The BYU Cougars upset the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Saturday night, but that wasn’t the only story to emerge from Tucson. Arizona issued an apology on Sunday morning after Wildcat fans directed an inappropriate chant at the Cougar players, as reported by ESPN.com’s Myron Medcalf.
According to video evidence of the incident, Wildcats fans chanted an expletive along with “Mormons” toward BYU, the flagship institution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as players exited the floor. Medcalf noted, “It capped a chaotic finish that included controversial foul calls and irate coaches and players.” Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois expressed, “Following tonight’s men’s basketball game, it was brought to our attention that an unacceptable chant occurred. On behalf of the University of Arizona Athletic Department, we apologize to BYU, their student-athletes, coaches, and fans. The chant is not reflective of who we are and should not have happened.”
The incident overshadowed a wild finish in the game that resulted in BYU’s surprising win over the Wildcats. As March approaches, competition in the Big 12 is intensifying, and as we’ve seen, tensions can sometimes overflow. Fortunately, it seems everyone acted quickly to address the situation, and we hope that similar incidents can be avoided in the future.
