On Saturday, a record crowd at D.J. Sokol Arena proved that playing in front of 17,000 fans alone isn’t what gives you a home court advantage. Instead, playing in front of fans that get adrenaline pumping through their players’ bodies gives you a home court advantage. Having fans that create a hostile environment for opposing players to be intimidated by is what gives you a home court advantage.
2,121 fans watched Carli Tritz tie the game with a pair of free throws at the end of regulation to send it into overtime, and then hit another pair of free throws to clinch the win with just over four seconds remaining in the extra period. It was hands down the most exciting Creighton basketball game that I’ve been a part of before. I’m not sure if that is saying something about the disappointment of the past year and a half of men’s games that I’ve witnessed since enrolling in school at Creighton or whether it is saying something about the type of people that attend the women’s games.
There is a big difference though. I’ll tell you that much. There is certainly something special when nearly every fan in the arena is simultaneously chanting, “LET’S GO JAYS!!!” Young and old, big and small, boys, girls, men and women, everyone at that women’s game had one thing in common: they weren’t lazy. I don’t understand why anyone would attend their team’s games if they don’t really care. There are a handful of fans at both men’s and women’s games that care enough about the outcome to make noise and show their passion. The difference is, the Qwest Center holds about 17,000 fans. D.J. Sokol Arena on the other hand holds about 2,500. That handful of fans fills up the arena at a women’s game while their yells simply echo to the rafters at the Phone Booth.
I recently caught up with some of the women’s basketball players and spoke with them about the game on Saturday. Sam Schuett told me, “[Without the crowd], it makes it a lot harder to win. The crowd definitely could have been the difference.”
When’s the last time the crowd truly gave the men’s basketball team an edge in a game? When’s the last time the crowd has been “the difference”? Certainly not in my two years since I began attending Creighton. I know what you’re thinking, “But you haven’t seen it in a game that really matters!” This is true, I haven’t. But in a smaller facility that gets filled up quickly, every game seems to matter. Considering the state of the program right now, something needs to change.
Picture this for me: A few times a year, for the big games, fans line up all the way to the entrance of Morrison Stadium, waiting to get in and see their Bluejay men play in D.J. Sokol Arena. Some students are turned away because the facility is beyond capacity. Season ticket holders might get put in a lottery system to see who gets tickets to the game. But the bottom line is that the fans that are there actually care and are excited to be there. The game is damn important to them, and once they’re inside the building, they will show their excitement. And as nerdy as I’ll sound saying this, the acoustics inside D.J. Sokol are incredible. Fans are right on top of the court, and when a “Let’s go Jays!” chant is started, everyone in the building hears it. When everyone yells simultaneously, you get goosebumps. It’s special. It gives the team a true advantage. It can rattle opponents and keep them from getting in the zone. The Qwest Center seems to be some sort of a shooting haven for opposing players. A hostile crowd at D.J. Sokol would not equate to a shooter’s haven, that’s for sure.
Absolutely that example is a little extreme. Considering the number of season ticket holders and the capacity of the arena, that isn’t a realistic option. But the idea is that something definitely needs to change. As the Omaha World-Herald‘s Steve Pivovar wrote this fall, “the CU atmosphere needs passion, not glitz.” This still remains true.
It is frustrating as a fan to see the student section not fill up. It is frustrating as a fan seeing the student section fill up for big games but not make noise. It is frustrating as a fan seeing season ticket holders arriving halfway through the first half. It is frustrating as a fan seeing moments where the crowd could affect the game if they’d just stand up and make some noise, but they don’t. It is very frustrating as a fan seeing the Jays lose home games that they could win if they had a single extra advantage to push them to victory (i.e. BYU, Wichita State, Missouri State). And most of all, it is frustrating as a fan seeing the Jays not make it to the NCAA tournament.
Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that something needs to change. Whether it’s the fans becoming more passionate, the students showing up to games on a regular basis, moving to a smaller facility that can create an advantage, or something else, something needs to change. Losses like yesterday’s don’t happen against teams like Bradley when a team has confidence. Confidence comes from wins. And it’s a lot easier to win playing 6-on-5, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, the metaphorical “6th man” has been absent for quite awhile. That’s what needs to change.