State Farm Center
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I mostly agree with everything you said, but I will state my opinion that the UC game this year (which I attended) didn't really have the same "NBA-ization" vibe I was talking about, even though it was in an NBA arena. I didn't feel the PA system was incorporating as many corny tricks and pre-recorded music as your typical NBA game. To state the understatement of the century, the Illini atmosphere vs. Alabama was so exponentially better than any Bulls game I have ever attended.
I have Z-E-R-O idea how to fix this, but I really do now believe that this is an issue with the expectation of the fans attending these games, and it is becoming a bit of a feedback loop. To use an opposite end extreme, every fan attending Braggin' Rights knows that it has had a rowdy, pre-Christmas festive vibe for decades, and that's what they expect when they buy tickets. This "vibe" then subtly influences fans who let's say were "on the fence" about whether or not to be an active crowd member, as they'll more or less go along with what the majority is doing. If you were trying to complain that people were standing too often or too drunk or too loud at Braggin' Rights, YOU would be the one who feels out of place and unreasonable.
It sounds like at most games at SFC, the opposite is true. The people who will try to inject some extra "juice" into the gameday atmosphere will likely be outnumbered by those who will find their enthusiasm annoying, or at the very least the arena staff will side with the latter group. This is not a knock on those more tame folks, it's not some diatribe directed at "Blue Hairs," it's not some personal attack on long-time donors ... it's merely stating the obvious that if this is the dynamic in your arena, your atmosphere will suck.
I've had the thought too, that it seems like we don't have as many weekend home games as we used to.
Here is the number of Saturday or Sunday home games we've had over the current 7 year stretch dating back to 2019 - 2020.
2026: 4
2025: 6
2024: 7
2023: 4
2022: 4
2021: 5
2020: 8
Compared to 2000 - 2006
2006: 7
2005: 5
2004: 7
2003: 6
2002: 5
2001: 7
2000: 4
So we play about 1 fewer weekend game per year than we used to. Not as bad as I thought. Would be interesting to see how that compares to other teams. I imagine it's related to broadcast schedules and that everyone is affected.
I remember Lou Henson sitting in for a few minutes with the BTN crew during a game and Jimmy Jackson asking if the arena's darkness and tight rims were meant to frustrate opposing shooters. Lou just chuckled and said, "Awww, we had to do anything we could to stop a great scorer like Jimmy Jackson." Another challenge from that era, which I'm kinda surprised was allowed, was that we didn't have a shot clock over the basket. You'd have to look at the scoreboard off to the side. I can remember getting several shot-clock violations when opponents couldn't find it in time.
I don't know. It's a weird issue because it's a problem that has seemed to pop up for us pretty often in football even in years we had success.
For example, I remember that 2001 football season and I remember very vividly going with a group of buds to that Thanksgiving finale in Champaign to win the B10 Championship. I remember how psyched we were and we talked about the possibility of rushing the field. Well that dream ended pretty much at kickoff. Not only was the crowd light, but it was straight up curmudgeony. We were told to sit down and stop cheering less than 3 minutes into the game... In the student section... The ushers were called basically telling us they're sorry, they know, but everyone around us wanted to sit. And again we were 9-1 playing for a Big 10 Championship! It was a game filled of polite cheers at best and everyone leaving as fast as they could as the game ended. Only thing more disappointing would have been a loss.
More recently, the Cheeze it Bowl was great, don't get me wrong, but the Illini crowd for the first half was mainly just happy to be there and take in the action. Now the 2nd half the Illini fans turned into a roaring tempest that I hadn't heard in a long long long time after they no longer were just happy to be there but wanted the win and it was a truly magical moment. One I'll hold forever.
But I guess the point still stands. It seems that the Illini fans who go to the games seem to struggle with getting started. And it's weird because it just didn't used to be that way. And it really shouldn't be for basketball. I mean what excuses can even be made at this point. If you can't cheer loudly for a team that's currently leading the B10 and playing for a 1 seed, I mean what is left to wait for? Waiting for us to win the NCAA Championship before they start cheering? It's just very odd.
I say this tongue in cheek but it's almost like at our home games we need to have a remedial training where the final test is having the people scream "OHHHHHHHHHHH" for a sustained 10 seconds before they're let in the stadium. At this point it's either that or start running electric current through the seats. Actually, that could just work...
I find it very surprising that this board can't figure out why the SFC is quiet. It is due to the interior volume of the arena and the concrete/tiled ceiling, in addition to the distance the fans are from the court. Noise builds upon itself, if everyone needs to shout to communicate with the person next to them, the baseline noise is going to be higher. I had season tickets from 1998-2009 or so, and there were many times we would speak in a lowered voice because it was so quiet a normal voice level felt intrusive to the people nearby.
Bill Self mentioned this frequently when he was the coach, and advocated for a new arena. Huge mistake.
Bill Self mentioned this frequently when he was the coach, and advocated for a new arena. Huge mistake.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
If we want to get very unpopular very quickly, we can bat around the theory that at Illinois, we take the "campus vs. locals" dynamic that every university has in some form and dial it way up to a vibe-crippling 11 because of the long-standing hostility that Central Illinois has to Chicago and its suburbs. That's why the rest of the crowd has annoyance bordering on resentment of the students and why we break free of it when we're at a different site.
[closes laptop, walks away]
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Heck yeah, NOW we're posting.
The last two Illini games I attended in person were the bowl game in Nashville and the UC game against Bama and I thought our crowd was fantastic in both cases, so I am definitely against any accusation of there being a problem with our fans generally. And the last time I was at SFC was last season against Ohio State, you may recall a DGL steal and monster dunk from that game and the place exploded like I remember it from my prime-era undergrad days.
But it did seem dead last night. There was definitely a game flow element of it, Washington never went more than a possession or two without a crowd quieting bucket, but I dunno.
If we all get to flog our hobby horse about it, I would like to point out the game starting at 8PM on a weeknight for TV purposes against an opponent we don't care about that we now have to pretend is a conference "rival".
turnaround3
- 1st & Daniel
The kids in Krush, like kids at every college in the country, replaced drinking beers with popping anti-depressants. The end. Saved you three pages.
People have been complaining about the fans close to court being quiet for ages. Had season tickets in the mid 2000s and remember all the old rich farts in 'A' section would barely stand up and make noise. I remember being yelled at to sit down when we were lucky enough to have a chance to find a way down there.
This difference then was that we still had an extremely rowdy student section to make up for that. At one point in the mid 00's we were ranked in the top ten of rowdiest student sections, up there with the Cameron Crazies.
Now we have a pathetic student section mixed with the old farts near the court.....not a recipe for a loud, exciting environment no matter how good the team is. Also explains why our best crowds are at neutral site games.....who do you think is filling up those venues now? Hint, its the kids or students who were crazy in Krush/at the games back in those days that still remember how to cheer.
This difference then was that we still had an extremely rowdy student section to make up for that. At one point in the mid 00's we were ranked in the top ten of rowdiest student sections, up there with the Cameron Crazies.
Now we have a pathetic student section mixed with the old farts near the court.....not a recipe for a loud, exciting environment no matter how good the team is. Also explains why our best crowds are at neutral site games.....who do you think is filling up those venues now? Hint, its the kids or students who were crazy in Krush/at the games back in those days that still remember how to cheer.
Unpopular as it may be, I'll go ahead and just say that while the Krush has been pretty weak, the "local"/central Illinois crowd just generally sucks and has for at least 25 years.
I'm not saying everyone in that group is bad but the majority that actually attend games sure seem to be and it's been consistent enough for long enough to say that.
100%. Its an acoustical nightmare, which anyone who has seen a concert there can attest to. What is the attachment to SFC? it looks cool from outside, and for sure has a long history, but it sucks to play basketball in, and frankly is a limiting factor in terms of how U of I basketball is regarded on a national stage.
blackdog
- Champaign
Actually the lower sections and students have been BETTER than the 200 level. The upper levels have been the real pathetic ones recently in terms of engagement.
This seems a little harsh. SFC Assembly Hall has a pretty good reputation nationally and at one time was a consistent feature on lists of college basketball's top home court advantages.
Even today, concrete roof and all, we can be as loud for one night or one play as we ever were.
Here's a 2006 quote from Jay Bilas about Assembly Hall.
Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
Well you've got older cohorts and younger cohorts.
I think for the older ones, the Chief was a factor, the degree of which depends on each individual. Plus the oft-mentioned just plain getting old and not being able to act at game like we did in our 20s and 30s.
For the younger cohorts, it may be just be a 'lost generation' thing, because we were mediocre at best, and outright bad (by historic Illini standards) some years, for such a long time.
We ended the Chief in 2007. In the 2008-09 season, we won 24 games, a mark we would not see again until Brad's fourth season, 12 years later. Throw in the COVID impact just as we got good again and there is little continuity and apparently long-term damage.
I do agree you'd think with our recent successes that it would have come back more.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
I mean, if we're not hitting our own hobby horses, are we even truly poasting?
But I cannot abide this "a late tip on Jan 29 against an unranked conference team....how *do* you expect us to find the energy?" stuff. Someone needs to show these comments to a Groce-era grad that watched non-tourney basketball for their entire time on campus and watch them spontaneously combust.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
RE: The acoustics ... sorry, but that is an excuse that could theoretically "limit" our best atmosphere to a mere 8 out of 10 rather than a 10 out of 10. It holds zero weight when we are routinely flirting with a 3 or 4 out of 10 environment. I have also been to other arenas that are "set up better" than SFC, and the loudest crowd I have EVER heard in my life was during my first game at Assembly Hall in 2007. Start watching at 1:57:42, and the specific moment is at 1:58:13.
#3 Wisconsin at Illinois (2007)
When McBride hit that pull-up three, my freshman-in-high-school self could not believe how much the Hall was rockin', and my Wisconsin and Iowa friend who my dad brought to the game with me both admitted they'd never seen an environment like that in their arenas. Maybe the setup of SFC limits it in some ways. However, on that topic, I don't see how anybody with his head on straight could deny these two rebuttals:
1) Assembly Hall/SFC can VERY clearly get quite loud still when the fans are jazzed up.
2) Even if the setup limits noise, it would only limit us from equaling the best of the best like Mackey. It doesn't limit us from having a really, REALLY good environment, and there is literally actual evidence to prove this in the form of games where our atmosphere didn't suck anywhere near as bad as it does now!
It's the fans, period.
P.S. I just thought of this, but if you DO believe that Assembly Hall/SFC is just inherently set up to fail as far as gameday atmosphere goes, doesn't the fact that it CONSTANTLY showed up on lists of the top 10 hardest places to play in the early and mid-2000s literally prove that there has been an even bigger regression in fan enthusiasm??
#3 Wisconsin at Illinois (2007)
When McBride hit that pull-up three, my freshman-in-high-school self could not believe how much the Hall was rockin', and my Wisconsin and Iowa friend who my dad brought to the game with me both admitted they'd never seen an environment like that in their arenas. Maybe the setup of SFC limits it in some ways. However, on that topic, I don't see how anybody with his head on straight could deny these two rebuttals:
1) Assembly Hall/SFC can VERY clearly get quite loud still when the fans are jazzed up.
2) Even if the setup limits noise, it would only limit us from equaling the best of the best like Mackey. It doesn't limit us from having a really, REALLY good environment, and there is literally actual evidence to prove this in the form of games where our atmosphere didn't suck anywhere near as bad as it does now!
It's the fans, period.
P.S. I just thought of this, but if you DO believe that Assembly Hall/SFC is just inherently set up to fail as far as gameday atmosphere goes, doesn't the fact that it CONSTANTLY showed up on lists of the top 10 hardest places to play in the early and mid-2000s literally prove that there has been an even bigger regression in fan enthusiasm??
This is exactly right. I rewatched a replay of our first game vs Nebraska and you see a few Krush members jumping up and down but most of them are standing there with their arms crossed. This is a consistent thing that happens the past few years. Put the phones away, chug a beer during timeouts and get loud.RE: The acoustics ... sorry, but that is an excuse that could theoretically "limit" our best atmosphere to a mere 8 out of 10 rather than a 10 out of 10. It holds zero weight when we are routinely flirting with a 3 or 4 out of 10 environment. I have also been to other arenas that are "set up better" than SFC, and the loudest crowd I have EVER heard in my life was during my first game at Assembly Hall in 2007. Start watching at 1:57:42, and the specific moment is at 1:58:13.
#3 Wisconsin at Illinois (2007)
When McBride hit that pull-up three, my freshman-in-high-school self could not believe how much the Hall was rockin', and my Wisconsin and Iowa friend who my dad brought to the game with me both admitted they'd never seen an environment like that in their arenas. Maybe the setup of SFC limits it in some ways. However, on that topic, I don't see how anybody with his head on straight could deny these two rebuttals:
1) Assembly Hall/SFC can VERY clearly get quite loud still when the fans are jazzed up.
2) Even if the setup limits noise, it would only limit us from equaling the best of the best like Mackey. It doesn't limit us from having a really, REALLY good environment, and there is literally actual evidence to prove this in the form of games where our atmosphere didn't suck anywhere near as bad as it does now!
It's the fans, period.
P.S. I just thought of this, but if you DO believe that Assembly Hall/SFC is just inherently set up to fail as far as gameday atmosphere goes, doesn't the fact that it CONSTANTLY showed up on lists of the top 10 hardest places to play in the early and mid-2000s literally prove that there has been an even bigger regression in fan enthusiasm??
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I'm not gonna sit here and say "if that had been Minnesota instead of Washington the crowd would have been more into it". But I do genuinely feel on a personal level a lot less engagement with the conference race in general than I did when it was 11 local teams in tighter, more regular competition with each other.
Hardest possible disagree. Great venue and as much as you might dream of some perfect goldilocks replacement, I PROMISE you any actual replacement would be worse and suffer far greater impact on the atmosphere from luxury seating and ticket prices.
Savor an old barn if you've got one, and we have one.
Humbly, I continue to think the same effect of every baseball player in history swearing the first hard thrower they ever faced in the majors had the fastest fastball of all-time is very strongly applying to this conversation.
I mean, it's loud AF in the spot he pointed to in the YouTube clip. It might not be the loudest ever but it was significantly louder than it has been at any point recently.
The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
It was loud as !!!! at many games during the late '90s and early '00s.
Seton Hall, UNC (more than once, maybe?), numerous MSU, Wake Forest (obviously), and plenty of others.
Probably not a coincidence that during most of those years, especially the 04-05 season, nobody had to be told to wear orange. Now? It's barely dominant.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
A fair point in theory, but being an Illini fan in Iowa City I had been to several games at Carver-Hawkeye by this point (mostly against Illinois) - an arena with a flat roof that the Hall doesn’t have.
hooraybeer
- Peoria, IL
no discussion on ticket prices and how the DIA is likely pricing out some of the diehards? lower bowl season tickets (and even middle tier) are insanely expensive
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