San Diego – It could be said that the NCAA Tournament went to the dogs in Thursday’s first round at Cox Arena.
The start of the Alabama-Marquette game, originally scheduled for 11:40 a.m. PST, was delayed 70 minutes after two bomb-sniffing dogs signaled that there could be suspicious contents in a package in a concession area.
According to tournament officials, the dogs separately signaled interest in the same package, causing the arena to be evacuated before the first game. After examining the package, security officials determined there was no threat, allowing teams, fans, tournament workers, officials and media to return to the arena.
FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell initially said the dogs detected a package inside a 4-by-6-inch condiment container in a cart on the upper concourse of the arena. A bomb robot was sent to the scene, she said.
The FBI later issued a statement saying there was not a specific object but the cart in general was under suspicion.
The NCAA issued the following statement: “We will continue to remain vigilant in our security planning throughout our tournament, and the safety and security of our student-athletes, teams and fans is paramount.”
Asked what he had heard about the security threat, Illinois forward James Augustine joked, “We heard it was spoiled mustard or something like that.”
As a result of the delay, the Illini and Falcons began their game in an empty house. Spectators were allowed back into Cox Arena after the crowd was cleared following the UCLA-Belmont game that ended the afternoon session.
At tipoff, only a handful of fans were back in the arena, and some didn’t get to their seats until after the game had been underway for five minutes.
Footnotes
The late start of the tournament pushed the start of Air Force’s game against Illinois back 70 minutes. … Air Force officials said that all 550 of the allotted tickets to the academy were sold. … Clune Arena was opened Thursday night so cadets and followers of the team could watch the game live on television screens. … Air Force’s live falcon mascot didn’t make the trip, but the team’s game mascot, dressed in blue, was on the court. … Coach Jeff Bzdelik already had started his game-day routine when informed of the delay. The routine was halted after an initial meeting at the team hotel and pushed back an hour to coincide with the new start time. … Air Force and Illinois both shot well. The Illini hit 29-of-50 shots from the floor for 58 percent. Air Force hit 21-of-41 for 51 percent. … For the Falcons, guard Antoine Hood and forward Marc Holum played their final games. Hood played all four years for the Falcons and finished with 1,307 points, including 17 points against Illinois. Holum also played four years and finished with 97 points, including two against the Illini.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
