Arizona Apologizes For Derogatory Chant Directed at BYU

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Arizona issued an apology for a derogatory chant aimed at BYU. The Cougars pulled off a closely contested 96-95 upset win in Tucson late Saturday night, giving BYU a signature win and cementing their NCAA Tournament resume. After the game, Arizona fans chanted ” F— the Mormons” in the McKale Center as BYU players exited the court.

“Following tonight’s men’s basketball game, it was brought to our attention that an unacceptable chant occurred,” said Arizona Vice President and Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois in a statement. “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.”

A heated finish contributed to the emotions after the game. The controversial ending included a game-changing foul call with three seconds remaining that sent BYU’s Richie Saunders to the free throw line. Saunders made both free throws and gave BYU the 96-95 lead. The Cougars stole the ensuing inbound pass and sealed the win.

Derogatory incidients have become a growing trend over the last few years at BYU road games. USC apologized to BYU after their students started an “offensive chant” during a football game. Oregon apologized to BYU in 2022 after their students started an anti-Mormon chant during a football game.

Stanford apologized to BYU in 2022 after its band performed an offensive skit during halftime. Most fans probably don’t remember that 2022 was not the first time the Stanford band had used a halftime performance to poke fun at BYU. Back in 2004, the Stanford AD apologized to BYU after the Cardinal band mocked BYU and its ties to Polygamy.

All of those incidents occurred on the campuses of former Pac-12 schools. It sheds light, perhaps, on why BYU was never invited to join the former power league despite being a geographical and competitive fit. The league eventually dissolved after a series of bad decisions led to its downfall.

This incident between BYU and Arizona is unique in that the two schools are now part of the Big 12, a conference that includes other religious institutions. The Big 12 has not released a statement on the incident.