There’s nothing wrong with storming the court, but Kansas State fans took their celebration a bit too far after a rare moment of happiness in a terrible season for the Wildcats following a 70-63 over Kansas, making their rush more than just having fun with their players.
Bill Self, the Kansas head coach, was pinned to the scoring table by the rampant fans, and it seemed that some staff members were finding it difficult to make their way off the court, including some of the players. Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend was seen in a video using a headlock in order to subdue a rowdy fan and pushing him away from Jayhawks players after taunting them and appearing to be trying to get a bit too physical.
Storming the court is a tradition in college basketball when upsets occur or big wins are achieved. Kansas State fans stormed the court last season as well when they beat Kansas, but it didn't get as rowdy as it did on this occasion. Bruce Weber, Kansas State's head coach, apologized to Kansas players and to Bill Self. He himself also got pinned with Self to the scorer's table after shaking his hand, and actually helped get him out of that situation. As for the game itself, Kansas State won thanks to making the most off turnovers, outscoring the Jayhawks that way by 10 points. Nigel Johnson scored 20 points off the bench and Nino Williams helped out with 15 points, while the Jayhawks had only Perry Ellis in fine form (24 points), overall shooting just 39.3% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc. The loss means they haven't secured yet another Big 12 title, losing for the fourth time in conference play this season, leaving an opening for Iowa State to either share it with them or even win it outright. As for Kansas State, they're now only 14-15 overall this season and 7-9 in conference play. At least they marked down the second most important thing for most fans in Manhattan - handing Kansas at least one loss, which doesn't happen every year.