Last year’s season-ending men’s basketball game against lowly Loyola drew a crowd of 3,924 at the Arena. The crowd for Monday’s showdown against rival Providence, whom the Stags very nearly upset, was 3,777, begging the question:
How could a conference game against a bad team outdraw a game against a Big East opponent who went to the NCAA tournament two years ago?
Both Providence and Saint Joseph’s, whom the Stags played last in the Nov. 21 home-opener, are big name teams who have had NCAA tournament success in the past.
The Saint Joseph’s game drew a dismal crowd of 2,936, but the Red Sea was out in full force, and the self-proclaimed “Super-fans” even bothered to “Facebook” every Saint Joseph’s starter in order to gather sufficient ammo for taunting.
But despite what may be the year’s biggest turnout Monday from the Fairfield community and a strong showing by Providence fans, the student section was less than half full.
Had the Stags managed to put the ball in the hoop two more times, they would have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history, and very few members of the student body would have been there to see it.
It is true that this year’s team has been depleted of talent by graduation, injuries and a suspension, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t play its heart out and practice every day to give our school a respectable basketball team.
The student section was almost non-existent for the second game against Providence.
Our team needs a loyal student section that will show up to every game and be prepared to help our team to victory.
Fairfield showed great heart and energy during the entire game, trying to pull off an upset against a good Big East team that now owns a 3-0 record. The entire night Fairfield showed that it has a fast-paced, aggressive style of play. Friars Head Coach Tim Welsh conceded after the game that the Stags appeared more prepared to play from the opening tip-off.
The Stags can surely build on their effort and turn the momentum into wins in the future. If the team played this well against a Big East team, then we could be in for a very exciting conference season.
But if they’re going to achieve anything in the MAAC, they’re going to need a true home-court advantage – an advanage that, with the student section now right behind the basket, should be there every night.
Whether or not this advantage will truly exist is entirely up to the student body, and if students are going to help out, they better improve on Monday’s turnout.
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