Thursday, March 19, 2009

For Davidson, SC, the NIT is plenty intense

Everyone who assumes there is no basketball life after the NCAA selection committee says no should have been at the Davidson-South Carolina NIT opener in Columbia Wednesday night. The game was remarkably physical, and that almost carried over into the Colonial Life Arena stands, as arguments and near-fights broke out in several areas.

One female Davidson supporter, sitting near Gamecocks fans, was cursed at, and Wildcats athletic director Jim Murphy, seeing the commotion from his seat by the court, went up into the stands to help calm things down.

The thumping and banging on the floor was worthy of the NCAAs. At one point, as Davidson raced off on a fast break, Wildcats guard Brendan McKillop crashed to the floor, tangled up with South Carolina's Sam Muldrow. The officials stopped the break and brought the ball back.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop was yelling, "flop, flop, flop!" concerning Muldrow, who did appear to have dragged the younger McKillop to the floor. Coach McKillop zeroed in on one official, shouting, "I've seen it on tape after tape (while scouting SC). I don't know why the SEC puts up with his bullcrap."--Stan Olson

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The South Carolina fan in Section 104, Row 2, Seat 16 was a wonderful companion for the game. He only shouted the "N" word once, only said the "F" word three times, and only attacked the nationality of Davidson's Canadian players.

Thanks, South Carolina fans, you showed about as much class as the racists at Winthrop.

Anonymous said...

what do Winthrop and USC have in common?

They are both below the line of demarcation between enlightened democracy and ancient plantation-based autocracy.

Welcome to South Carolina, please leave your brain at the border.

Anonymous said...

I get tired of people attacking the fan base of SC. Yes, it's true that there are a few "fans" who go overboard with comments about nationality or race; but that is true at ALL ARENAS throughout the US!!! If a person denies this, then you just are not listening.

Anonymous said...

"Yes, it's true that there are a few "fans" who go overboard with comments about nationality or race; but that is true at ALL ARENAS throughout the US!!! If a person denies this, then you just are not listening."

I'm a Davidson grad/fan, and I have to agree. Every school has idiotic fans.

Yes, it was a VERY intense atmosphere at the game the other night. However, don't paint an entire state with that VERY broad brush, please. (Full disclosure - I live in SC.)

Anonymous said...

Good luck finding such a fan (screaming insults about race and nationality) at a Davidson game.

Anonymous said...

I just returned from the South Carolina/Davidson Game. I am a South Carolina fan. Congratulations to Davidson on your win. During the game,
as the South Carolina band started to play Sweet Caroline, the Davidson fan in front of me, turned and screamed at me. She told me it was tacky, that she couldn't believe it, and that we were going to lose. Then she left the arena. I didn't know what she was talking about until later in the game, when Davidson played Sweet Caroline. The Davidson fans were much more enthusiastic about the song. I have since found out that it is a very special song to Davidson, but do Davidson's fans really feel that other teams shouldn't play it, or was the woman screaming at me feeling a bit too territorial about the song?
Lots of teams claim the song. Give us a break. We do have the word CAROLINA in our name.

Anonymous said...

It's because a lot of idiots (Davidson fans, South Carolina fans, whatever-else fans) fail to realize that every college basketball game features the same five or ten songs being played. Absolutely mind-numbing when Davidson fans express "shock" that songs like Sweet Caroline are played everywhere. Hell, it's been played at hockey and football games lately.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I've heard the N word a few times from older Davidson fans. Most classless fans I've ever encountered.

I think the Davidson fans like to make up things about others to hide their own lack of class.

Anonymous said...

I guess you haven't attended a game at Davidson in the last 75 years. You will never hear anything like that, and our older fans are almost always silent. If they make any noise at all, it's directed at referees.

Anonymous said...

Nope, what I've heard over the years is Davidson's fanbase deride every other school's fanbase about something, maybe they should look at themselves first. I've heard the worst language and seen the worst displays of low class behavior out of that fanbase than any other.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the last post. I've never had anyone scream at me at a basketball game until the Davidson/South Carolina Game and I have been attending games for forty years!

I hope St. Mary's sings Sweet Caroline tonight!!!