The SEC fined Ole Miss $500,000 after fans stormed the court following the Rebels’ 78-76 win over No. 4 Tennessee in a men’s basketball game on Wednesday, the conference announced Friday.
The SEC also issued a citation for interrupting the game after a fan threw an object on the court while the game was tied at 61 with 6:51 to play and Tennessee’s Jordan Gainey prepared to attempt a free throw.
Ole Miss coach Chris Beard grabbed the arena’s public address microphone as players on the court waved off angry fans in the stands.
“That’s not what we do in Oxford, Mississippi, OK? Enjoy the game,” Beard told fans during the stoppage.
After the game, a voice on the public address system was repeatedly imploring fans to not rush the court.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement that the conference needs to consider “reducing or removing” fines when administrative leadership is ignored by a small group of people.
“Keith Carter and the Ole Miss leadership have been diligent in updating its postgame basketball court access policy and it was encouraging to see the vast majority of fans obey the new policy by remaining in the stands immediately following Wednesday’s game with Tennessee,” Sankey said. “It is disappointing that a small number of fans have created this problem, but the postgame court incursion by fans who disregarded the policy violates the expectations of the access to competition area policy.”
The fine is Ole Miss’ third offense since 2023, when the SEC instituted stricter penalties for fans accessing playing surfaces. Ole Miss fans stormed the field after beating LSU 55-49 in football in 2023 and again last season after beating Georgia, 28-10.
The fines are paid to the opposing school, so per league rules, Ole Miss’ latest fine will go to Tennessee. For poor conduct during nonconference games, fines are paid to the conference’s postgraduate scholarship fund.
Ole Miss released a statement Friday in which Carter bemoaned the fines and promised the administration would take acts to discourage similar fan behavior in the future.
“Our staff is currently reviewing postgame footage from Wednesday, and any individuals who are identified will face the potential loss of game privileges,” the statement read, in part. “Entering the playing surface without permission is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Penalties will be increased moving forward, including holding perpetrators on the court or field and revoking their game privileges on site. We are also exploring other avenues to hold those that break the rules accountable. Simply put, this must stop.”
The win was Ole Miss’ second of the season over a top-five opponent, a first in school history.
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(Photo: Wesley Hale / Imagn Images)
