How much storming court will cost South Carolina after Kentucky win
—— UPDATE: The SEC fined South Carolina on Wednesday. Here are the details. ——
When the fans come pouring onto the basketball court, there’s a bit of a price to pay. Literally.
Gamecocks fans celebrated at 79-62 win over No. 6 Kentucky, storming the floor at Colonial Life Arena as the clock hit double zeros. It’s the second time in two years there’s been a storming at South Carolina, including the field storm after USC football defeated Tennessee in 2022.
The SEC typically announces court or field storming fines for a school the day after an incident. The conference defines a court storming as when fans rush the court or field while officials and/or the visiting team are still on the playing surface.
The conference began a new agreement in June that schools will be fined $100,000 on the first offense, $200,000 on the second and $500,000 on any other offense. All schools were given clean slates to start this year.
So, USC can expect a $100,000 bill to pay as soon as Wednesday morning. Though in this case, it’s a fine the Gamecocks are probably willing to hand over.
“I’ve paid a fine for storming the court after beating Kentucky before, but this time it was free for me so I joined the crowd,” South Carolina President Emeritus Harris Pastides said on X (formerly Twitter). “Best students anywhere!”
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 9:54 PM.
