Miami Hurricanes had some money yanked out of their pockets by the ACC for something they’ll try to do again
The Hurricanes had a big win on the hardwood this week.
The Miami Hurricanes picked up a big win on the hardwood on Tuesday night, knocking off the North Carolina Tar Heels 75-66 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables.
It was Miami’s first home win over North Carolina since January 2022. And following UNC’s 71-68 win over Duke the Tar Heels came in with a lot of hype, along with the No. 11 ranking in this week’s AP Poll.
As such, as the clock hit all zeroes, the students stormed onto the Watsco Center court and celebrated with the jovial players. And that move ultimately cost the school a little bit of money.
The ACC announced on Thursday that Miami has been fined $50,000 as a first offense for the court storming.
Miami fined $50,000 for court storming in win over North Carolina
“The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that the University of Miami has been fined for violation of the league’s event security policy at the conclusion of its men’s basketball game versus the University of North Carolina on February 10,” the statement read.
“The conference’s event security policy is designed to protect the safety and well-being of all student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans.
“In accordance with ACC policy, Miami will incur a fine of $50,000 for a first offense.
“All fines collected under the policy are directed to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund, which benefits ACC student-athletes pursuing graduate education.”
$50,000, to be fair, is a bit of a drop in the bucket for the university, particularly after the last couple of months. The university pulled in approximately $23 million due to the run by the Hurricanes’ football team to the College Football Playoff National Championship game. And under ACC rules, the university gets to keep the entire amount.
And a big win means good things on the way to the NCAA Tournament, which could mean more money for the school in March, with the program projected inside the bracket in ESPN Joe Lunardi’s latest projection.
The fine would increase for a second offense to $100,000 and then to $200,000 for each subsequent offense over a two-year period. The Hurricanes’ only remaining home game against a ranked foe is their home finale against Louisville, who is just inside the Top 25 in this week’s poll. As such, it’s unlikely Miami will incur the penalty again this season.
But Jai Lucas has the Hurricanes on an upward trajectory quickly, and sooner or later, the Hurricanes will have another marquee program beaten on their home floor again and the fans will almost certainly return to rush the court.
And when the bill comes, Miami should have no problem paying it.
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