It's one thing to have the Olympics come into your living room through the magic of television.
It's quite another for the Olympics to move into your dorm room. As the eyes of the world fall on Salt Lake City, some of the local basketball teams are hitting the road.
Players at Utah moved out of dorms to make way for the Olympic Village, and high security and fences crisscross campus in preparation for the opening ceremony Friday at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium.
\I wish I had the chain-link fence concession around here,' Utah Head Coach Rick Majerus said.
At Weber State'home to the curling venue known as the Ice Sheet at Ogden'several players moved out of their rooms to make way for Olympic security personnel, and the Wildcats' Dee Events Center has become the media venue for curling.
That means Weber State will not play a home game during the month of February, a scheduling quirk that had Head Coach Joe Cravens fretting until the Wildcats'15-7 and in second place in the Big Sky Conference'started their five-game string on the road with a victory Saturday at Idaho State.
Brigham Young (14-6) is less affected. Though the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo is home to some of the hockey competition, it is not on campus, and the Cougars will play only one more road game than usual.
Utah'16-4 after suffering its first Mountain West loss Monday to Wyoming'actually will play two home games during the Olympics, Feb. 16 against Air Force and Feb. 18 against New Mexico.
With security high and traffic and parking disrupted, it will be interesting to see how many people venture to the Huntsman Center.
Classes are suspended until Feb. 26, so Majerus has taken his team on the road, building in extended stays in San Diego and Las Vegas around Saturday's game against San Diego State and Monday's game at Nevada Las Vegas and a trip to St. George, Utah, for practice sessions.
Majerus didn't have to move out of the hotel near campus where he has lived for many years, but he has had visitors.
""I have an unbelievable porch, the best view in Salt Lake City, and the FBI is in there looking at it,' Majerus said. ""I said, 'Look, I don't have a grenade launcher.' I just told them to make sure to lock up when they leave.""
So the Olympics are coming to Salt Lake City, and all some of these players are getting is a trip.
""It doesn't make any difference. It's just the way it is,"" Majerus said. ""It's once in a lifetime, and this school is benefiting.\
