When the HLN Student Section Challenge was in its developmental stages, I would sit and wonder what the winning section would look and feel like. I envisioned thousands of students yelling and chanting the entire game and most importantly having an actual impact on the game. On Thursday night, the Rambler Rowdies showed me exactly what I had been imagining.
Loyola lost to No. 20 Butler by a final score of 48-47 after missing a last second three that dropped halfway through the hoop and rimmed out. However the Rambler crowd helped keep the game close by affecting the Bulldog's shooting. Before Thursday's game Butler had been averaging 35% from beyond the arc, but when in front of the Rambler Rowdies they hit a dismal 15%, connecting on 3-of-20.
Kudos to Loyola Athletics for pulling out all the stops for this one, giving away numerous promo items which included: three types of t-shirts, rally towels, head bands, wrist bands, pom-poms, coffee mugs, beads, mini basketballs, Speedway gift cards and free massages during the game!
Total attendance for this slobber knocker totaled over 4,300 and at least 1,000 of those were students. To quote the Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone, "If you're a Loyola fan and didn't have fun tonight, you'll never have fun."
Fun times were definitely being had in the student section. During breaks and timeouts the Rambler faithful stayed active by dancing to music, attempting to start an arena-wide wave and even administering a Vegas showgirl leg kick performance. I saw two fans wearing Braveheart-like face paint and four male students that pulled a David Puddy (Seinfeld reference) by painting their chest to spell out L-U-C-!
When LU guard Terrance Hill drained a three with 48 sec. left to knot the game at 47, I hadn't heard a crowd that loud at any Horizon League game in my life.
Congrats to Rambler Rowdy Cameron Harding for being named the Student Section Representative in the HLN Ultimate Fan Contest (see video below). He is now entered into a drawing to win two tickets and hotel accommodations to the 2010 Speedway Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship game on March 9. The winner will be selected on March 1 along with the winning student section live on the Horizon League Network.
If this were the Tour de France, The Rowdies would be wearing the yellow jersey.
Hear that UIC? See you on Saturday.
Stay crazy, Horizon League
-Mike
Remaining Challenge Tour Dates Jan. 23: Butler at UIC Jan. 30: Loyola at Wright State Feb. 6: Detroit at Valparaiso Feb. 13: Butler at Cleveland State Feb. 16: Cleveland State at Green Bay Feb. 20: TBA at Detroit (BracketBuster Game) Feb. 27: Detroit at Youngstown State
