I hate to be the Illini basketball version of the Federal Reserve Chairman and “take the punch bowl away once the party has started,” but someone has to.
William McChesney Martin, the ninth Fed Chair of these United States coined that phrase to encapsulate his position with an easy to understand analogy.
Today, you’ll see lots of Illini basketball game recap stories, even though that specific genre of sports writing became a dinosaur at least a half-decade ago. These shopworn game recap stories will probably overlook the fact that last night’s energy and excitement has largely been the exception, and not the 2014-15 Illini basketball rule.
Last night reminded us that Illini basketball fans can be great when they have something to truly be excited about.
The Illinois fan base is as engaged and any in the country when the product is relevant. It was insanely cold last night, so having a sell out in such conditions is no small feat. The “Orange Out” versus Michigan drew a record setting attendance (17,087 tonight versus 17,085 versus Indiana) to a 52-year-old facility. The game was also nationally broadcast on ESPN.
It also marked the return of the team’s best player Rayvonte Rice from a three game suspension. The Hall was as loud as it’s ever been for another National runner-up season anniversary bobble-head giveaway night. Last night, just like versus Indiana, the gameday atmosphere reminded us of 2005 instead of reminding us just how far Illini basketball has declined since then.
Conference games versus Maryland, Purdue and Rutgers failed to draw even 13,000. (Although the Terps game was on the coldest night of the year, so grant Illini basketball fans some leeway there) However, four non-conference games also drew under 13,000. Illinois ranks right in the middle of the pack this year in attendance. Also, the only reason the attendance records were broken is because of facility renovations. Currently, SFC seats more people than it ever will once renovations are complete.
In short, there’s a reason the athletic department called more attention than usual to selling out the place/having an “Orange Out.” They’re making a big deal about it because sellouts don’t happen all that often.
As we pointed out in our plan to fix the annual United Center game in Chicago, posted earlier this week:
This year’s UC game had an official attendance of 13,000 and that meant the facility was a third empty. As someone who was there I can tell you that attendance number is highly inflated, and that it was a very “late arriving” crowd.
Illini basketball almost always sells out their trips to Welsh-Ryan Arena (not hard to cause it only seats 8,118) but this year was an exception. The official attendance for that contest was just 7,652.
So there’s more apathy than we’ve seen in recent years surrounding this program right now. Both in Champaign-Urbana and in Chicago. It’s also nothing that more winning wouldn’t fix. The NCAA Tournament bubble bit is getting old to Illini basketball fans; they want more. Last night’s 2005esque atmosphere reminded us of what could be.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital, eBay, Google News and CBS Interactive Inc. You can read Banks’ feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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