I haven't been to a game yet this year. I was planning on going last week, or soon. I am not sure it is true that athletics is not supporting men's basketball, but I see MD's points in my experience going to a couple of games a year. It is all tied together. The team seems better this year. Regardless, athletics should ALWAYS be trying to get a "world-class" game day experience for fans. It is a point that has been lost on AD's in the past. Without fans, there is no product to sell. Fans are a necessary part of college basketball. Without passionate fans in the stadium, selling college basketball is like selling a car without an engine. You can find an idiot to buy it, but it's going to take work, you're not going to find too many, and you aren't going to feel good about it.

Solution? Get fans in the seats at all costs (a couple of thousand is all it takes to get the ball rolling); get competitive; make the game day experience fun; build; repeat.

The MAC has been a one bid league for decades so even if you start winning its not as if suddenly you will have a Top 25 team like in football. If you want to make a name in basketball it's all about scheduling and winning those tough games. No one is going to care if you go undefeated against the Bethune Cookmans of the world. You need to play and beat te UMass and Iowa State types. That is what draws recruits and fans. NIU and pretty much all of the MAC continue to struggle with scheduling. Look at Toledo this year, they are what 12 - 2 but their SOS is in the 200s. Akron has been posting 20 win seasons for a while and they have cracked the Top 25 maybe once. Even if this team turns the corner and becomes more competitive there still is a lot of other factors that need to happen to raise the program to the next level. The MAC being a one bid league certainly ones not help things. If we were in the basement of the ACC we would have much more talent and fan support even with a losing program.

Has the band really not been at games, even when class is in session?

If so, that's weird.

There's no excuse for men's basketball to not be mentioned by Frazier, considering the football season has ended and basketball is in full swing. And I agree about the Convo, it hasn't been the most inviting place, though I haven't had big issues with the personnel there like some have had. Concessions aren't very good either. Just gotta win some more games and people will start to show though. It's easier to convince the casual fan to go sit in the Convo instead of braving cold weather and lack of hotdogs at Huskie stadium in the middle of winter, if the team is playing some moderately exciting basketball. They aren't there yet but they're getting there.

(01-09-2014 09:47 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  The MAC has been a one bid league for decades so even if you start winning its not as if suddenly you will have a Top 25 team like in football. If you want to make a name in basketball it's all about scheduling and winning those tough games. No one is going to care if you go undefeated against the Bethune Cookmans of the world. You need to play and beat te UMass and Iowa State types. That is what draws recruits and fans. NIU and pretty much all of the MAC continue to struggle with scheduling. Look at Toledo this year, they are what 12 - 2 but their SOS is in the 200s. Akron has been posting 20 win seasons for a while and they have cracked the Top 25 maybe once. Even if this team turns the corner and becomes more competitive there still is a lot of other factors that need to happen to raise the program to the next level. The MAC being a one bid league certainly ones not help things. If we were in the basement of the ACC we would have much more talent and fan support even with a losing program.

Huskietap I just don't agree with that. Its not so much beating big names in basketball, but instead just winning consistently, and playing regionally identifiable teams seems to help a lot. No doubt though the MAC hurts us, not because its a 1 bid league but because fans have a harder time getting up for teams they don't know much about. The path to national post season play for a mid major is not by knocking off a top 25 team once a year, its by winning your conference and fans understand that. The problem that NIU is in now though, is that I don't think winning will even help. A vast majority no longer acknowledge the existence of basketball. I cant blame them because that is attitude the athletic department has bred.

(01-09-2014 09:50 AM)7 Wrote:  Has the band really not been at games, even when class is in session?

If so, that's weird.

Ive only been to one game 7, but trust me on this, something has changed this year

Does anyone know why they dim the lights? Trying to save on electricity?

(01-09-2014 09:54 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  Does anyone know why they dim the lights? Trying to save on electricity?

haha good question that has always seemed to be an issue. This year though has just marked such a change, no streaming of games, no band, no upper bowl, little if any promotions, etc. I find it extremely frustrating because for the first time in awhile I feel like there are players on this team and that will be playing in the near future that give cause for extreme optimism. But then you think of the backdrop that this is occurring in and something inside makes you feel like the momentum of what Montgomery is building has no chance of blossoming.

(01-09-2014 09:52 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:47 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

Huskietap I just don't agree with that. Its not so much beating big names in basketball, but instead just winning consistently, and playing regionally identifiable teams seems to help a lot. No doubt though the MAC hurts us, not because its a 1 bid league but because fans have a harder time getting up for teams they don't know much about. The path to national post season play for a mid major is not by knocking off a top 25 team once a year, its by winning your conference and fans understand that. The problem that NIU is in now though, is that I don't think winning will even help. A vast majority no longer acknowledge the existence of basketball. I cant blame them because that is attitude the athletic department has bred.

If you run the gauntlet in the OOC portion and play a tough schedule you are guaranteed to lose ground in the RPI once league play starts. The eventual goal shouldn't be to win the conference and get the leagues only bid. The goal should be to build your resume so that even if you lose the conference you still get in. See the MVC, A10 and MWC. All midmajors which successfully place multiple teams in te dance. All league where marquis matchups exist in league play. The MAC lacks all of this. Boise State had a horrible basketball team for many years and now they are top 3 in the MWC which is a pretty good league.

(01-09-2014 09:12 AM)yippiesrhinos Wrote:  I think the problem is the Convo Center. The Fieldhouse was such a homey environment that made it fun to go to a game. It felt like a community event, was loud, and intimate. The Convo Center is too "corporate" and has no character. It's no fun to be there, whether our teams are good or not. Somehow, the Convo has to get some character, get louder, and regain some the intimacy of the Chick.

I like the Convo, but nobody associates it with winning. We need one or two winning seasons, with screaming and happy crowds for the Convo to finally become home to the fans.

(01-09-2014 09:57 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:54 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  Does anyone know why they dim the lights? Trying to save on electricity?

haha good question that has always seemed to be an issue. This year though has just marked such a change, no streaming of games, no band, no upper bowl, little if any promotions, etc. I find it extremely frustrating because for the first time in awhile I feel like there are players on this team and that will be playing in the near future that give cause for extreme optimism. But then you think of the backdrop that this is occurring in and something inside makes you feel like the momentum of what Montgomery is building has no chance of blossoming.

Like I said earlier, I have been to all but 1 home game this year. I have not seen Sean Frazier once !!! If the AD isn't supporting you and the band isn't there to support you, there is definitely a major problem...

(01-09-2014 10:01 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:52 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:47 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

Huskietap I just don't agree with that. Its not so much beating big names in basketball, but instead just winning consistently, and playing regionally identifiable teams seems to help a lot. No doubt though the MAC hurts us, not because its a 1 bid league but because fans have a harder time getting up for teams they don't know much about. The path to national post season play for a mid major is not by knocking off a top 25 team once a year, its by winning your conference and fans understand that. The problem that NIU is in now though, is that I don't think winning will even help. A vast majority no longer acknowledge the existence of basketball. I cant blame them because that is attitude the athletic department has bred.

If you run the gauntlet in the OOC portion and play a tough schedule you are guaranteed to lose ground in the RPI once league play starts. The eventual goal shouldn't be to win the conference and get the leagues only bid. The goal should be to build your resume so that even if you lose the conference you still get in. See the MVC, A10 and MWC. All midmajors which successfully place multiple teams in te dance. All league where marquis matchups exist in league play. The MAC lacks all of this. Boise State had a horrible basketball team for many years and now they are top 3 in the MWC which is a pretty good league.

You take a very idealistic view of things Huskietap which is good but at the same time a bit unrealistic. NIU basketball is in survival mode right now, I think worrying about how many bids the MAC gets is something for a longer term worry. In my view the important thing right now is somehow to convince the AD or anyone involved in NIU athletic department that basketball is worth it.

When hosting high school games with even just 2-3K (let alone 5-6k) fans the Convo has shown it is more than adequate as far as providing a home-court atmosphere.

(01-09-2014 09:54 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  Does anyone know why they dim the lights? Trying to save on electricity?

Better shooting background. Shooting in an empty arena creates awkward sightlines. Kind of similar to when teams play in football stadiums in the tournament.

(01-09-2014 09:57 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:54 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  Does anyone know why they dim the lights? Trying to save on electricity?

haha good question that has always seemed to be an issue. This year though has just marked such a change, no streaming of games, no band, no upper bowl, little if any promotions, etc. I find it extremely frustrating because for the first time in awhile I feel like there are players on this team and that will be playing in the near future that give cause for extreme optimism. But then you think of the backdrop that this is occurring in and something inside makes you feel like the momentum of what Montgomery is building has no chance of blossoming.

Don't forget the closed Convo entrances and reconfigured parking this year. It's to save money.

(01-09-2014 10:13 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  When hosting high school games with even just 2-3K (let alone 5-6k) fans the Convo has shown it is more than adequate as far as providing a home-court atmosphere.

I disagree. I played there for DeKalb HS against Sycamore and have been to games since. It's not a home-court atmosphere. It's a sterile, professional-lite type of place.

It was designed to be a multi-purpose facility that CAN hold basketball games...not a basketball arena that can hold other events, if that makes sense.

Go to a game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Great atmosphere. Feels like a basketball arena and has a homey vibe. Sure, winning and more fans would help it feel a bit better at the Convo, but it's a fatally-flawed facility.

(01-09-2014 10:19 AM)yippiesrhinos Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 10:13 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  When hosting high school games with even just 2-3K (let alone 5-6k) fans the Convo has shown it is more than adequate as far as providing a home-court atmosphere.

I disagree. I played there for DeKalb HS against Sycamore and have been to games since. It's not a home-court atmosphere. It's a sterile, professional-lite type of place.

It was designed to be a multi-purpose facility that CAN hold basketball games...not a basketball arena that can hold other events, if that makes sense.

Go to a game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Great atmosphere. Feels like a basketball arena and has a homey vibe. Sure, winning and more fans would help it feel a bit better at the Convo, but it's a fatally-flawed facility.

You get 4k rowdy fans into the Convo for an NIU game, it would be a great homecourt advantage. The convo can get quite loud.

(01-09-2014 09:28 AM)NIUTOM51 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:12 AM)yippiesrhinos Wrote:  I think the problem is the Convo Center. The Fieldhouse was such a homey environment that made it fun to go to a game. It felt like a community event, was loud, and intimate. The Convo Center is too "corporate" and has no character. It's no fun to be there, whether our teams are good or not. Somehow, the Convo has to get some character, get louder, and regain some the intimacy of the Chick.

I'm a bball season ticket holder as well as football. I have attended all but 1 home basketball game this year and I have not seen the pep band once. You can talk about the convocation center having no personality, but how about some support from the band and student body. The basketball team has looked much better this year, having posted more wins this year than they had all of last year. The quality of play is much better as well.... Yes, the Convocation Center is very vanilla now, but it doesn't have to be with fan and band support.

Because most of the games were over break, and I'd say a majority of the band lives in dorms making it impossible for them to stay over break even if they wanted to.

(01-09-2014 09:52 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:50 AM)7 Wrote:  Has the band really not been at games, even when class is in session?

If so, that's weird.

Ive only been to one game 7, but trust me on this, something has changed this year

Also there have been a lot of conflicts with the School of Music schedule this year and HMB so it makes it impossible for people to commit to Pep Band first semester. They will be at every men's and women's basketball game for Spring semester

(01-09-2014 10:40 AM)EddieMoney Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:28 AM)NIUTOM51 Wrote:  

(01-09-2014 09:12 AM)yippiesrhinos Wrote:  I think the problem is the Convo Center. The Fieldhouse was such a homey environment that made it fun to go to a game. It felt like a community event, was loud, and intimate. The Convo Center is too "corporate" and has no character. It's no fun to be there, whether our teams are good or not. Somehow, the Convo has to get some character, get louder, and regain some the intimacy of the Chick.

I'm a bball season ticket holder as well as football. I have attended all but 1 home basketball game this year and I have not seen the pep band once. You can talk about the convocation center having no personality, but how about some support from the band and student body. The basketball team has looked much better this year, having posted more wins this year than they had all of last year. The quality of play is much better as well.... Yes, the Convocation Center is very vanilla now, but it doesn't have to be with fan and band support.

Because most of the games were over break, and I'd say a majority of the band lives in dorms making it impossible for them to stay over break even if they wanted to.

There was only 1 game during the Christmas break. How are the cheerleaders and silverettes able to be there for all of the games ???