Three seconds left.
That's all that stands between thousands of rabid basketball fans, an upset win, and the party of their lives at center court. It's a situation the UA men's basketball team knows all too well.
As the 14th-ranked Wildcats head to hostile McArthur Court, aptly known as "The Pit," to take on the Oregon Ducks tonight, another court-rushing scenario like those after consecutive losses at Washington, California and Stanford isn't all that far-fetched.
But UA athletics officials said protecting players from scenarios like the stampede that paralyzed 18-year-old Tucson High School senior Joe Kay following an upset victory is nearly impossible.
"We're really at the mercy of the intelligence of the crowd to maintain common courtesy," said Suzy Mason, director of event management for the UA athletics department.
Even with additional security, there is no guaranteed protection.
"There's not much you can do about it, frankly, because we have a lot of security at our games here and away from home," UA men's basketball head coach Lute Olson said. "And it was shown at Stanford that all the security in the world wouldn't keep that crowd from rushing."
Security at McKale Center ÷ capacity 14,565 ÷ typically consists of a combination of security officials from private companies and the UAPD, who work with other agencies, Mason said.
But playing on the road is more of a concern, as Mason said fans are more likely to rush after an upset victory over prominent programs like Arizona.
Sophomore forward Andre Iguodala said he used his arm to block a fan making his way for him during Arizona's last-second loss at Stanford earlier this month.
"I think he popped right back up," said the sophomore forward. "Then another guy ran into me and he just missed. It's kind of hard. · You don't know what the fans are doing; you think they want to rush the floor but they maybe want to touch you, come up close to you. So you try and get off the floor as quick as possible."
One security guard was assigned to keep watch on Olson during the contest at Maples Pavilion, while four were assigned to keep tabs on the UA team, said Carl Reed, assistant athletic director