Georgia fans show it’s possible to be polite and still celebrate win over No. 3 Florida on the court
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Charles Odum, Associated Press
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia fans showed it’s possible to storm the court for a postgame celebration — and to be polite at the same time.
The Stegeman Coliseum public address announcer made repeated requests in the final minute of Georgia’s 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida to wait 90 seconds after the game and give the Gators and officials time to leave the court. The message, delivered during late timeouts, included the addendum that fans then would be welcome to celebrate on the court.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was fans followed the instructions, even though the win over Florida, one of Georgia’s biggest rivals, ended the Gators’ streak of 12 consecutive wins in the series while also providing the Bulldogs with an important boost to their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Players and team officials celebrated on the court for about a minute while fans began filling the aisles, waiting for the go-ahead to rush onto the court. Then, just as the public address announcer promised, the fans were then given full access to rush onto the court.
Many in the crowd of 10,066 remained on the court for several minutes, celebrating Georgia’s first win in the series since March 2, 2019.
There was no immediate word if the unusual postgame order would have any impact on normal fines from the Southeastern Conference to schools for having fans rushing onto the playing field or court following games. The first offense carries a fine of $100,000.
Georgia coach Mike White said he was not involved in any plan before the game to ask fans to wait 90 seconds to celebrate on the court.
“I didn’t know it was coming,” White said. “I leave that to our administration. … I’m sure our players will remember that for the rest of their lives.”
Georgia freshman Asa Newell said he appreciated the fans’ support but added, “We’ve got to keep the fans in the stands.”
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