The Penn State-Michigan State men's basketball game on Saturday was disappointing on a number of levels, especially for someone like myself, who enjoys the atmosphere of a college basketball game.
So as I sat there slightly detached from the student section, I witnessed the student section being taunted by the two dozen or so Spartans' fans from the "Izzone," and there was no response from the "Nitwits." It was as if the student section had no emotion, no willingness to even get into a chanting match with the Spartan fans, and that was disheartening.
This is a school that prides itself on being the best football student section in the nation -- and rightfully so -- but when it comes to basketball, the "fans" seem to lose all interest in the game when the Nittany Lions are struggling.
But it took such a level of anger for me to notice a trend: College basketball fans and rivalries are completely different from football ones.
So the scene on Saturday was something I never fathomed would happen at a college basketball game, but maybe I was spoiled growing up in Philly, watching basketball games at the University of Pennsylvania's Palestra. The constant chanting by Villanova fans at St. Joe's fans, or the Temple faithful taunting the LaSalle student section are experiences still fresh in my mind, and no matter what the score, the opposing fan bases would always react to derogatory chants.
So, what happened after the Izzone chanted "La-zy Nit-wits?"
Silence. Not a word of retaliation -- not even a peep.
At their core, college basketball rivalries or intra-conference games are more exciting in person because of the interaction with the opposing fans.
Does anyone remember high school games?
Maybe Penn State's basketball fans don't know how to interact, because they are so overpowering at football games. Because at football games, the visiting student section is stashed 20 to 30 yards away and is drowned out by the 20,000 students dressed in white. So when you level the playing field, the energy seem to be harder to come by.
That is why the great rivalries in basketball are usually between non-football schools: Duke-North Carolina, the Big 5 in Philadelphia, and Louisville-Kentucky. And no, there isn't a big rivalry in the Big Ten.
Maybe there is a reason the non-football schools are better basketball fans, but there are signs that it could happen at Penn State.
Becoming a basketball school is not as hard as it seems, but it takes a commitment that most football schools can't offer. The most prominent exception to the rule is Florida.
The current holders of the national championship for both sports didn't have much of a basketball program until Billy Donovan came along a turn the tide of the program. Donovan's hiring was a commitment from the Gators' athletic department to find basketball coach that was the best available, and not just the on they could sell to their fans.
Texas and Tennessee are other programs that have a nice balance within their sports, but then again they also turned around after hiring great head coaches -- Bruce Pearl at Tennessee, and Rick Barnes at Texas. As much as I like Ed DeChellis as a coach, I don't know if he's in that class.
All of those teams have something in common: they win. Is the fact that traditional football schools usually have successful teams, and the fan base doesn't know how to react to disappointment or it just that they don't know how to cheer at a basketball game?
Maybe I should lay off the "Nitwits," because basketball hasn't been a great success here. Think about schools like USC, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, and Alabama, where football is king and their basketball programs leave a lot to be desired.
The trend seems to be you can only have one great team with one great student section. And if that means having the best football fans in the nation, and in turn, having the worst basketball fans in the country, I'll take it. Because that fact will never change until the university commits more to the basketball team.
But I will still be hoping for those days I remember back in Philadelphia.
Game of the Week
GOTW returns this week with a road trip to the Arizona desert for a top-25 matchup between two traditional powers.
No. 4 North Carolina possesses one of the nation's best offenses, with freshman wingman Wayne Ellington's terrific outside shot. But don't forget about sophomore Tyler Hansbrough, because underestimating him will mean a long day for a team's inside men.
On the other side, Lute Olson and No. 17 Arizona counter with the forward duo of sophomore Marcus Williams and Ivan Radenovic, who average 35 points combined. The Wildcats control the ball well and won't give the Tar Heels many easy points. The never-aging Mustafa Shakur will opposing give coach Roy Williams fits all day, but Carolina has just enough offense to hold off Arizona.
North Carolina 92, Arizona 85
