Crisler Center Noise/Atmosphere

Submitted by Paps on

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?

delmarblue

November 19th, 2013 at 12:10 AM ^

I've been going to games at crisler since the70's campy Russell, Steve grote. The schools cited, for the most part are basketball first schools . Basketball was for the most part a red headed step child at m prior to the fab5. The administration as much as I can know has continued to treat it as such. Until m treats basketball the same as football, it is what it is (cliche).

a2_electricboogaloo

November 19th, 2013 at 12:32 AM ^

I hate to go against a good anti-David Brandon circlejerk, but I think the students have pretty damn good seats in Crisler.  (Coming from a guy who just graduated and was in the Maize Rage when at school)

Our Setup:

(lower bowl student section in yellow, there are also  upperbowl student sections not shown)

ISU's setup (student section in grey)

Yes, ISU likely has a few more lower bowl student section seats, but Michigan's core student section has the BEST seats in the house (becuase not only are they next to the court court, but they're right behind the benches too).  I'd much rather sit there than behind the basket like ISU is set up.

I get it, the athletic department has done annoying things which people don't like.  But jeez, if anything isn't perfect (like our crowd isn't as raucus as another schools) I the pitchforks and torches come out for DB.  Couldn't that be—dare i say...—the fans fault?  The core student section is devoted and quite loud.  But the periphery student section is generally not very loud unless its a big game, and the alumni/non-student fans don't get as loud as they should.  Face it, we're not a basketball school.  We're starting to care a lot more, but 15 years of bball-apathy makes our fanbase less devout than basketball first schools.  We're getting there, but we still have a ways to go.

(But for the record, if the #7 team in the nation was to come to our house, and we played well against them, I firmly believe our crowd would be louder than ISU's crowd was)

ak47

November 19th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^

I don't blame dave brandon necessarily but a few reasons why the maize rage sucks at impacting a game, its a small percentage of the student section that gets those good seats, all the sections are broken up so it is difficult to coordinate, and there is no "wall" of students behind a basket that usually is going to generate the most noise.  Crisler is just a crappy set up.

mGrowOld

November 18th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^

This is one instance where I have to tell you that the crowd, specifically the students, are way better now than they were when I was in school in the late 70's.  Back then we really didnt have a student section as you see it today - my Senior year (81) I sat on the floor directly underneath the basket, next the visitors bench.  And we were all spread out in crappy seats so no real noise came from anywhere.  The seats now known as the "maize rage" were largely occupied by big money alumns and donors and the place was quiet as hell with the exception of few games here or there.

And the place was really, really dark too.

M-Dog

November 19th, 2013 at 11:03 AM ^

Tommy A also should get credit for the general switch of Michigan fans wearing yellow in all the sports.  You did not see large chunks of yellow at football games until the Maize Rage caught on in basketball. 

It's a cool look for us.  Give credit where it is due.  Tommy A made an impact far beyond just coaching his sport for a few years.

Hail-Storm

November 19th, 2013 at 1:53 PM ^

of the student section switch when Tommy A came to town.  My days as a student were between 98-03. The student section was nowhere near the court. The one time I sat in the lower bowl alumni section was with a family friend and we had plenty of space (and were right behind Tractor Traylor RIP). 

We also tried a Blue Out against MSU in 03, that did not due anything, so I also agree that the Maize Rage has made the look of the stadiums better. Hard for me to complain about current conditions when I know how far basketball facilities, student participation and seating, and basketball play has come. 

It's amazing how quickly expectations change, as now a tournament bid is no big deal, and the student seating right on the court is not big enough. 

BJNavarre

November 19th, 2013 at 10:18 AM ^

Yup, we should totally let students, who have been going to games for just a couple years, take all the best seats. Screw the alums that have donated thousands of dollars and have been attending games for years. 

/sarc

The place is loud enough for big games -- our games against OSU, Indiana, MSU and Duke typically all have great atmospheres. Is Crisler the loudest arena out there? No, but Michigan gives it's students about as good of seats as anyone else, and some of the noise issues, especially comparing Crisler vs Hilton, are due to acoustics and not just the location of the student section. 

mGrowOld

November 18th, 2013 at 11:42 PM ^

And that's wrong.  The students should have first dibs on all the lower bowl seats IMO, not us alumns.  You want a loud, crazy atmosphere?  You need to put the loud, crazy people down low where they can be heard.

My dad held season tickets in Basketball from about 1975 till 2000 and he sat in the corner of the upper bowl.  And if he clapped more than twice in those 25 years it wasnt much more than twice and he never yelled (other than to mutter about the travestiy the officiating was each and every game).  People like my dad need to be in those upper seats, not the students.

goblue16

November 19th, 2013 at 12:19 AM ^

I have no idea what your talking about, every big home game, NC ST, OSU, MSU, INDIANA were rocking last season and everyone has been praising the crowds at Crisler for the past 4-5 years. They couldnt pay people to come to some games in the early 2000s

CptThirdPlaceBananas

November 19th, 2013 at 12:37 AM ^

Dave Brandon is a greedy, money hungry business man that would rather sell tickets to boring, rich fans than give students a bleacher section larger than 500 seats. The maize rage does a good job for the very limited access it is given. However, too many close-to-the-floor seats are sold to people who don't show up to most games, and they don't cheer loudly unless forced to at the big games. Coming from a student, I'm extremely upset and disappointed in the policy changes and extremely frustrated with the lackluster fanbase we are supposed to have. Give the maize rage a lower bowl like the Breslin Center has to give Michigan a real noise advantage.

hajiblue72

November 19th, 2013 at 7:36 AM ^

I have season tickets in the upper bowl and come to almost every game and always make input a UM fan in my seats if I can't make it. And I watch as 1/4 of the lower bowl sits empty and the people there don't cheer. Very frustrating that priority points wins out over coming to the game.

a2_electricboogaloo

November 19th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^

The student section at Crisler is significantly smaller than the one at the Big House.  There are about 2000 seats opposed to about 10,000+ students in Michigan Stadium.  This means that the Basketball student section, while smaller, is usually better organized and louder per person than the football student section.  But honestly, it's comparing apples to oranges.

Setshot

November 19th, 2013 at 12:41 AM ^

The student interest has grown, but outside of the student section the interest still isn't there. There's a lot of empty seats and not much noise coming from places other than the student section. Students should be alloted more seats near the court until we actually have other dedicated fans showing up to every game. The atmosphere at Crisler can be great as we've seen for the Indiana, Ohio State, and Kansas games the last few years, but it's only the big games where Crisler has a big home court advantage. You look at the Breslin and they have a great crowd no matter who they're playing. Michigan isn't to that level quite yet. We're getting there, but in the mean time the students need to have more seats near the court to have a significant home court advantage because the rest of the fans just aren't cutting it as of right now in my opinion.

MGoBender

November 19th, 2013 at 7:02 AM ^

This is true.  I was in the student section from 05/06 - 10/11 (grad school!) and was always frustrated with the lack of basketball knowledge among the non-student crowd.

There was a group opposite the student section who always "got it."  I remember Mrs. Amaker was in that group, so it was probably a group related to the team.  They stood on substitutions to clap for the guys coming off the floor.  They got up on big defensive stands.  They stood on almost all made baskets.

People just don't stand for defense.  I don't get it.  You need to get up and cheer the team on when they need a defensive stop.  THIS IS BASKETBALL 101!!!  Don't give me "I'm old" either.  You're not in a handicap seat, you've got a nice, cushy seat to sit back down in.  Get your ass up and at least clap for big defensive possessions. 

All that said, the Maize Rage has grown and they could possibly do better with their cheers to accomodate the bigger crowd.  Too few "GO" -> "BLUE" chants back and forth between the students and the general sections.

However, for big games there's nowhere better.  I love Crisler.  The atmosphere for big games far trumped any football game I went to.  My top 5 Michigan events attended are all basketball games.  I'm a little biased towards basketball, but still I LOVE Crisler and that team and I think the atmosphere for big games is great.

Mabel Pines

November 19th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^

or do we have to stand and clap?  Because there would be no difference with sound.  And I'll be honest, I was at the Concordia game, one row above Maize rage, with my daughter, and I was giving a little hooting and hollering.  Cheering, yelling all positive stuff.  The students turned and looked at me like I was a weirdo.  So, last time for that.  And yes, I know it's pathetic that I care what others think.  But I don't want to embarass my children.  I just don't get what the fans are supposed to do to make people on MGOBLOG happy.

MGoBender

November 19th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^

Maybe you were just being weird? :)  Maybe because, um, it was Concordia and that is a totally different situation than a normal basketball game.  It was a glorified scrimmage, so maybe that's why you got some looks.

My point is I think basketball is an intimate environment and there are two situations, as a fan, where you stand to show your respect for and support of the team:

  • When a starter leaves the game for the final time.
  • When your team needs a big defensive stop.

You could throw in the end of the halves as well.  Defensive stops are so crucial and it takes a long time - 30 seconds of 100% effort and team defense is grueling.  I think it's important to stand for the times when you need a stop.  That creates atmosphere just as much as noise.  A third (fourth) situation is, I guess, forcing a team to use a TO.  But, by that point most everyone is already up and loud.

But everyone supports in their own way!  Just be there and be present in the game!

manolovesblue

November 19th, 2013 at 12:43 AM ^

Flip the team seating to the opposite side of the court and put the student section on the baseline just like Cameron. Instead of having several rows of the players and media in the way, put them right on top of the court. I think that would help out some.

LSAClassOf2000

November 19th, 2013 at 6:05 AM ^

It isn't necessarily related, but I believe they actually have made an effort to improve the atmosphere at games which attract smaller crowds typically but utilize Crisler such as women's basketball and gymnastics. There is now the curtain which would descend and cover the upper bowl for these events to create a more "intimate environment", if I remember Dave Brandon's words correctly. 

MGoBender

November 19th, 2013 at 6:54 AM ^

See: Duke 2009.  See: Indiana 2013.  See: Illinois 2006.  See: Michigan State 2006. (Wow, my freshman year was a long time ago...).

Crisler gets LOUD.  All caps required.  Crisler rocks and it did mores so when they didn't pump in music and the band and student section got into it with each other and got the entire building to scream.  (Fill me up buttercup does not get alums, old people, families to stand up and yell).

Bando Calrissian

November 19th, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^

Yep. (btw that Duke win was in '08, not '09. And it was insane.) And Michigan Stadium got plenty loud before the luxury boxes. See: Penn State '05. You couldn't hear yourself think after that touchdown. No mic'ed up MMB, no RAWK, just exuberance.

Really, the "we don't get loud enough" debate is as dumb as it gets. Because it's easier to buy the meme that the stadium is a library and our fans aren't loud enough and everything is solved with RAWK, standing up for every play, and being an asshole to everyone around you in the stadium. I don't get why going to a sporting event these days means having every second filled with noise, gimmicks, and the WOW experience. But that's just me. 

MGoBender

November 19th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^

Yeah, I realized the Duke game was the 08 side of 08-09 but didn't bother to go back and fix it.  What a fun - and fun is the best word to describe it - year to be a M hoops fan.

That game was so crazy precisely because of the non-students so jacked up for it. 

And I agree that loud isn't necessarily the only thing.  I mentioned it above, but there are certain things in basketball you should traditionally do to respect your team as a spectator: stand when a starter exits the game for the last time, stand for big stops.  Those are the big two for me.  Basketball is such an intimate environment, I always considered the crowd standing as a sign of "let's stand behind our team and encourage them to give 100% effort for this 30 seconds of tough defense."

asstastic

November 19th, 2013 at 7:14 AM ^

Last year at the IU game in Crisler, when we had a huge opening sequence and were playing well, it was loud in there. Then in the last few minutes I couldnt hear myself think. That being said, I went to the Michigan game at IU last year and once the ball tipped off, I couldn't hear the person next to me until we got out of Assembly Hall

hajiblue72

November 19th, 2013 at 7:41 AM ^

Game last year and I agree, it was louder than anything I have been in at Crisler. And I went to all the fab five games when I was in school. They have hate and savagery that we just don't have.