked teams such as Kansas and Baylor during last year’s Elite Eight run. The most recent court-storming incident involving Texas fans took place after an upset win over the then No. 8 Kansas on Feb. 7, 2022. Prior to this, there had been no reported instances of fans storming the court, a fact corroborated by former American-Statesmen beat reporters Mark Rosner and Brian Davis, who have covered Texas basketball for nearly three decades.
Interestingly, this composed behaviour is not exclusive to basketball. Even in football, apart from an upset victory over Houston in 1990, Longhorn fans have rarely rushed the field at Royal-Memorial Stadium en masse. The overall sports culture at Texas appears to celebrate victories in a more restrained manner compared to other colleges.
In conclusion, while the issue of fans storming the court has garnered attention, it remains a rare occurrence in the context of Texas basketball. The restrained and composed reactions of Texas fans may reflect their sportsmanship and reverence for the game, distinguishing them from the more exuberant fan bases in other college sports scenes.