I don't know if anyone noticed this but there seemed to be an increased law enforcement presence at the Villanova game. Let me give you my two observations:
I don't know the exact time but it was somewhere around the 8 minute mark of the first half the officials blew one of there many calls. For some unknown reason they went over to the monitor to look at something and when they did, with the crowd booing loudly, both coaches began moving closer to the scorers table-but still in their bench areas. Then out behind the bench pops one OPD officer who stands next to Mac and one sheriff who stands next to Jay. While standing next to the coaches they turn and face the crowd. Now I've watched college hoops for 50 years and I have never seen cops go out on the floor, in this case the sideline, at anytime when the games going on. Very strange and they never did it again and we never did hear why there was a delay.
Then at the end of the game there was a line of officers at the end of the court. Ravi and I looked at each other and both said how strange this was. After every game we shoot a video and walk from one end of the court to the other and maybe notice one or two officers but that's it. This was 4-6 lined up. When I asked what was going on the officer said that 12 are on duty for every game. When I said yes but they never lined the court like this he disagreed with me. Ravi and I then left knowing a) he was wrong and b) lets move along no reason to get arrested. ( as we spoke to one officer two others quickly came up to us as well)
I think I may have an explanation. As we left one officer said it was Big East policy. Thinking that with the court storming this may have been a new directive. And the other two cops, not familiar with college hoops, thought they needed to protect the bench area in case there was a court storm during the middle of the game
Just wondering if anyone else noticed.
I don't know the exact time but it was somewhere around the 8 minute mark of the first half the officials blew one of there many calls. For some unknown reason they went over to the monitor to look at something and when they did, with the crowd booing loudly, both coaches began moving closer to the scorers table-but still in their bench areas. Then out behind the bench pops one OPD officer who stands next to Mac and one sheriff who stands next to Jay. While standing next to the coaches they turn and face the crowd. Now I've watched college hoops for 50 years and I have never seen cops go out on the floor, in this case the sideline, at anytime when the games going on. Very strange and they never did it again and we never did hear why there was a delay.
Then at the end of the game there was a line of officers at the end of the court. Ravi and I looked at each other and both said how strange this was. After every game we shoot a video and walk from one end of the court to the other and maybe notice one or two officers but that's it. This was 4-6 lined up. When I asked what was going on the officer said that 12 are on duty for every game. When I said yes but they never lined the court like this he disagreed with me. Ravi and I then left knowing a) he was wrong and b) lets move along no reason to get arrested. ( as we spoke to one officer two others quickly came up to us as well)
I think I may have an explanation. As we left one officer said it was Big East policy. Thinking that with the court storming this may have been a new directive. And the other two cops, not familiar with college hoops, thought they needed to protect the bench area in case there was a court storm during the middle of the game
Just wondering if anyone else noticed.
