Three Simple Rules

ESPN's Pat Forde has three simple rules for fans of the home team at an NCAA basketball game:

1. Maintain absolute conviction that the refs are conspiring against your team.
2. Never let an opposing player forget it when he shoots an air ball.
3. Never rush the court when your team has the higher ranking.

Now, it's very difficult to know when Rule #1 is violated, because it can be a non-vocal thing. They can just be seething at the refs under the surface. Of course, for the most part, it's a very vocal rule, that can often extend well beyond the actual end of the game. In any case, this is not one of the rules that was violated yesterday in the ways that Rules #2 and #3 were broken by the fans of the University of Nevada and Boston College, respectively. Late in Nevada's Bracket Buster Saturday game against the University of Vermont, Catamount power forward Taylor Coppenrath unleashed a long three which bounced off of the front of the rim. Nevada Wolfpack fans proceeded to chant "air ball" through the next possession and into the commercial break. Bravo. Sounds like the people of Reno need a "Basketball 101" course to properly explain the concept of an "air ball," i.e., a shot that hits nothing but air. On the Heights, Eagles fans rushed the court when their #6 ranked team beat the #9 Syracuse Orangemen. Congratulations, you win when you're supposed to win... just like when you defeated Northeastern and Providence... except this game was on national television, so it's "LOOK AT ME, I FOUND AN EXCUSE TO EMBARRASS MYSELF AND MY SCHOOL ON TV... WHEEEEEEEEEE. HI MOM!"

For your violations of decency and self-respect, I proudly salute you Wolfpack and Eagle fans. Well done.