My hot take is that for how good we've been we still have a lot of clunkers at home. Not sure if stats would back that up.
Pregame: Illinois at Purdue, Saturday, January 24th, 2:00pm CT, FOX
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I actually like it for football, but basketball isn't the same vibe. It does get kids more involved as my daughter screams INI at the top of her lungs.
We got there last night a few minutes into the game and it was maybe 75% full and even less after half. Tons of people were giving away tickets in fan groups. It's been a weird year for ticket sales.
The energy was ok, but once we pulled away it was like being at the school Christmas concert and your kid has already gone and you are just politely waiting for everyone else to finish so you can go home.
I really like our team but Purdue will have home cooking. We also have some guys that have never been in that hostile of an environment before. First 4-6 minutes will go a long way to see how this game goes. We will not be able to drive to the basket like we did against Maryland. Purdue has some really good bigs. If we play to our potential offensively, I like our chances. If we are lethargic, no chance. This would be a great get. I will be watching and keeping my fingers crossed. If we could win this one and beat Nebraska while Kylon is out, man would that be huge! Go Illini!
That completely neuters our home advantage....
Pretty compelling
Ok?
This is the pre game thread for @ Purdue
Respectfully - What’s the point in posting this?
This is the pre game thread for @ Purdue
Respectfully - What’s the point in posting this?
I am in agreement with you. People can talk about the remodel, or cell phones, or kids these days, or a downturn in the program (which if we're being honest with ourselves still had better moments than many team's) but it's not like most other schools haven't dealt with worse.
Simple fact is I just don't think the fans who attend home games care to get loud or crazy or intimidating. They're there more for entertainment. The wine and cheese crowd is accurate. I feel sick saying this but I see parallels to Iowa basketball. A team and raucous fanbase who could blow the roof off the place followed by well, polite clapping.
And yeah, I too blame the Orange Krush. They're not as organized, not as mean, not as intimidating, not even remotely as energized. And then there's the rest of the crowd who, good lord, look like they're in their final hours silently awaiting death. The only way they might get louder is if we switched the game over to show Fox News or MSNBC.
I just don't know what can be done. It's been a gradual decline. COVID really hurt. But we're clearly in free fall now. When we're on a 10pt run filled with good plays and all you can hear is a smattering of applause, I mean what can you even blame at that point? I no longer have an explanation or excuse for it, it's just bad.
The stadium still rocks for big games. If you only came to the Texas Tech and Michigan games this year, I'm sure you'd come away thinking we have a top 10 home court advantage.
The only other top 25 matchup we've had at home this year was Nebraska, and that game was in the middle of a really bad snowstorm. The rest of our home games so far have been against the dregs of the Big Ten/ buy games in which the Illini have been ~20 point favorites. Can't really expect the non-student crowd to get really hyped when a) the game is basically over in the first 10 minutes because Illinois is crushing them or b) the crowd is nervous because the game isn't over in the first 10 minutes against a team that's bad.
Now that doesn't explain why Purdue/ MSU eats our lunch. But that's easy - MSU gives basically the entire lower bowl to the student section, and Purdue has a loyalty system the encourages the more rabid students into the better seats closer to the floor rather than the Krush's first come first serve (seriously, sitting outside the SFC for hours before a game can definitely zap your energy, there's gotta be a better system).
The only other top 25 matchup we've had at home this year was Nebraska, and that game was in the middle of a really bad snowstorm. The rest of our home games so far have been against the dregs of the Big Ten/ buy games in which the Illini have been ~20 point favorites. Can't really expect the non-student crowd to get really hyped when a) the game is basically over in the first 10 minutes because Illinois is crushing them or b) the crowd is nervous because the game isn't over in the first 10 minutes against a team that's bad.
Now that doesn't explain why Purdue/ MSU eats our lunch. But that's easy - MSU gives basically the entire lower bowl to the student section, and Purdue has a loyalty system the encourages the more rabid students into the better seats closer to the floor rather than the Krush's first come first serve (seriously, sitting outside the SFC for hours before a game can definitely zap your energy, there's gotta be a better system).
Sadly in today's world where the players are employees and not necessarily students, it stands to reason that the student crowd isn't a priority either. Love Josh and he surely knows better, but he has a budget to manage. Also, NIL contributors have expectations too.
My experience is that PA systems and other background noise has gotten louder and louder over the decades, competing with some of the fan noise. Maybe just my memory and get off my lawn....
Beat Pu. Md beats MsU and Neb loses. Would make for a great Weekend.
Just give me the first and I’m more than stoked.
I don't know when it happened, but the Orange Krush is a dance club. I don't expect players to be intimidated by the Rockettes.
I don’t think Maryland is beating anybody worthwhile until they get their big man back
That doesn’t explain why Purdue and MSU are still so loud.
Could be worse, I guess. Skip to :40 sec mark and hand Bobby a tissue!
When I was in Orange Crush (as it was called) we had the same seat for every game. There was no fundraising component, and you had to demonstrate your enthusiasm to even get in.
I agree it needs an overhaul.
Wrong. Stadium remodel removed the gray hairs from tv and put the Krush there instead.
The real reason is how poor we were at basketball for 10+ years. The train lost it’s momentum and now we are rebuilding the House of Paign from scratch.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I dare suggest some of us may be remembering older times at AH/SFC as being louder than they were because we were younger and drunker and seated near others who were the same.
We do and always have had a darned good atmosphere in there. Illini fans are some of the best around, basket cases though we may be.
We do and always have had a darned good atmosphere in there. Illini fans are some of the best around, basket cases though we may be.
Purdue students don’t have any friends sending them anything on social media to require checking their phones for
IMO, The current Krush has a fraction of the enthusiasm as the pre renovation Krush did. Whatever the reason.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This is a very valid point for that sideline, and I am sympathetic to the idea that you just can't replicate how cool it was to have the Krush literally standing on the court. I suppose we could have done a setup like Duke where the TV camera does not look at the benches, and we could have tried to keep the Krush on the floor opposite the benches like they used to be. However, whatever we lost on the non-TV sideline, I would argue this is a pretty huge improvement on the opposite side. At least IMO, the setup on TV is vastly superior ... it used to drive me nuts to have the national audience see the giant unused space before A Section and then a bunch of unused gray seats.
Also, does anyone know how many Krush students are around the court now? I would honestly be shocked if it was fewer than before the renovation.
I'm sympathetic to the idea of looking back at the Glory Days with rose-tinted glasses, and there were certainly probably random games in that era where the Hall seemed dead. However, there are a lot of games available on YouTube from many years. I would argue there is pretty clear evidence that our home court atmosphere, specifically the Krush, has objectively declined. The only game in this great 2020-2026 stretch where I thought to myself, "Wow, this place is rocking like the mid-2000s!" was the 2021-22 home loss to #11 Arizona. Kind of hilariously, I figured out that was a Krush "alumni" game.
The parts of your post I will agree with is that (A) Illini fans are certainly some of the best around in terms of our loyalty and passion for the program, and (B) SFC indeed can still get really loud and be very intimidating. However, I definitely think our consistency has slipped mightily.
"we don't give our fans any reason to show up with enthusiasm to think that we're going to win a basketball game"
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