Brian against Rushing the Court

Submitted by M-Wolverine on
Brian's on WTKA today (you're all listening, right?) and when the rushing the court was brought up, he was against it. He thought the program shouldn't have to rush the court when beating just the #15 team in the country. He made sure to point out that it wasn't a big deal that they did (not to the level of say, piped in music), but he wouldn't have rushed the court if he was there. He wondered what the students could do if they beat MSU this week after having already playing the 'rush the court' card. He also liked Verne doing the telecast, FWIW. So, there was a lot of negging going back and forth over this yesterday. Hot words, in both directions. This change anyone's opinion, one way or another? Anyone want to call say "Ah HA", or call Brian a doody head?
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Don

January 18th, 2010 at 5:08 PM ^

When we get to the point of making the NCAA five years out of six and consistently are at the top of the Big Ten and beat MSU as often as not, then we can consider ourselves "above" rushing the court after beating a #15 team. That so many people seem to assume that we've already taken a spot among the top teams in the country so therefore rushing the court is inappropriate is just bizarre to me. It's a level of cognitive dissonance that's pretty remarkable. This program has been in the absolute crapper for 10 years or more, but one single solitary appearance in the NCAA has evidently erased all of that decade-long suck for some folks. I have no problem with people who themselves don't feel like rushing the court; it's purely an individual thing. What I don't get is that so many believe it was so contemptible to do it.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 148274

Musket Rebellion

January 18th, 2010 at 5:25 PM ^

It isn't that we are above rushing the court after beating the #15 team in the country. It is that we should carry ourselves like a fanbase that is above rushing the court against the #15 team in the country. At least, that's what I think Brian was trying to say.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 856

WreckingCrew

January 18th, 2010 at 5:43 PM ^

If you're a non-student, you may or may not be aware, but they did student tickets differently for the UConn and State games this year. Normally, it's general admission, encouraging kids to get to the gate early. But these two games reward kids who had perfect attendance through the first five games, giving them better odds at getting a draw in the bleacher section. If you got selected for the bleachers (not everyone with perfect attendance did, btw), you were to pick up your tickets before getting to Crisler. It's a somewhat strange system, although it makes sense if they didn't want kids camping out for hours before tip. My point: I still believe this was an important game, and I rushed the court along with all of my peers. But maybe we were led to believe that the game was bigger than it was with the ticket structure and all. Oh well. It was a great time.

Joined: 08/19/2009

MGoPoints: 141

M-Wolverine

January 18th, 2010 at 5:46 PM ^

But I'm guessing they set up the game that way before the season even began when they thought that U-Conn was the Final Four type substance team they were last year, and this would be a big game because we'd be a ranked good team, and they'd be a juggernaut that we'd be using to make seeding hay out of. Not a team struggling to make the NIT vs. a team losing 3 in a row.

Joined: 10/04/2009

MGoPoints: 42190

aaamichfan

January 18th, 2010 at 5:10 PM ^

I would normally be against rushing the court after beating #15, but the students/team were looking for a reason to celebrate in the midst of an otherwise lackluster season. If rushing the court can reinvigorate fans and students about UMBB, why not?

Joined: 10/23/2009

MGoPoints: 14362

those.who.stay.

January 18th, 2010 at 7:10 PM ^

as a student here, we're just happy to get a good win. I wasn't at the game (I had to work), but I think it's easy to see how hungry our students are for wins. I'm sure in the future we will compete frequently for Big Ten Championships in both football and basketball, but in the meanwhile we'll take what we can get.

Joined: 12/30/2008

MGoPoints: 3986

mjv

January 18th, 2010 at 5:11 PM ^

Rush the court. If the students are excited enough about the game, they should do it. Why try to limit the atmosphere. The students should err on the side of more fun instead of less fun. There have been a thousand posts about getting people more involved at football games, while this refers to basketball, it is the same principle.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 3656

Other Chris

January 18th, 2010 at 5:49 PM ^

People bitch and moan about how no one cheers, no one stands, no one cares. Now they complain because a segment of the Maize Rage cared maybe a bit too much and OMG! rushed the court. Manny and Darius Morris admitted on the record that they liked it, and photos showed Brandon Graham and Devin Gardner on the court and looking as if THEY liked it. Current student athletes outrank Brian as opinion leaders in this matter for me. You don't wanna rush the floor, don't, but good lord shut up about it. How many threads do we need on this?

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 1219

jwschultz

January 18th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^

After all the kerfuffle, I have been thinking that we should just make it a tradition to rush the court after every win, in a quick but measured way. I was thinking more along the lines of a spirited fan/player party, but I really like this hand-shaking idea. Everyone could bring monocles and pipes and equip them as the horn sounds. The students could pair off and perform an actual Victors Waltz. Pip-pip, cheerio.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 643

hpkscooter

January 18th, 2010 at 5:22 PM ^

Can you really be angry at students for rushing the court Sunday? While it was not the biggest win in the world and didn't improve our incredibly slim tournament chances all that much, this game was what all of us have been expecting this year, and rushing the court was taking out our frustration on the season and celebrating a big win. It was a split second reaction anyway, and I'm sure most students just followed because those in the first few rows stormed. People are saying "Save it for Sparty". Do you really think we are going to beat State? While I wasn't a huge fan of the court storming, I don't think it was an awful move.

Joined: 01/18/2010

MGoPoints: 1

jmblue

January 18th, 2010 at 5:41 PM ^

I have crazy respect for Brian for running this site, but I don't think his opinion is gospel. It doesn't change my view any, which is that complaining about this falls dangerously close to the "Down in front!" complaining. We've complained forever that our fans aren't raucous enough, and now when they show a ton of emotion, that's a bad thing, too? Who cares if they've "played the rush card" already? If we beat MSU, why not rush again? The most important thing is that our newfound large student section (2,500, compared to 480 last year) enjoys itself at the games and makes Crisler a happening place to go to.

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102724

weasel3216

January 18th, 2010 at 7:37 PM ^

Great point about student season tickets. Plus, this game is was on national TV, this shows anyone who watched Michigan is more than just a football school. It shows that we have passion for all sports and he will be a rising power in the Big Ten for years to come. I am glad we rushed the court, it shows the students are behind the program and that the program should be considered as a serious contender in the years to come, especially with Beilein behind the helms.

Joined: 08/09/2009

MGoPoints: 3502

aaamichfan

January 18th, 2010 at 5:28 PM ^

Another question: I read something on Rivals about Trey Zeigler considering a visit for the game yesterday. Does anyone know if he ended up in attendance?

Joined: 10/23/2009

MGoPoints: 14362

UMWest22

January 18th, 2010 at 5:34 PM ^

after the Wisconsin game in '08, Brian said he heard someone, leaving the game, complaining about the missed 2 point conversion or something to that effect. He said something to the effect that, "These people must lead really depressing lives if they can find something to complain about after that game." Well, I say that everyone who is on this DON'T RUSH THE COURT EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR UNLESS WE BEAT KANSAS-KENTUCKY-TEXAS DURING THE SAME GAME kick, leads a terrible life. Do you really have to find something negative in everything? This is the perfect example of why our fan base gets such a negative rap. I'm sorry for all of the toes I'm sure I just stepped on, but I really had to say something.

Joined: 10/26/2009

MGoPoints: 437

TIMMMAAY

January 18th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^

The desperate need for a good OOC win, the fact that we seemed to have it in hand but still had the uneasy feeling it would slip away, and finally with the outcome resting on a few free-throws. It makes for an exciting ending. Also, wasn't OSU on a weekday?

Joined: 09/08/2008

MGoPoints: 56286

jmblue

January 18th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^

I don't think it was about the ranking, per se. UConn is a marquee program and beating them makes national headlines. OSU is merely a good program (and in their current state, without Evan Turner, they're just average).

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102724

wile_e8

January 18th, 2010 at 6:22 PM ^

But then, in football, we're at least SUPPOSED to be good.
FWIW I think this might be part of the reason why there is so much "Get off my lawn!" sentiment going on over this. While most of the current students barely remember the last time Michigan made the tournament prior to last year, older fans remember when beating the #15 team wasn't such a rare thing (and seriously, I'm not even 30, I'm not talking that much older). So I think the grumblers are annoyed that lots of people would think the basketball team isn't supposed to be good too. We'd like to pretend that last decade was an aberration, rushing the court against the #15 team doesn't help.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 7381

mooseman

January 18th, 2010 at 9:12 PM ^

(Seven years--might as well join the peace corps) Those were great times for the basketball team and no one would have rushed the court for a win like this. HOWEVER, we have not had that kind of success in what seems like forever. Truth be told, the basketball crowd was pretty complacent even when we were good. I can't wait for the day that we are above rushing the court for a win like this. But I had my fun and until that day comes, I say rush if you feel like rushing.

Joined: 07/10/2008

MGoPoints: 35449

rbgoblue

January 18th, 2010 at 5:43 PM ^

I am a student. I was sitting in the bleachers. I did not rush the court (there were only a few of us). But if it created a better atmosphere for the many recruits attending, then I wont complain a single word. Look at it this way. Less than 600 students purchased student tickets last year when we beat Duke and rushed the court (justifiably). Close to 2500 students bought tickets this year, and I'm willing to guess that most of those on the court were not present for last season's Duke game. It looked cool on TV last year so when they got the chance to do the same, they took it. Lets not take anything away from how amazing the atmosphere was at Crisler Sunday afternoon.

Joined: 07/20/2009

MGoPoints: 4334

MH20

January 18th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^

I have incredible respect for what Brian does, however I have to disagree with his opinion. I had no problem with the students rushing the court.

Joined: 10/30/2008

MGoPoints: 40592