Crisler Center Noise/Atmosphere
During the Iowa State - Michigan game on Sunday, I couldn't help but notice how many times the announcers pointed out or made a reference to the ruckus crowd there at Hilton Coliseum. Usually, something like that is just a local reference that announcers lean on, but having seen several Iowa State home games over the last couple years (Oklahoma State and Kansas come to mind), that is a legit great crowd that is loud, engaged, and a total game changer. It affected Michigan, especially the noise level in the last 8:00 of game time.
Looking across the country, there are some great environments to play in. San Deigo State, UNLV, Iowa State, and New Mexico's stadiums have become known has such tough places to come into and play. Looking even at the Big Ten, Michigan State with the Izzone (as we saw against Columbia), Ohio State, Wisconsin in the Khol Center, even Minnesota, and of course; IU and Assembly Hall are all atmospheres that affect the quality of play, and have a psychological affect on their opponents. Even Bradley, a MVC team, had a crazy atmosphere. In all games played at these courts, and others (Duke, Kansas, etc), the announcers always mention several times how crazy the atmosphere is.
I have never once heard anyone say the same about Michigan. It can be described as "loud", but never in the sense that I have ever seen it visibly affect a good opponent (Shot clock games with EMU don’t count). Now, the Maize Rage does a great job (love the Canadian flag for Stauskas), but what steps does Crisler have to take in order for it to be considered a feared environment in College Basketball, or even in the Big Ten? I can think of student section size and location, as well as arena design as possible reasons, but what is stopping Michigan from becoming one of the feared courts of basketball, or, at least to the point where we can affect and visibly rattle an opponent like ISU did to us on Sunday?
November 19th, 2013 at 7:20 AM ^
Of course they're going to be jacked up. Go back and watch highlights from when we beat #4 Duke a few years ago as an 'up and comer'. Show me an ISU game when they play Texas Tech or something and I'll take the average
November 19th, 2013 at 7:44 AM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 8:34 AM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 7:50 AM ^
Crisler has sounded pretty loud to me on several occasions, especially the Indiana, MSU and OSU games last year. But I was watching on TV so I guess I don't really know. But I will say that I went to the OSU basketball game against Michigan in Columbus last year, sat in the student section, and damn that place was loud. Especially when they were up by 20+. Seemed to fall deathly silent when we tied it up, though.
November 19th, 2013 at 8:14 AM ^
Just like football....
We have so many old alums that sit there and forget where they are. Ever watch the "wave" in the football stadium and where exactly it dies out.... It sucks.
Need more youth, excitement, booze, etc....
November 19th, 2013 at 8:37 AM ^
Let's face it, we're going to always be hampered by having a beautiful, spacious, comfortable arena (who screams non-stop in their living room?), and of course a more cerebral crowd that thinks as well as acts. We're just better, get over it.
November 19th, 2013 at 8:48 AM ^
I don't think Bradley is a great example (even if it is "only" an MVC team) because Bradley is 100% a basketball school. They don't do football.
November 19th, 2013 at 8:49 AM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 8:52 AM ^
Well, Michigan fans, in general, are quiet. It's pretty pathetic also. There is no reason our stadium should not be the loudest because we out number every stadium in the country. Don't give me the bull shit excuse of "the sound goes up because it's a big bowl" because that is ridiculous. Regarding Crisler Center, it should also be louder than it is, but it would help if the student section were doubled....OH WAIT! Students don't like to attend sporting events anymore, so there goes that idea.
November 19th, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
The sound goes up because it's a big bowl.
And for big games it is loud: see the 2013 ND game.
November 19th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
That's no excuse, as I previously stated. You say it's loud for big games. OK, sure, I believe that, but why can't it be loud for EVERY game?
November 19th, 2013 at 1:42 PM ^
Because you don't need to yell your lungs out for Athletes In Action and Coppin State?
November 19th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
Considering Michigan has only lost at home what, twice in the past two years? I think it's a tough venue.
November 19th, 2013 at 2:30 PM ^
I think a good part of the "problem" is a largely cultural one. For one thing, schools like ISU don't have alumni bases that are nearly as large, active, and old-school as Michigan. Honestly -- and I'll probably catch grief for this -- the fan-base at a place like ISU has a larger yahoo quotient. Add to that the fact that, in Iowa, ISU and UI are the only shows in the state. They're sort of like Nebraska, in the sense that the programs don't just represent schools; they represent everyone in the state.
Granted, there are smaller schools -- Duke, say, or Louisville -- that get intense crowds despite representing only a smallish segment of their respective states. But those are Basketball Schools; their football programs get pretty weak fan support. I can't think of many schools that get consistently loud fan support for both football and basketball.
Michigan is doing as well as any school. We get consistently massive and increasingly (if not always consistently) loud fan support for football. And basketball crowds are much improved. When M fields good teams, the support is there. We'll never have crowds as raucous as LSU or ISU. But Michigan isn't -- and doesn't want to be -- LSU or ISU. Were it not for their sports teams, you'd never even hear about those schools. At Michigan, the fan-base isn't quite as rowdy because it's just a different fan-base.
November 19th, 2013 at 3:47 PM ^
When they can show they can fill the upper deck any better than the regular crowd. For most of the non-MSU-Ohio-Indy games it's somewhat to completely empty. Whole section with bodies you could count on a hand. If you can fill up all the seats you've sold why would you give them better seats?
November 19th, 2013 at 3:49 PM ^
November 19th, 2013 at 7:10 PM ^
I've had season tickets since 1990 and have seen a lot of really good and really bad games at Crisler. I have a couple of observations about the atmosphere:
- It is a lot better now with the students on the sidelines behind the benches than it ever was in the old days when they sat behind the basket. I haven't been a student in a long, long time but absolutely believe that if you want a great atmosphere at a college basketball game, you have to give the students the best seats.
- Over the past 23 years, the biggest negative change in the atmosphere is the the relentless promotions during every break. Michigan has just forced the other team to call a timeout, the crowd is going wild and what to we hear - "Who wants a pizza?". Meanwhile, the band has to sit still until the announcer is done with the latest promotion before they can play The Victors. It didn't used to be like this and it really kills a lot of the fan participation.