USC 82, Illinois 72 Postgame

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#451      
NarrowJ
Bigtex said:
Change something for a possession or 2. Use one of the timeouts that underwood usually doesn't use.
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Yes, exactly this.

I understand that blitzing a skilled & willing passer like Claude is risky (ie, instead of drives to the basket vs Morez he kicks to open shooter as the help approaches), but we really needed to try something different... and we just inexplicably did not.
 
#452      
21ChampaignSt
Ramrod2010 said:
I love our fans because we have been through some crap to get to this point (both football and basketball) and yet we are still as passionate as ever. But we suck at creating an intimidating environment (again both sports).

There is just a general lack of "Let's get loud, I don't care how stupid I might look. Let's all look stupid together while being loud!"
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Super frustrating. Somewhere along the lines we went from having a fanbase who wants to go and influence the outcome of the game to a fanbase who just wants to go and be entertained and have a nice time.

AirNeazy touched on one particularly frustrating thing which is, we typically just make noise when we have something to cheer for. We rarely sustain any type of crowd momentum and generally, the fans rely on the players to get them going rather than creating an environment that helps the players get going.

The Krush (I will say they've improved this year) is especially guilty of this. The way they completely turn off when there's a timeout makes our student section seem too performative. Like they're playing a part for the TV cameras but aren't actually crazy, emotionally vested fans.

I could go on and on about all the variables that I think have negatively impacted the atmosphere over the last 10-15 years. And I have before, so I won't again now. But at some point, you have to put responsibility on the fans in the seats. You could have absolutely perfect conditions for a loud environment, but if the fans aren't willing to walk into SFC, shake off the snow and inhibitions at the door, and get loud...none of it matters.
 
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#453      
From the cheap seats
The Krush is the one group that will keep going even when the air is being sucked out of the place by the other team. When they are absent, it is a different atmosphere for sure. Every time the place started to get loud Saturday, Claude just drove to the basket and scored or the Illini dribbled extensively, fumbled the ball away, or missed yet another layup or 5-footer (4 around the rim on one possession). Can be hard for fans to sustain energy when about the time you stand up (this act takes longer for those of us who are older) and yell, the ball is going through the other team's basket to put you 8 points behind again. Other than Brad, the only one I noticed who persevered the whole time was KJ. Kudos to him.
 
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#454      
OrangeBlue98
The one thing I've always thought about State Farm Center/Assembly Hall is that it's one of the most "boom or bust" arenas where I've ever attended a game.

When the crowd is not in the game, it's incredibly quiet because of the design of the arena. Arenas that have been designed for multi-purpose use have the deeper angles for the seats, leaving vast amounts of open space. Small amounts of noise just get lost.

But when it gets loud, it's incredibly loud because the noise bounces off of the concrete roof and back down. I will never forgot the 1998 Michigan State game my senior year. Loudest sporting event I've attended with the possible exception of the 2005 game against Arizona at Allstate Arena. My ears rang for hours after that game.

So while it does take a lot more work to get the place loud, when it hits the tipping point it's really a loud place. You just have to get to that point.
 
#455      
blackdog
From the cheap seats said:
The Krush is the one group that will keep going even when the air is being sucked out of the place by the other team. When they are absent, it is a different atmosphere for sure. Every time the place started to get loud Saturday, Claude just drove to the basket and scored or the Illini dribbled extensively, fumbled the ball away, or missed yet another layup or 5-footer (4 around the rim on one possession). Can be hard for fans to sustain energy when about the time you stand up (this act takes longer for those of us who are older) and yell, the ball is going through the other team's basket to put you 8 points behind again. Other than Brad, the only one I noticed who persevered the whole time was KJ. Kudos to him.
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Doesn't explain why nobody even cheered for player introductions or made any noise until the comeback at the end of the first half. We can't even start a game off excited at this point.
 
#457      
Cook
AirNeazy said:
Best kept secret in the league is that we have one of the worst home court advantages in the B1G. Like we're not Penn State level but I'd say our crowd is roughly Minnesota-level tier in terms of loudness/intimidation factor. Went to a VCU game recently and their crowd/noise was significantly more amped than SFC/Assembly Hall.
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🙌
 
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