SPORTS: Men’s basketball game commentary: What a difference 2,000 people can make

Taylor Howsmon

Sports Editor

17 days ago VCU suffered one of its most surprising losses of the season when the Rams lost to Northeastern at home for the second season in a row.

In front of a less-than stellar crowd of 5,741, which can be expected when the largest student body in Virginia is on holiday break, the Rams stumbled in a rare home loss.

Fast-forward to last night.

The Rams, this time in front of an electric sell-out crowd of more than 7,500, played a practically flawless game in the 81-59 win over William & Mary.

I am not saying that the crowd was the only factor there, but I do like to believe that it had a great deal to with it.

There is no sport that can provide an instant advantage for a home team quite like college basketball can.

It is no secret that teams like Duke, Gonzaga and others are good. But there is a reason why those teams are practically unbeatable at home.

The electricity and intensity of the atmosphere Wednesday night flustered the opponent and gave VCU a decided advantage.

My opinion was backed up after the game as all three VCU players in the press conference, one William & Mary player and both coaches brought up the atmosphere without being asked about it.

VCU coach Shaka Smart commented on the crowd being a sixth man on the floor. And Tribe’s Danny Sumner said that the atmosphere, along with VCU’s pressure defense made it difficult to do just about anything offensively.

I am sure that if you talked to any VCU player they would tell you that the crowd helps them win.

Consider that VCU has lost four games this season, three of which were on the road.

Also consider that VCU has only lost 23 home games since the opening of the arena to begin the 1999-2000 season.

It has led our team to wins over tradition-heavy programs like Oklahoma and Louisville, not to mention five consecutive home wins over cross-town rival Richmond.

The ambiance and the electricity of the Siegel Center is a profound reason for VCU’s success in recent years and never was it more obvious to me then it was on Wednesday night.

So the next time someone on campus tells you that sports don’t matter, encourage them to go to a VCU home game.

Seeing thousands of black-and-gold clad fans is an eye-popping experience and has to be very exciting for any sports enthusiast around Richmond.

I really encourage every VCU student to check out how lame many of the crowd atmospheres are around the CAA or even across the capital city at that private, closed off school in the West End.

I encourage you to take pride in this and really appreciate it. Despite the fact that it is what makes the sport so great, it is still a rarity around the world of college basketball.