What's the difference between a Third-World country soccer riot and the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament?

Maybe a death or two.

Despite increased security and an elevated hockey-fence barrier set around the perimeter of the floor in the Thomas & Mack arena Saturday — to prevent the equipment damaging, cheerleader and photographer toppling floor rush by partisan fans of a year ago — nothing could stop a bloody clash between UNLV fans bent on rushing the floor this time.

Some triggered brawls when they clashed with exiting BYU fans on two aisles. Near another aisle, a wedge of UNLV fans plowed through blue-clad BYU band members scrambling to protect their clarinets and tubas.

Bodies flew, fists swung. People were tackled, wrestled to the floor, cups of beer were thrown into crowds of fans, some just a few feet from where BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson was sitting a few minutes earlier.

Red-coated Thomas & Mack ushers, many of them closing on 70 years old, bent down to protect themselves from bull-rushing UNLV fans crashing their way through to the floor. One fan was tackled and shoved back. He came charging back and fists started swinging as four BYU fans brought him down. Ushers then started attacking BYU fans who wrongfully joined in the physical display.

Oh, and this was after numerous public address announcements warned it was against MWC rules for anyone to go on the floor.

My colleague, Mike Sorensen, and I watched the melee from about 30 feet behind our press-row seats on the floor, where UNLV fans quickly skirted by security to reach the floor at the end of the game. They placed cups of beer on our table, then ran to join the mob. When they returned, they complained their cups had been thrown in a nearby garbage can. When shown where the can was, one guy said, "I don't know which cup is mine."

If it hadn't been so ugly and dangerous, the scene would have been funny.

A line of UNLV fans on the floor taunted wives of Cougar juniors Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted, yelling, "Twice, Twice." The players' wives responded by pointing to ring fingers and saying "Two ring, two rings." Nearby, a BYU fan sitting where the band had vacated, sat with a coat covering a left eye, his forehead covered with blood. He tried to shield his identity from cameras.

League officials issued a short statement afterwards, confirming they'd tried to curb the security issue this time around.

Memo to MWC officials: invest in Tasers next year.

Back to the actual event.