The score is 71-69. There’s 6.6 seconds left on the clock. More than 13,000 fans hold their breaths as their team has one last chance to win the game or force overtime.
LSU forward Jarell Martin inbounds the ball to guard Tim Quarterman, and the clock begins to run. Guard Keith Hornsby springs free after a screen for a split second, but he rushes the shot. It clangs off the rim, gets tipped around and falls to the ground without a second shot attempt before the clock strikes zero. Game over.
Most fans stood still, shocked their team couldn’t hang on down the stretch to secure the victory.
This was the final sequence from the LSU-Kentucky game from Feb. 10 at the PMAC. Many of you probably realized it because you were there and saw it live. You were probably part of the near capacity crowd standing there stone-faced. 
But what if Hornsby found a way to make the off-balanced 3-pointer with seconds left, or someone else got the rebound and tipped in a tying shot leading to an LSU overtime victory? Would you still have stood there in disbelief and disappointment?
We both know the answer is not a chance.
Most of you, including myself, would have stormed the court. It’s what you’re supposed to do when your team upsets the No. 1 team in the country. Storming the court is the biggest cliché in college sports. It’s just fun for the student section to celebrate with its fellow classmates who just accomplished a difficult feat.
Now, before we get the Twitter machine going calling me every name in the book, understand a few things.
I’m not the same person who wrote the “Don’t storm the field” column after the Ole Miss game last semester, so don’t think I’m just some guy who sits around finding a way to lecture you every chance I get about not having fun. I agree with the other writer, but we’re different people.
Also, I’m not condemning you for thinking storming the court is cool and exciting. If I could’ve stormed the court after the Kentucky game, I would have. I wouldn’t have been first, but if others were going, I would’ve been behind them. I even wrote in my pre-game column that Athletic Director Joe Alleva may need to write another check to the Southeastern Conference if LSU wins the game.
And lastly, relax and keep reading. I still haven’t made my point.
On Monday night, unranked Kansas State defeated in-state rival No. 8 Kansas on its homecourt. And keeping with the tradition surrounding college
basketball, the Wildcat fans littered the court to celebrate with their teams upset.
But it didn’t stop there.
The large group that swarmed center court migrated to the scorer’s table, trapping Kansas coach Bill Self and Kansas State coach Bruce Weber while they were shaking hands postgame. It looked like Weber tried to pull Self out of the way to get him away from the mob.
Other fans ran into Kansas players. Before you say it was an accident and they didn’t mean to hit those players, look at videos. One person deliberately dove into a Kansas player as he was walking off the court. Another fan taunted the Kansas bench, leading an assistant coach to put that fan in a pro-wrestling style headlock to get him away from the bench.
That’s ridiculous. Any student who thinks attacking a college athlete is a good thing deserves to have his tickets taken away forever — if not kicked out of the university. It’s embarrassing to your school and to yourself.
Banning court storming isn’t the answer because people are still going to do it. The proof comes from our own conference. 
Despite the SEC’s rule against it, the conference’s fans have made it about themselves numerous times. LSU beats Ole Miss in football last season. Auburn’s “Kick-Six” Iron Bowl victory from 2013. South Carolina defeating Kentucky in basketball in 2014.
Banning it doesn’t work. 
The answer for the athletic departments is to immediately get security around the opposing team and get them out as soon as possible. And fans, be respectful of the other team. It’s not about belittling the other team, it’s about celebrating with yours.
So the next time LSU takes down the No. 1 team or you find it necessary to run around the playing field after a win, take notes from the Kansas State celebration. Keep your act together before you ruin it for everyone.
Brian Pellerin is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Kenner, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Pellerin_TDR.