Mississippi State basketball toppled fifth-ranked Tennessee at home on Wednesday night. Its fanbase did not storm the court when the clock hit zero.
The same cannot be said about the 0.1 second prior to the game’s conclusion. A pair of bananas did their best to rush the floor in celebration of the victory.
Only one of them actually reached the hardwood, and he got there too early. It did not end well for him.
As a full tenth of a second was still on the clock. Oops!
The banana suit-wearing fan ran all of the way across the court before getting apprehended by security. His smile quickly turned upside down when a nearby police officer took matters into his own hands and used seemingly unnecessary force to get him off of the playing surface.
— No Context College Basketball (@ContextFreeCBB) January 11, 2024
The banana probably thought that the game was over and made a hilarious mistake, but university officials had been very clear that they did not want fans to storm the court. As a result, even though a removal from the game likely would have been enough, the fan was arrested.
Wednesday’s win marked the Bulldogs’ first against a top-five team since 2002. A court storm was entirely warranted. Mississippi State, likely in effort to avoid a fine, ruined the fun.
The banana tried to keep the party going. He was ultimately arrested for poor clock management.
As soon as the image of his arrest hit the internet, fans rallied together in support. They shared his Venmo tag on social media, which led to an influx of financial donations.
Banana man was able to pay bail and made it home by 10pm.
Rules are rules and laws are laws, so an arrest was warranted by the book. However, the fan in the banana suit leaving the arena in cuffs seems unnecessary.
He thought the college basketball game was over!