Crisler Center>Breslin Center

Submitted by SpreadGuru on
As the Big Ten conference season winds down, it's starting to become more clear that the Crisler Center is just a better home-court advantage than the Breslin Center. The two biggest games of the conference season so far have been the Michigan Michigan State matchups. When Michigan State held the lead with five minutes to go in the first game, the Breslin Center was barely audible in terms of a volume level. Today with Michigan managing the same situation in the mid point of the second-half, the Crisler Center was going crazy. I'm not one to overreact like our "friends" over the RCMB are doing tonight but I would say that it's becoming evident that the Izzone and the Breslin Center are not what they once were. You could also make the argument that the Kohl Center in Madison and the barn and Minneapolis are better home-court advantage is then the Breslin Center. Thoughts?

orobs

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^

That game at Breslin didn't count. The fans voices were really sore, and their mascot was run down with the flu. When they host us at full strength, we are in for a world of hurt.

goblue16

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:26 PM ^

But seriously I would rank the loudest arenas as
1. Assembly hall (Indiana)
2. Crisler center
3. The Brez
4. Kohl center
5. The barn

hajiblue72

February 23rd, 2014 at 9:41 PM ^

I have only been to 3 - the Brez and Ohio's arena - whatever they call it. I went to OSU game last year at OSU and it was louder in there than our game with sparty today. I don't know how consistent their crowd it for hoops, but I would have to think the buckeyes are up there. 24k compared to 13 as well, not to mention 10,000 more savages than we have. The bottom line is crowd fervor comes and goes with success; I sure remember Indiana's crowd representing well when they struggled for several year. I would have to think Assembly is at or very near the top of the list for that reason.

Wolverine Devotee

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:30 PM ^

Found this post interesting while laughing at the butt-hurt sparties on rcmb-

 

Have you been there recently? That concourse alone blows the Breslin away. It sucks to admit but I was actually impressed with how nice it was today

Dilithium Wings

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:33 PM ^

We have the stupidest location for our student sections. We allow the away teams fan to take a section away, we then have another section in between our second part of the student section, then we put the remaining students up in second deck. Crisler arena could be so much louder and intimidating if our students actually got to stand together.

GRBluefan

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:40 PM ^

As a michigan fan who has attended games at crisler since 1997, and as someone who has also been to numerous games at Breslin (including non-michigan). We are not at their level...yet.

GRBluefan

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:28 PM ^

Saying they aren't a good fan base. You can be good and still have others who are a bit better. We are definitely a solid home court...I just think Breslin is a bit more solid at this point. No shame in that, since most 'experts' think Breslin is one of the best in the country

hajiblue72

February 23rd, 2014 at 9:33 PM ^

GRBlueFan on this one. I have been to almost every game this season. Yes, it was crazy today. But we don't have the consistency. The students have been consistent - I commend them. But you need the rest to make it a raucous environment. Take Wisconsin last week - the team comes out flat and got nothing from the crowd. First half was lame. The crowd has come a long way in the last 3 years, but I wouldn't rank us as one of the 3 or 4 toughest arenas in the big ten. However, we are now one of the toughest teams to play in the Big Ten, which contributes to our sterling home record. Huge strides, but a ways to go.

snarling wolverine

February 24th, 2014 at 6:29 AM ^

I was at the Wisconsin game.  The crowd made a lot of noise in the second half.  You couldn't hear yourself when it was a 3-point game.  In the first half it was quieter, but the team was so out of it that few crowds were going to be energized in that situation.

da3mite

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:44 PM ^

Don't forget, despite their lack of recent contention, Assembly Hall in Champaign (now State Farm Center) is still pretty damn loud and a fantastic arena to watch a basketball game. The Orange Krush is a firmly organized and noisy student section/campus organization.

-Former Illinois student...transferred to Michigan for my sophomore year

mGrowOld

February 23rd, 2014 at 7:45 PM ^

I taped the game and just finished watching it.  At what would have been the end of the game I got a text from a friend and two missed calls.  So I turned my phone off and enjoyed the ass-whooping a few hours late.

Phil Brickma

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^

Cool. It was crazy once. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Several reporters were quick to point out on Twitter this was the first game all season the place was full prior to tipoff. Breslin and Kohl have a reputation for a reason. Just because we won a few big games doesn't change that. Make it crazy the rest of the season and develop our own reputation, then we can revisit this discussion.

LSAClassOf2000

February 23rd, 2014 at 8:33 PM ^

Massey keeps its own statistical estimste of home field advantage as it relates to basketball, and although it is for purposes of making a guess at score margins and estimated probabilities, the sort on HFA is interesting in the Big Ten right now. 

It isn't based on arena, of course, but performance - Nebraska is on top right now, followed by Purdue and Minnesota. Statistically, Michigan would ring in at fourth and Michigan State would be second to last. What is interesting about that is that it rather mirrors their typical rating for football, making both Breslin and Spartan Stadiums as close to a statistically "neutral site" game as you get in the Big Ten. It is an interesting phenomenon.