The UW men's basketball team might have proved they are a better team than Marquette Saturday, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which school has the better student section.
Marquette.
I don't want to get overly negative on basketball fans at UW, but hey, just because you went through hell to get your tickets doesn't mean you can just show up.
It's not just your fault Grateful Red—quite frankly Marquette's system favors greater participation. Golden Eagles' fans have to show up early for every game because there is a general admission policy in effect for every game. That means they have to work for a good seat every game and take advantage of it once they get it.
My roommate, Kurt Bindrich, a UW-Madison junior, sat in Marquette's student section Saturday.
""I got in line at 8:15 in the morning and was pretty far back in line already,"" Bindrich said. ""They let us in early though and the whole student section was filled by 10:30 for a 1:00 game.""
The student doors were not scheduled to open until 11:30 a.m., but by that time the entire student section was enjoying the end of Dumb and Dumber on the Jumbotron.
Oh, and if you didn't hear, MU head coach Tom Crean was the one who came out and let the students in. Sound like Wisconsin? I didn't think so.
If this game had been played at the Kohl Center, the pre-game timeline would have looked more like this:
8:15 a.m.: Most loyal Grateful Red members are snuggled in their beds, some are taking a slow, early walk-of-shame home so they can get a quick nap in before they head over to the Kohl Center. Quite frankly, this is an advantage of having tickets pre-determined in the pre-season. Who would want to be waiting in line in the freezing cold? The point is, however, Marquette fans most likely spent their Friday night thinking about beating their rival Wisconsin Badgers, while Badger fans were debating whether or not to spend the couple extra dollars on Miller Lite or stick with the cheaper Busch Light.
10:30a.m.: Maybe a few students going to the game have woken up. That one guy who tries to fight someone every game is still knocked out from the shiner he took to the face last night.
11:30a.m.: Hangovers might be wearing off and 50 percent of those students who are going to the game decide a shower might be a good idea.
12:30a.m.: While at Marquette the students would be attempting to get into Alando Tucker's head, during warm-ups at the Kohl Center, there are no students to be found.
1:00 p.m.: UW senior forward Jason Chappell wins the tip-off and Alando Tucker starts the game with a rim-rattling dunk.
The 60 percent of the student section that actually got there by the start of the game cheers on.
Obviously, if the UW student section was filled by general admission it would be different, but there is no reason any fan should be late for a game—and that applies for all sports, collegiate or professional.
""Obviously it was a bigger game, but overall the fans were pretty nuts the entire half hour before the game,"" Bindrich said. ""I know we don't have general admission, but I don't see Badger fans showing up early enough to have an impact on warm-ups.""
It's not all the students' fault, though. While Marquette's head coach is letting the MU students in early because it is below freezing outside, Badger fans aren't even allowed to have a blanket with them when they wait in line for days to get their tickets at the beginning of the season.
And as the team walks out of the locker room, it is Crean once again who walks over to the student section and encourages them on. Meanwhile, as the pre-game montage and starting lineups go on, the PA announcer calls them the greatest student section in the country—most likely an overstatement, but one which will certainly get a crowd that has waited six hours for tip-off to go crazy.
""Everyone had outfits and signs. Everyone was just nuts,"" Bindrich said.
And that is where the Marquette student section is just plain better than Wisconsin's. No fan took a break from any cheer. They were louder, more intimidating and larger.
""The unity really stood out to me. Every fan participates in every cheer,"" Bindrich said.
The reality is, however, that what the Grateful Red has done over the years has worked. Head coach Bo Ryan, now in his sixth season at Wisconsin, is 79-5 at home. Well, while the student section has shown up for big games, in my three years here, the atmosphere against Illinois in 2005 is the only game that even compares to what the Marquette students brought to the Bradley Center on Saturday.
Yes, the athletic department has to do more to encourage student participation. In my opinion, they actually hinder it (i.e. football games where the massive amount of police makes you feel like Big Brother actually is watching you). Encourage students to get there early, do a better job of getting them fired up before games and use the speakers to remind them that yes, they do have an effect on the game.
Look, the No. 2 Pittsburgh Panthers visit the Kohl Center Saturday in the biggest home game of the season thus far. Students will be in the midst of studying for finals, but this is the one break from school this weekend to make a difference against a good team.
If you haven't noticed, the No. 7 Badgers are a pretty darn good team—they deserve the best student section in the Midwest, and at least in the state of Wisconsin.
Have ideas for improving the Grateful Red? Email Adam at hoge@dailycardinal.com.
