Sporting norms change as the years go by.
Tonight, Wisconsin lost to Penn State 87-83 to fall to 13-4 on the season and 5-1 in Big Ten play. The Badgers’ incredible start to the season still exists, but the team now has a blemish in conference play with Purdue sitting a game back at 4-2.
There are several stories from the game. The officiating was suspect, the game tipped off at 9 p.m. eastern for some reason and the Badgers lost to one of the worst teams in the conference. It’s a game you as a team try to move past quickly.
One other story from the game that must be pointed out is that the Penn State faithful rushed the court after the win. Now I don’t know what’s acceptable and what isn’t, but the team beat the No. 11 team in the nation (who was at No. 15 just two days ago). It wasn’t a titanic upset against the No. 1-ranked team in the land.
Yes, the Badgers were 5.5-point favorites. So the concept of rushing the court when the team was favored isn’t in play here.
Penn State beats No. 11 Wisconsin! pic.twitter.com/YbpCuCLvbZ
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 17, 2024
But I’ll throw a flag on this one. There should be an arbitrary cutoff at the nation’s top 10, or maybe even top 5. We can’t have courts being stormed against a team ranked No. 11 in the nation.