There is magic in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
It can be felt in the fans energy. The pure excitement of watching Butler basketball is almost tangible when the stands are packed and the game is seconds away from starting.
On College Game Day, the magic started when students arrived at Hinkle before the sun rose. Dedicated fans waited outside for up to nine hours to guarantee their coveted spots in the Dawg Pound. Fans like these deserved the opportunity to show their excitement for their team.
The atmosphere in the stadium was powerful. Every fan in the stands was screaming. When sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones stole the ball with only three seconds left and hit the buzzer beater, the roar was incredible.
In this situation, rushing the court was the only way Butler students could express the intensity of their team’s victory. Jones hit a miracle shot at the end of a game students had been anticipating all week.
“Now Gonzaga is considered by most to be a major team, but I still think they’re a mid-major, but a step above the other mid-majors. Patrick Hewett, owner of The Spectator blog said. I’d throw Butler in their class too.”
“They’re still just a mid-major and not worth storming the court over, unless they’re ranked in the top five.”
The win had significant results for Butler basketball. Beating Gonzaga ranked Butler No. 9 in the nation.
Between the stakes and the multiple lead changes in the last minute of the game, the emotions and the volume inside Hinkle were running high. Fans deserved to rush the court after the intensity of the final minutes.
This game was the first time Dick Vitale, a college basketball analyst, attended a game in Hinkle Fieldhouse. He summed up in one tweet just how sweet the victory was.
“Last night’s Gonzaga-Butler Classic is 1 of the top 5 games I was part of in 34 yrs,” Vitale tweeted.
Not having been there, Hewett cannot say the game was not worth rushing the court. The end of that game was intense enough for all students at the game to express their pride in the most exuberant way possible, within reason.
Being at that game made every Butler student proud to be a Bulldog. After finally reaching the top 10, students deserved to show their pride.