Tag: Student Section

Mike Locksley talks Michigan State football student section

MSU’s student section has made an impression on Maryland head coach Mike Locksley

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup between Michigan State and Maryland, Mike Locksley talked about the Spartans and what he expects out of the matchup. One thing that was on his mind, the Michigan State student section. Locksley noted how loud the student section is, and how they sometimes can be annoying.

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From the Student Section: Sooners beat Bama, calm before the… court storm

From the Student Section makes a victorious return after OU Basketball kicked up a storm against the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

That. Was. Awesome.

I really need to get to more Oklahoma Basketball games. I definitely picked a good one to go to. Watching the unranked Sooners beat the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide was just fantastic to watch unfold.

So, how did I end up at this game?

Well, after getting home on Friday night, I remembered that OU was hosting Alabama on Saturday afternoon. While I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, I rounded up my Jordans and my roommate, and we made our way to the Lloyd Noble Center just as the doors opened.

That crowd was the best I’ve ever seen at the LNC. The student section has been asked, time and time again, to show up. They did. Watching this game from the student section was an unforgettable experience.

Also, this happened.

After watching OU Football be at the other end of field stormings for the last two years, being able to take part in a court storming after a win against Alabama felt therapeutic. It was incredible.

This is the best OU Basketball has looked in years. THAT is what a Porter Moser-coached team is supposed to look like. They were fast, they played outstanding defense, and they shot lights out.

Deep into year two, Moser finally has a signature win. With plenty of recruits in the building and plenty of time left to build a case to make the tournament, this win could end up paying massive dividends for this program.

As they said in the cinematic masterpiece Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” If Porter Moser builds a great basketball program, the fans will come. The program is still very much in a building phase, and the student section has been fantastic since Moser was hired.

Getting out of the Big 12 might end up being good for the Sooners. While SEC Basketball has a few heavy hitters, getting away from the titans of the hardwood in the Big 12 could level the playing field for Moser’s squad down the road.

Here’s a message for OU fans. Porter Moser is the guy. Believe in the program he’s building. Go to the games. Who’s next on the schedule? Ah, perfect timing.

Oklahoma State is coming to Norman on Wednesday night. If the crowd can be anything like the one from today, Bedlam is going to be electric. After what the Sooners experienced when they went to Stillwater, time for Sooner Nation to return the favor.

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Don’t count out the student section just yet after a blazing hot day Saturday afternoon

Although photos circulating social media don’t look good, don’t count out the OU Student Section just yet.

I enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in 2019. Since then, I have called the student section home to watch Sooners football. As someone who actually watches the games from there, I can say this: yes there is an issue with the student section, and it’s been an issue for awhile.

However, we need to give them a free pass for yesterday. If the student section starts emptying out before halftime against Kansas State in three weeks or even against Kent State next week, we can have this discussion, but for now, hear me out.

The entire east side of the stadium was completely covered with sunlight for the entirety of the game. I came out of that stadium a bit more tan than I was when I entered. It was hot, it was sunny and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

I was there, and I was feeling the heat near the end of the game. “Hydrate or diedrate” as they say. I, however, am a person who enjoys football way too much for his own good. I don’t blame the people who left early.

The heat was just too much. The temperature went over 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the field and the fans could feel every bit of it. Multiple people were reportedley carried out on stretchers and I personally saw someone carried out of the stands to receive medical attention.

Over 83,000 fans showed up. That’s what we should be focusing on. This isn’t a program that struggles to fill it’s building or one that needs to cover seats, unlike a few programs out west.

This is what the student section looked like before people started leaving:

Seems pretty full to me.

Yes, the lack of energy in the student section is a problem, and it has been for years. However, we now live in world with Brent Venables as our head coach. He asked for a packed house for the spring game. He got it. He asked for a nightmare for opponents at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. He will get it.

If the student section is half-empty against Big 12 opponents in late September and October, we can have this discussion again. Until then, let’s hold off.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @BenDackiw.

WATCH: Chris Beard breaks down a funny fan reaction during film study

Chris Beard is finding creative ways to increase student engagement.

When Chris Beard took the Texas job during the offseason, one of his main priorities was to improve the home-court advantage. His goal was to start by finding ways to engage both him and the team with the student body, who has been lacking interest for some time now.

On Monday night against Sam Houston, the Horns played in front of the first “student only” crowd in program history. Beard started the night by hosting a “party at the tower” with free music, food and photo ops before the game.

The first-year head coach personally walked the students from the tower to Gregory Gym. Over 3,000 students packed the building creating an amazing atmosphere for a college basketball game.

On Wednesday, the Texas Men’s Basketball Twitter account began to have some fun with a specific fan wearing a Hawaiian shirt who was sitting behind the goal during Monday’s game.

Through the power of social media, the student was identified and invited to team practice on Wednesday by assistant coach Chris Ogden.

The “Hawaiian shirt kid” made it to the Erwin Center where Chris Beard analyzed some of his best reactions with the entire team. Beard thanked him for his support of the program and was treated to a nice standing ovation from the team.

Watch the full film breakdown here:

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Michigan State football student section gets branded a new name

Michigan State’s student section has a new nickname

Mel Tucker has brought a lot of intensity to the Michigan State program, and centered around that is a lot of sayings and monikers that have caught on within the Spartan fan base.

The most notable saying being “Tuck Comin'”, followed by Spartan Stadium being dubbed “The Woodshed”. Another saying we have heard from within the program is bringing the opponents into the “deep water”, something Coach Tucker references about the grit needed to win games.

Michigan State’s student section has never really had a nickname, but with Coach Tucker bringing changes around the program, it felt like it was time.

The basketball student section is known as the Izzone, and now the football student section will be known as the ‘deep end’, playing off the deep water moniker.

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