BY MATT CRAIG | NCAA EXTERN | BALL STATE SPORTS LINK
This piece was originally published on NCAA.com
What a week of college basketball it was, with 14 of the top 25 teams in the AP poll falling. And as the drama of the games unfolded, the internet was ready and waiting to capture the best and worst of the action on and off the court. There was a little bit of everything, from celebrity appearances to creative fan costumes.
Here are the four best social media moments from the past week.
4) We begin with a blooper. But what it really is, is an old pick-up basketball trick. Putting your hands up and calling for the ball when you’re on the other team, hoping to trick your opponent into throwing it to you. I’ve frankly never seen it pulled off before in a college basketball game, and I consider it less of a blooper on the LSU player’s part and more a brilliant acting performance on the Texas Tech player’s part. The Oscars aren’t until next month but that man deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Texas Tech dude on the bench puts his arms up. LSU dude passes him the ball. pic.twitter.com/mvPm4XH3A7
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) January 28, 2017
3) This week No. 1-ranked Villanova suffered just its second loss since capturing the national championship last April, in a thrilling 74-72 slugfest with Marquette. The difference in the game may well have been the deafening Marquette home crowd, which came to life as the Golden Eagles came back from a 17-point deficit. Both head coach Steve Wojciechowski and sophomore guard Haanif Cheatham tweeted their appreciation, and showed off the incredible support in the arena that night.
https://twitter.com/steve_wojo/status/824111308551421953
— Haanif Cheatham (@hcheatham_22) January 25, 2017
2) It seems every week we see another celebrity popping up at big college basketball games across the country. But this week we had a double portion, with Lebron James and Stephen Curry both showing up for hometown teams. Curry was a member of the 2009 Davidson team that reached the Elite 8 with wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin before falling to eventual champion Kansas. And though James never played for Akron, most of his home basketball games his senior year in high school had to be played in Akron’s arena in order to accomodate the demand for tickets.
1) The student sections at college basketball games are one of the greatest spectacles in all of sport. Everyone knew that Kentucky students was going to bring it in one of the biggest games of the year, a showdown against a fellow top five team in Kansas. But this just absolutely crushes the high expectations. A “You’re Not in Kansas Anymore” sign was accompanied with full outfits of all of the characters of Wizard of Oz. The level of dedication is amazing.
