LOOK: Arkansas AD provides Kentucky basketball with serious bulletin board material
Saturday is a huge day for college basketball, with a number of premium matchups ready to be played. One of those games is a matchup between SEC foes Kentucky and Arkansas. Kentucky, currently ranked No. 6, is one game back from Auburn in SEC standings. Arkansas, No. 18, is two games back. The outcome of Saturday’s game between Arkansas and Kentucky will have a huge impact on the SEC picture with just a handful of games remaining in the regular season.
Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek took to Twitter on Friday with a message to Razorbacks fans, saying that there will not be any court storming if Arkansas is able to pull off the win against Kentucky.
“Another big opportunity for @RazorbackMBB tomorrow, as we host a very good Kentucky team at Bud Walton Arena,” Yurachek tweeted. “I know, because of the passion of Razorback fans, the atmosphere will be special. If we WIN, we will celebrate like Razorbacks do, just not on the court.”
Attached to Yurachek’s tweet was an image with some promotions for students. The first 3,000 students in attendance will win free retro Hog t-shirts, and there will be 1,500 white pom poms in the lower level of Bud Walton Arena. But also included was a message to the fans, saying that Arkansas will bring the celebration to the crowd, instead of the fans taking the celebrations to the court.
“IF we’re fortunate enough to take down the No. 3 Wildcats, we’re taking the celebration to you this time! In an effort to keep all student-athletes, the visiting team, officials, and YOU safe, we ask that everyone remain off the court and allow our team to come celebrate with you,” the message said.
Arkansas is looking to avoid further fines if they beat Kentucky
Arkansas pulled off a huge upset over Auburn, who was ranked No. 1, on February 8. The Razorbacks forced overtime and eventually pulled off an 80-76 victory over the Tigers inside Bud Walton Arena. Fans stormed the court in celebration, and Arkansas was fined $250,000 for the event, which was the university’s third offense.
The SEC policy on court storming can be read below:
“Access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”