Just in case

Because Utah’s “MUSS” student section sits eight feet above the floor and is guarded by a railing, court storms take on a different meaning at the Huntsman Center.

That is, they never really happen. The closest thing to it came last year after Utah snapped Wichita State’s 35-game regular-season winning streak, and four students hopped over the rail.

They were then calmly ushered back to their seats by security.

Still, Utah has a protocol for court storming events, as all Pac-12 schools are required to have. The school’s associate athletic director for event management, Justin Nelson, said staffers meet with 10 minutes left in any game in which it appears fans might storm the court.

Utah typically can mobilize about 30 ushers, 20 security guards and between 8-10 police officers on hand for its games if needed, Nelson said.

Sure enough, after the Utes pulled out their 70-64 win Saturday, only one fan hopped over the railing Saturday and he was met by guards.

“It worked,” Nelson said.