WKU
1/18/2025 | 6 p.m.
WGNS (101.9 FM | 1450 AM | 100.5 FM)
1/18/2025 | 6 p.m.
WGNS (101.9 FM | 1450 AM | 100.5 FM)
BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee (12-5, 3-1) vs WKU (11-6, 2-2), (ESPN+). 6PM, Saturday, January 18, 2025
- Thread starter SpaceRaider
- Start date
Anybody else catch the post-game interview after the JAX St game? Porter finished up with a little salvo about the men's small crowd size, & wanting more of a crowd. Definitely sensed a little anger there.
I think this team definitely deserves better than a crowd average of 2,000-2,500, but that's pretty much former students & locals coming out from Rutherford County.
Hint to the team: maybe you should look at your own student body as well. Coaches & players, take a couple hours & visit fraternity row or the student union building as a group for example, & start building some rapport with your fellow students. The Blue Zoo was a great thing during Kermit's tenure. He worked like hell to get the students involved. Other than the band there's practically zero student involvement. Coaches & players You have a week before the Western game. Get out & start meeting & begging your fellow students now. If you do I guarantee you can get at least 500 if not more screaming students in the Murphy holding up their Blue Zoo sign again.
It's not too late, but you have to start hitting these spots now, & it won't take a lot of effort.
I think this team definitely deserves better than a crowd average of 2,000-2,500, but that's pretty much former students & locals coming out from Rutherford County.
Hint to the team: maybe you should look at your own student body as well. Coaches & players, take a couple hours & visit fraternity row or the student union building as a group for example, & start building some rapport with your fellow students. The Blue Zoo was a great thing during Kermit's tenure. He worked like hell to get the students involved. Other than the band there's practically zero student involvement. Coaches & players You have a week before the Western game. Get out & start meeting & begging your fellow students now. If you do I guarantee you can get at least 500 if not more screaming students in the Murphy holding up their Blue Zoo sign again.
It's not too late, but you have to start hitting these spots now, & it won't take a lot of effort.
MT is in pretty good shape early in the conference race.
2024-25 Conference USA Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State | 3-0 | - | 10-6 |
| Middle Tennessee | 3-1 | 0.5 | 12-5 |
| UTEP | 2-1 | 1 | 12-4 |
| Liberty | 2-2 | 1.5 | 14-3 |
| Louisiana Tech | 2-2 | 1.5 | 13-4 |
| Western Kentucky | 2-2 | 1.5 | 11-6 |
| Kennesaw State | 1-2 | 2 | 9-7 |
| Jacksonville State | 1-2 | 2 | 9-7 |
| Sam Houston | 1-3 | 2.5 | 8-9 |
| Florida International | 1-3 | 2.5 | 7-10 |
I might make the drive over next Saturday evening. Haven’t watched a good basketball game in person yet this year. Belmont plays Evansville at 1:00 so Ziggy will be in town too. Two games is doable. 😂
NET: MT #102 wku #138
KenPom MT #121 wku #128
RPI MT #46 wku#122 SOS (MT 56, wku 127)
Massey Composite MT #109 wku #114
KenPom MT #121 wku #128
RPI MT #46 wku#122 SOS (MT 56, wku 127)
Massey Composite MT #109 wku #114
This program has won 30-something percent of its D1 games in the previous six years coming into this season. He's lucky there are more than 15 people showing up to watch what's been an albatross of a program under this regime.
Athletes always have the right to expect fans to show up to support them.. in this ‘what have you done for me lately’ society the Blue Raiders are 37-9 at home the last 4 seasons against D1s.. so while the program may not be what some expect they’ve deserved better support from the home crowds of late.
12-5 this season they do deserve better for the WKU game. I feel like not many people on campus understand how well they are playing this season and they need to try and get people to come to the game. I personally love the jab at the fans because it is actually warranted this time.
I don't think these athletes have the "right" to expect people to spend their hard earn money to watch them. People like winners and a good value for their money. That has not been MT basketball the last few years, so I can understand why no one is coming to watch the team play. Especially, the way they were beat down by Murray State at home. That being said, they are doing well overall this season and I hope that continues. If so people will notice and hopefully crowds will increase. Unfortunately, you need to string several good seasons in a row together to have continuous good crowds here. McDevitt has not been able to string two good seasons together since he has been here, and that's why attendance has been bad during his tenure.
I've been going. I am on year 3 of season tickets and did miss several games during the holidays, but was there the other night. They play hard and deserve to have a good crowd, but with holidays and recent weather, i can see why numbers have been down lately. Hopefully attendance picks up for the remainder of the season.
What a very “TrueBlue” way to think… basketball games are pretty cheap to attend- especially for students..
He's right.
I lived on campus for 3yrs and was a 10min walk away my senior year. I didn't attend a single basketball game. Zero. Went to pretty much every football, but no basketball.
Except for March and a few games/stats here and there, it really isn't a sport I care about. As a student, I was never given a reason to care.
Probably the same for students now and there are even fewer on campus now. And by reason, for me and from discussions with my two daughters in their 20s, it means continuous big time winning. ESPN and the like have killed mid-major sports. Unless a team is ranked or are in a spot like our women are now, most don't even know it exists. There is a reason the women lead the conference in attendance every year. That is what matters to students and the general public who aren't already fans of a certain sport.
And between apartments and online nowadays, fewer students are developing a love and respect for their school. It is just a place to go, then leave. It was my life every day, all day. That just isn't the case anymore. So yes, people need a reason to come.
This year so far is great. But with the past six years, you can't blame anyone who isn't paying attention or believing yet.
This below is what the Murphy Center looked like the final night before McDevitt took over. Constitently having to pull out the bleachers at the top. Building trust and support with the fan base comes in the form of consistent performance - not from two mercenary for hire seasons over seven years. Ling can come on here and talk about home record over the past few years, but the reality is a a lot of that has been propped up by non Division I games and one of the easiest schedules annually in the country. With all due respect, the fan base sees through that. They see a program that's coming off a near 300 NET season and had only ONE out of the prior six seasons where the program has finished better than fourth in the conference. It took time to rebuild our fan base. Only to see it decimated by bad play, bad strategy, and bad philosophy over the past seven years. This last statement is ultimatley why turnout continues to be low. That's the bottom line. And as I said early in the year there after the first couple of games, there is enough talent to win a lot of games this year if they can limit turnovers; however, even if the team wins this year there's a) not a lot of expectation for it to happen (thus little hype for the fanbase to buy into); and b) no future. Look at the roster. The program will be starting over again next year regardless of who the coach is. This is not how you build and sustain a program and it has a chilling effect on the fanbase in a way that is not all that dissimilar to what happened to football. As for Porter, I understand his position and I'm glad he's having a good season scoring. But like a lot of Nick's guards he's had more turnovers than assists every single year he's been here - even this year. He's made up for that here on the backside of his career becoming more of a scorer this year, so good for him. But we have a fanbase that has become skeptical for well-earned reasons.
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