It is still unclear what happened Saturday night at Lantz Arena.

Naturally, it is obvious that the Panthers won the game.

Mike Robinson might have made the shot that could propel him to be the next Josh Gomes, the man who graduated as the 14th-ranked scorer in Eastern history.

Robinson’s buzzer-beating, 40-foot shot pushed the Panthers to a 73-70 win and kept Eastern undefeated at home at 3-0.

It was a beautiful thing.

But what happened after that is what was confusing.

The crowd rushed the court. At least 50 – and I would argue much more – fans ran out onto the court and really showed something that has been missing from Lantz: enthusiasm.

It was almost as if the Panthers had clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Teammates swarmed Robinson and he was hoisted as the hero for a day.

Scenes that fans have seen all over the country when upsets occur or national championships are won were duplicated on Eastern’s floor.

Fans surrounded the players.

The band played them off.

The non-student section rocked for several minutes after the players left the floor.

Although it was tempered by the fact that the officials did their job right when they reviewed the play to make sure Robinson’s shot left his hands before the buzzer, it was a feeling of excitement that has to be maintained.

This kind of excitement is something athletes love to see.

The athletic department has to do something to keep it up.

They are doing a fine job thus far.

But there is still more they can do.

The Panthers’ women’s basketball team was in the postseason last year and traveled to Tennessee Tech. This was a postseason game so it might have been easier to get the word around. However, throughout the campus, the TTU athletic department stuck signs in the ground to remind fans of the game.

Why can’t Eastern’s athletic department do the same? It would give people with even the slightest interest in attending the game reminders throughout the day.

With the excitement that was shown at Eastern’s game Saturday, it is now on the athletic department to keep it up. And hopefully, the team can continue winning games and make Lantz Arena a place that opponents don’t want to play in.