Howland/Fan Support

[MoreCowbell]

After seeing Howlands postgame comments regarding ticket prices being too high, I can't help but think he is worried about the fan support for this team... As someone who lives out of State what do y'all think the root of the problem is as far as fan attendance so far? Every game so far I have seen people tweet how terrible the attendance has been and I'm curious what the deal is. Did the Rick Ray era really damage the fans psyche that much? Does the average fan not know we signed a top 10 class and can be legit this year? If I had to guess a reason I think the main culprit is now with SECNetwork and ESPN3, fans can watch every game from the comfort of their house. While I love being able to watch every game, I do think it hurts attendance a lot. What are the opinions of fans who live in the Golden Triangle area?

[Cooterpoot]

The athletic dept screwed up the seating and pissed off a lot of people. Plus, the product hasn't been good.

[bulldawg28]

Target the students.....Then win!

[Homedawg]

The athletic dept screwed up the seating and pissed off a lot of people. Plus, the product hasn't been good.

The last part, the product hasn't been as good. It gets better, people will come. This still isn't a good basketball team, even though it has a promising future. Fans as a rule are spoiled and want to see a winner.

[DudyDawg]

Students who have been there 3-4 years and seen nothing but bad basketball will take a lot to win over, and the seating hurts as well. Also, we have played 0 marquee games (biggest home game is what, ETSU?) and it's not SEC time yet. Winning and league play will help a lot.

[HoopsDawg]

The attendance will pick up during SEC play. Unfortunately, a lot of people with lower deck seats don't come to the non-conference games and don't bother to sell their tickets or do a ticket exchange.

I also hope Cohen decides to reverse Greg Byrnes decision to move the students. The students have to drive the atmosphere.

[mstatefan91]

Gotta have a winning program to bring people in. That's the way it has always been...

[maroonmania]

The last part, the product hasn't been as good. It gets better, people will come. This still isn't a good basketball team, even though it has a promising future. Fans as a rule are spoiled and want to see a winner.

Exactly, put a winning product on the floor and people will come whether they are pissed about the seating or not. People can always find an excuse not to come when you look terrible at home playing a directional Tennessee team. And ticket prices at $10 is not the problem. For most, its more the travel time involved to come if they aren't seeing a quality product on the floor. Our basketball product hasn't been good since the first half of the final Stansbury season.

[shannondawg]

The 8 pm games gets me as much as anything.

[EngDawg]

The athletic dept screwed up the seating and pissed off a lot of people. Plus, the product hasn't been good.

Bingo!


Also, alot of people got mad about the whole Stansbury deal, but I won't beat a dead horse...

[TStationDawg]

Bingo!


Also, alot of people got mad about the whole Stansbury deal, but I won't beat a dead horse...
THIS. Alot of important people just coming back after his first year. They are on now board I feel (or most). Letting others around them know it as well. Last year was what is was. THIS is the true rebuilding year when it comes to fan/booster support. Next year will be special. Howland has said as much.

[Liverpooldawg]

We totally destroyed the basketball program. It wasn't just one thing that did it but a perfect storm of circumstances and bad decisions. I won't get into how and why in this thread, it's been beaten to death on all sides. Suffice it to say we started over from scratch last year in men's basketball. I'd agree with the poster above. Cater HARD to the students. The other thing is to win.

[Dawg61]

The seating arrangements are terrible and college basketball right now is awful to watch with how they are calling fouls. The NCAA has destroyed basketball outside the top 25 teams. The tournament is still great though.

[Dawg61]

We totally destroyed the basketball program. It wasn't just one thing that did it but a perfect storm of circumstances and bad decisions. I won't get into how and why in this thread, it's been beaten to death on all sides. Suffice it to say we are started over from scratch last year in men's basketball. I'd agree with the poster above. Cater HARD to the students. The other thing is to win.

Stansbury deserved to get fired. He actually fired himself when he refused to fire any of his assistants. Your boy fired himself. Sorry that hurts to hear.

[louisvilledawg]

The attendance will pick up during SEC play. Unfortunately, a lot of people with lower deck seats don't come to the non-conference games and don't bother to sell their tickets or do a ticket exchange.

I also hope Cohen decides to reverse Greg Byrnes decision to move the students. The students have to drive the atmosphere.

Yeah, put the students on the side like it used to be. Have them right next to the court. That's how it was when were pretty good (jamont gordon years)

[fishwater99]

Mid-week games will always have low attendance due to the location of MSU away from the population centers in MS.

We need to make it better atmosphere for weekend games with some football like tailgating...

[Liverpooldawg]

Stansbury deserved to get fired. He actually fired himself when he refused to fire any of his assistants. Your boy fired himself. Sorry that hurts to hear.

Like I said, I ain't getting into it (that or the other things) here. If you want to beat that dead horse some more by all means do it. The important thing now is to build the program back.

[Dawg61]

Like I said, I ain't getting into it (that or the other things) here. If you want to beat that dead horse some more by all means do it. The important thing now is to build the program back.

Don't bring it up if you don't want to beat it to death more.

[Political Hack]

We totally destroyed the basketball program. It wasn't just one thing that did it but a perfect storm of circumstances and bad decisions. I won't get into how and why in this thread, it's been beaten to death on all sides. Suffice it to say we started over from scratch last year in men's basketball. I'd agree with the poster above. Cater HARD to the students. The other thing is to win.

Scott destroyed the basketball program. There's no "we" there. He hired Ricky Ray and most of us with any sell leave of basketball sense immediately went "what the hell?" That was a complete and utter disaster and he only HC hire I've ever just completely trashed at State. It's arguably the worst hire of any big 3 program at State ever. Croom is in the argument for sure, but there were some good aspects of hiring him politically as well as on the field (liberty and SEC coach of the year, cleaned up the program, etc...).

[Dawgbite]

I live 45 minutes away and have access to some corporate tickets and still don't go. The seats absolutely suck, its not worth it to watch through the backboard. I had decent seat season tickets prior to the reseat but was not paying for what they offered me when they re seated last time. Winning will help as will moving the students back behind the benches.

[sleepy dawg]

People aren't skipping games because they can watch it in the comfort of their own living room... at least not a substantial amount. People aren't going to games because we suck, we've been sucking for a long time, and there have been no signs to say differently.

[Political Hack]

People aren't skipping games because they can watch it in the comfort of their own living room... at least not a substantial amount. People aren't going to games because we suck, we've been sucking for a long time, and there have been no signs to say differently.

Lmao. If you can't see the difference between this team and the Ricky Ray teams we may as well avoid this conversation. We're light years ahead of where we were.

[Dawg61]

Wasn't it Stricklin's idea to **** up the seating? He gone the current seating arrangements need to be gone too.

[JoseBrown]

Exactly, put a winning product on the floor and people will come whether they are pissed about the seating or not. People can always find an excuse not to come when you look terrible at home playing a directional Tennessee team. And ticket prices at $10 is not the problem. For most, its more the travel time involved to come if they aren't seeing a quality product on the floor. Our basketball product hasn't been good since the first half of the final Stansbury season.

Howland was specifically talking about the Jackson ticket prices last night, not the $10 on campus price. He was commenting on the crowd last night. Said he thought the crowd was good, and he thought the tickets were overpriced for that game.

That said, I think the crowds to date are lower than they should be, but for a combo of factors:

1. It's pre-conference season
2. Coming off how many shitastic years in a row
3. All games are televised
4. Gotta win
5. Fans gotta get back in the habit.
6. Seating arrangement sux

That's my thoughts.

[Cloak]

Students need to be moved. Sitting behind one of the baskets, in my opinion, really hurts. I've been at State for four years and haven't seen anything but bad basketball. Once back from break, I'll be at almost every game, and the students will really pick up during SEC play. Howland's Howlers will also start meeting.

[maroonmania]

Howland was specifically talking about the Jackson ticket prices last night, not the $10 on campus price. He was commenting on the crowd last night. Said he thought the crowd was good, and he thought the tickets were overpriced for that game.

That said, I think the crowds to date are lower than they should be, but for a combo of factors:

1. It's pre-conference season
2. Coming off how many shitastic years in a row
3. All games are televised
4. Gotta win
5. Fans gotta get back in the habit.
6. Seating arrangement sux

That's my thoughts.

Ok, thought he was talking about support more generally. I wouldn't worry too much about attendance in a place I only play at one time per year.

[confucius say]

1. Win. The rest will handle itself.
2. Move students back if you want to expedite the process.

[msugolf]

Lmao. If you can't see the difference between this team and the Ricky Ray teams we may as well avoid this conversation. We're light years ahead of where we were.

It's amazing to me how our fans can't see this. The ones that spout out "we suck" probably never watch and when they do they have this unrealistic, misguided expectation of what this team should be based on a recruiting ranking.

[RocketDawg]

How does our attendance compare with other SEC schools (not counting UK, since they play a really competitive OOC schedule)? I suspect they're all pretty low at this point.

Mostly the reasons have been stated through ... 4 years of Rick Ray, television access, poor opponent scheduling, etc. I don't think ticket prices are a big factor.

Let's wait and see if the women out draw the men ... if so, we can eliminate a lot of the reasons (Starkville location, television). It's mostly quality of product. And yes, the students need to be reseated low and let them do their part.

[msbulldog]

When I went to school students were lower level right behind the team benches. My buddies and I never missed a game.

[Thick]

Well, if enough fans and students would voice their displeasure to our new AD, shit might change. We have have a former State ball player that is highly competitive at the helm. New ADs always want to make changes that gets more people/fans excited about the program in question. I'm sure he doesn't like seeing the Hump empty.

[sleepy dawg]

Lmao. If you can't see the difference between this team and the Ricky Ray teams we may as well avoid this conversation. We're light years ahead of where we were.

I don't see it, and neither does anyone else, or they'd be at the game. On paper we're just as shitty. Sagarin has us at 111 in his computer rankings, good enough for 13 in the conference. I'm not paying to watch potential after 6 years of bullshit basketball, like all that Malik potential. Win, and I'll go again.

We're a bottom feeder in a shit conference, same as we were with Ray. Talent doesn't mean shit until you do something with it.

[RC3]

Yes the seating is not ideal. But I think people just got out of the habit of attending regularly through the Ray tailspin. Then the games drag on forever due to all of the fouls being called. And then I have an hour drive each way. I mean I want to get into it again. And then I go and watch us lose to etsu

[Dawg61]

Well, if enough fans and students would voice their displeasure to our new AD, shit might change. We have have a former State ball player that is highly competitive at the helm. New ADs always want to make changes that gets more people/fans excited about the program in question. I'm sure he doesn't like seeing the Hump empty.

Make the Hump first come first serve till we start selling out every game. Do away with all reserved seating. Having reserved seats for an empty coliseum is dumb as hell. We wouldn't sell out if the tickets were free.

[Liverpooldawg]

Don't bring it up if you don't want to beat it to death more.

I didn't bring it up, you did. Suffice it to say we are starting over. When you start over the attedence is always bad. It will get better as the team does. You can help it along by working to get the students back in the fold. I'm out of this one. It's heading down several alleys that aren't going to help a thing. Just be patient, it's coming back.

[shannondawg]

If you not willing to pay for the good seats, then don't bitch about the ones you get. You did have a choice.

The Students at Ky, don't even have seats , they stand and its behind the goal.

[Liverpooldawg]

When I went to school students were lower level right behind the team benches. My buddies and I never missed a game.

The students have never sat behind the team benches at the Hump. They sat across from the home bench for decades.

[Dawg61]

We totally destroyed the basketball program. It wasn't just one thing that did it but a perfect storm of circumstances and bad decisions. I won't get into how and why in this thread, it's been beaten to death on all sides. Suffice it to say we started over from scratch last year in men's basketball. I'd agree with the poster above. Cater HARD to the students. The other thing is to win.


I didn't bring it up, you did. Suffice it to say we are starting over. When you start over the attedence is always bad. It will get better as the team does. You can help it along by working to get the students back in the fold. I'm out of this one. It's heading down several alleys that aren't going to help a thing. Just be patient, it's coming back.

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/520/379/22c.gif

[Liverpooldawg]

Make the Hump first come first serve till we start selling out every game. Do away with all reserved seating. Having reserved seats for an empty coliseum is dumb as hell. We wouldn't sell out if the tickets were free.

If you want to make the place a snake pit again in a hurry do this! Remember the old riff raff game?

[Liverpooldawg]

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/520/379/22c.gif

What part of "I won't get into how and why" can you not read? Have fun beating that dead horse.

[Dawg61]

If you want to make the place a snake pit again in a hurry do this! Remember the old riff raff game?


What part of "I won't get into how and why" can you not read? Have fun beating that dead horse.

You stuck your legs in the pool and now say you don't wanna get wet. Not sure about the riff raff game but it's always been a wish of mine to make the Hump first come first serve for all but just a handful of seats. I think this is the most surefire, quickest and easiest way to pack the Hump and it'd be rocking immediately. Old blue hairs be pissed though during the three times a year they want to attend a game. Oh well

[IMissJack]

Hard to believe when I was there (Richard Williams era), we had to stand in line to get good student seats. And, some of those teams were 16-17 win teams.

[msbulldog]

The students have never sat behind the team benches at the Hump. They sat across from the home bench for decades.

You could be right, hell that was a long time ago. I was at the first game ever played in the Hump. 2 buddies and I would arrive early sometimes 3 or 4 hours early to get our special seats. Those seat were 15 rows up (half court line), 1st seats from the aisle. If we had to show up really early we'd bring our books and some sandwiches and drinks and study till game time. Kermit Davis was our coach in those days.

ETA: 1st year I was at our school (1973) we watched games at the Quonset Hut they called 'Babe McCarthy Gym" The Hump construction site was my favorite parking site.

[bobcat91]

The end of Stansbury and the Ray error hurt badly. Reseating killed us. I know a few big time basketball folks who will never be back under any circumstances due to how the reseating was handled. At some point it is less about the dollar and more about how you treat people. Scott gets his ass kissed here alot, but I'm glad he's gone. He was Larry Templeton with a smile. If you were a mega donor, he loved you. If you weren't, he didn't have the right time of day for you. We have a small alumni base and are in an out of the way location, so relationships matter. Winning solves alot of problems. Losing to directional schools from Florida and Tennessee will empty a coliseum quickly. We have a ways to go before we fill the Hump. SEC play will help.

[MoreCowbell]

did y'all forget? "You don't win and then the fans show up. The fans show up then you start to win."***

[Liverpooldawg]

You stuck your legs in the pool and now say you don't wanna get wet. Not sure about the riff raff game but it's always been a wish of mine to make the Hump first come first serve for all but just a handful of seats. I think this is the most surefire, quickest and easiest way to pack the Hump and it'd be rocking immediately. Old blue hairs be pissed though during the three times a year they want to attend a game. Oh well

You don't know about the ruff raff game? Hummmm. Have fun with that horse.

[Bothrops]

Change the seats back. Do it now, John! Meanwhile, fans need to get their deer humping, lazy, chilli stained mouthed, cynical, fat asses to the Hump and support the team, and program. Our coach and players need us for conference play.

[EngDawg]

Can we lock this before we open this argument up again. The program is trending in the right direction and we should all be united behind the team now.

[Dawg61]

You don't know about the ruff raff game? Hummmm. Have fun with that horse.

You're like 25 years older than me grandpa. Maybe you can be a little more specific idk don't care honestly. Have fun with your passive aggressive horsey yourself. Speaking of horses we should let all the butthurt crowd parade in on really tall horses before every game and claim their reserved seats. Only have to do it three times a year.

[Dawg61]

Change the seats back. Do it now, John! Meanwhile, fans need to get their deer humping, lazy, chilli stained mouthed, cynical, fat asses to the Hump and support the team, and program. Our coach and players need us for conference play.

https://68.media.tumblr.com/3f30e5aff49f8d5fb40896025ea94584/tumblr_n1uazgR1JJ1qln00mo1_500.gif

[Red Sox Dawg]

The students have never sat behind the team benches at the Hump. They sat across from the home bench for decades.

That's not what I remember. I was there from 74 to 78. We would get there for the women's game (the women would play before the men, 5 and 7 or 7:30 I think) and sit behind the opponents bench so we could give the other teams hell. Watched us play in the Tin Gym my freshman year.

[Liverpooldawg]

You're like 25 years older than me grandpa. Maybe you can be a little more specific idk don't care honestly. Have fun with your passive aggressive horsey yourself. Speaking of horses we should let all the butthurt crowd parade in on really tall horses before every game and claim their reserved seats. Only have to do it three times a year.
Wimp Sanderson and ice. Back in the Bob Boyd days. Starkville was a complete skating rink. They opened up the doors and let anyone who could get there in. The crowd wasn't large but it was extremely raucous. Wimp, the Bama coach, said they opened up the doors and let the riff raff in. Famous game back in the day. It's been discussed here before several times.

[Liverpooldawg]

That's not what I remember. I was there from 74 to 78. We would get there for the women's game (the women would play before the men, 5 and 7 or 7:30 I think) and sit behind the opponents bench so we could give the other teams hell. Watched us play in the Tin Gym my freshman year.

Hasn't happened since then then. I was a student in the early 80s. We sat across from the home bench. It stayed there till the infamous split a few years ago.

[Dawg61]

Wimp Sanderson and ice. Back in the Bob Boyd days. Starkville was a complete skating rink. They opened up the doors and let anyone who could get there in. The crowd wasn't large but it was extremely raucous. Wimp, the Bama coach, said they opened up the doors and let the riff raff in. Famous game back in the day. It's been discussed here before several times.

Sounds like a good time. I'm all for opening up the doors for the riff raff again. I am riff raff.

[Red Sox Dawg]

Hasn't happened since then then. I was a student in the early 80s. We sat across from the home bench. It stayed there till the infamous split a few years ago.

Could have changed after 78 but while I was there we sat behind the visitors bench and students sat behind the team too.
The Faculty and big alumni sat across from the teams. They had all sections baseline to baseline. Might have been a few rows saved behind the team for the school, alumni and Athletic Department, but we were just a few rows behind the opponents bench, every game. We would show up for the women's game about 4:30 and stay until the end of the men's games.

[GTHOM]

Can we lock this before we open this argument up again. The program is trending in the right direction and we should all be united behind the team now.

I dont care if we lock the thread because I love watching the arguments but other than that hell yes. I dont see how fans can look at this team and say we are still Rick Rayish.

[MCsMGs]

did y'all forget? "You don't win and then the fans show up. The fans show up then you start to win."***

Despite your "***" there is some truth to this. It also says a lot to recruits when they see solid support for the team when they visit. I spoke at length to D'ron Davis last year when he was at the Hump during his visit(exhibition game last year). He was actually impressed at the number of people that turned out for that game...but also spoke highly of the fan support at Indiana. I've never met a player or coach that wasn't inspired by fan participation!

It's pretty obvious that many commenting here haven't been to a game or they would know that once the games start, they have allowed those present to fill the empty seats anywhere in the lower level. One of the reasons the student section looks empty is because many of the students have been moving to the lower center sections. I have been to all but two of our home games this year and have sat in the first couple of rows behind our bench each time.

Another obvious fact is that we may have people that attended MSU or even graduated, but we don't have a very deep fan base. It's way easier to sit at home and complain and criticize than to actually support the team. It's the same as complaining about government and not voting to me. And blaming the Stans debacle or RR years for not supporting the program we have right now is downright LAME! To the REAL fans out there...I'll see y'all at the Hump and/or various other venues around the SEC.

YMMV

[beretta]

Hard to believe when I was there (Richard Williams era), we had to stand in line to get good student seats. And, some of those teams were 16-17 win teams.

i remember waiting for UK tickets wrapped around the hump in line in fall of 95.....

change the seating is a start......hirinng howland and his recruiting classes are helping......but man they have to fix the student seating....i wouldn't go either......shitty seats watching shitty teams lead to a big problem

[tcdog70]

The end of Stansbury and the Ray error hurt badly. Reseating killed us. I know a few big time basketball folks who will never be back under any circumstances due to how the reseating was handled. At some point it is less about the dollar and more about how you treat people. Scott gets his ass kissed here alot, but I'm glad he's gone. He was Larry Templeton with a smile. If you were a mega donor, he loved you. If you weren't, he didn't have the right time of day for you. We have a small alumni base and are in an out of the way location, so relationships matter. Winning solves alot of problems. Losing to directional schools from Florida and Tennessee will empty a coliseum quickly. We have a ways to go before we fill the Hump. SEC play will help.


I bought 5 season tickets and went to every game from the time the Hump opened till they reseated and threw the real basketball fans under the bus. That cost the the HuMP about 2-3 thousand butts for every game. Pissed Me off, so I go sometimes and usually get free tickets outside. But it isn't the same. Too easy to watch on TV. Loyalty didn't mean as much as Money.

[dawgs]

Yeah, put the students on the side like it used to be. Have them right next to the court. That's how it was when were pretty good (jamont gordon years)

If you think the jamont Gordon years were the pretty good years of msu basketball, let me tell you about the Lawrence Roberts/winsome Frazier/Shane power/Derrick Zimmerman/et al. years. Or the Darryl Wilson/Erick dampier years. Now those were fun times. The Jamont Gordon years were way better than the Sidney years, but ultimately felt like we kept underachieving.

[dawgs]

my mom LOVED going to msu basketball games. Way more than football. Even after I moved away, she would go by herself, or take my half brother's kids. We never had the greatest seats (like 3rd row upper deck in a corner), but with the reseating, she was going to be put on the top row. The way they handled it and treated her, she just let the tickets go. Granted she passed away a few years later and both my sister and I live way too far away to attend games, so she wouldn't otherwise be helping attendance in 2016, but seeing her experience with the reseating, I definitely think it really hurt and angered long time fans with the way it was handled.

[RougeDawg]

Students who have been there 3-4 years and seen nothing but bad basketball will take a lot to win over, and the seating hurts as well. Also, we have played 0 marquee games (biggest home game is what, ETSU?) and it's not SEC time yet. Winning and league play will help a lot.

Oregon State was a decent opponent. We've taken it to both Beaver teams we've played in 2016

[louisvilledawg]

If you think the jamont Gordon years were the pretty good years of msu basketball, let me tell you about the Lawrence Roberts/winsome Frazier/Shane power/Derrick Zimmerman/et al. years. Or the Darryl Wilson/Erick dampier years. Now those were fun times. The Jamont Gordon years were way better than the Sidney years, but ultimately felt like we kept underachieving.

I was probably in 8th grade or so during the Roberts/frazier/powers years. Think you left out my favorite player, Timmy Bowers.

Also, still wish Roberts wouldve declared early for the draft and gone after he won SEC POY

[Liverpooldawg]

If you think the jamont Gordon years were the pretty good years of msu basketball, let me tell you about the Lawrence Roberts/winsome Frazier/Shane power/Derrick Zimmerman/et al. years. Or the Darryl Wilson/Erick dampier years. Now those were fun times. The Jamont Gordon years were way better than the Sidney years, but ultimately felt like we kept underachieving.

We were on the downslide during the Gordon years. That's when Stans' problems with the inmates running the asylum really started to take off. R Sidney was NOT the start of that.

[Liverpooldawg]

Oregon State was a decent opponent. We've taken it to both Beaver teams we've played in 2016

They really weren't that night if they are at all this year. They aren't what they were last year and their best player left didn't play that night.

[smootness]

Also, still wish Roberts wouldve declared early for the draft and gone after he won SEC POY

Why?

[smootness]

People are showing up more than ever before for the women's games. It's about the level of play, period. Nothing else matters.

[Pipedream]

The best answer to our attendance woes is winning and playing meaningful games. I was in school in the Varnado/Bost/Sidney era and we weren't great, but when we played UK or OM or any other highly ranked or rival team, the house was full because we were competitive and it meant something. That hasn't been THAT long ago. There was a UK game against Wall/Cousins that many say was the longest student line in the history of The Hump. The seating might suck, but it was the same back then. The prices might suck, but it hasn't changed that much in the last 6-7 years. We just need to win and play important games. That ultimately will motivate people to attend.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I live 45 minutes away and have access to some corporate tickets and still don't go. The seats absolutely suck, its not worth it to watch through the backboard. I had decent seat season tickets prior to the reseat but was not paying for what they offered me when they re seated last time. Winning will help as will moving the students back behind the benches.

Students cannot sit behind or adjacent to opponents bench in SEC unless they change the rule

[MarketingBully]

I don't see it, and neither does anyone else, or they'd be at the game. On paper we're just as shitty. Sagarin has us at 111 in his computer rankings, good enough for 13 in the conference. I'm not paying to watch potential after 6 years of bullshit basketball, like all that Malik potential. Win, and I'll go again.

We're a bottom feeder in a shit conference, same as we were with Ray. Talent doesn't mean shit until you do something with it.

This is dumb as shit thinking and logic. We have a ton of talent and it's getting better. Odds are really good we will be 10-3 and 1-0 going to Arkansas. My opinion is we will go 1-1 in the two home games against A&M and U.K. I think we have a decent chance to go 18-12 (9-9) in the regular season. All we really need for that to happen is a couple more of the freshmen to step up (my guess is Kegler/Herard). I think Xavian will be a huge help in SEC play and will take minutes away from Carter and we will have Q/Xavian defend the bigger guards in this league. Lamar will only continue to get better and he is really playing the PG at a high level. We will be fine overall.

[tcdog70]

People are showing up more than ever before for the women's games. It's about the level of play, period. Nothing else matters.

Not 100 % true, the ability to watch every game at home hurts attendance. The moving of the students has hurt. Reseating pissed off the local basketball fans that showed up for every game. And then on top,of that Stansbury fans got pissed and when Ray was hired people got used to staying at Home. I hope fans will return to the Hump and make it what it once was.

[MarketingBully]

Not 100 % true, the ability to watch every game at home hurts attendance. The moving of the students has hurt. Reseating pissed off the local basketball fans that showed up for every game. And then on top,of that Stansbury fans got pissed and when Ray was hired people got used to staying at Home. I hope fans will return to the Hump and make it what it once was.

That crap should have gone away when Howland was hired. He is an elite coach and probably the best coach we have hired. I used to have season tickets a while back but I had to give them up due to moving away but I try to catch a couple of games a year. We should have more support from the fans in Starkville and the students. Also as far as fan support goes, Auburn is in the middle of nowhere yet they have sold out their place since Pearl was hired. I understand the backlash when Ray was here but now he is not and we need to sell out the season tickets and support Howland and the team. This is just dumb as shit.

[dawgs]

We were on the downslide during the Gordon years. That's when Stans' problems with the inmates running the asylum really started to take off. R Sidney was NOT the start of that.

Yep, hence the underachieving comment.

[Dawgsfanalongtime77]

All the excitement that remained for the basketball program flew out the window under the Rick ray project. This team is young but talented. However extremely inconsistent. The could beat a top 25 team one week and then lose to Slippery rock the next.

[smootness]

Not 100 % true, the ability to watch every game at home hurts attendance. The moving of the students has hurt. Reseating pissed off the local basketball fans that showed up for every game. And then on top,of that Stansbury fans got pissed and when Ray was hired people got used to staying at Home. I hope fans will return to the Hump and make it what it once was.

Disagree. Once the winning starts, people will want to go see it in person. The big basketball schools aren't having attendance issues because people can watch the games at home. Other SEC teams aren't lagging behind as badly as we are. And in the past, the big televised games were the most well-attended as well...because they were usually the biggest games against the best opponents.

When we start winning again, people will show up in droves.

[Steakonastick]

The students usually don't even pack their lower level section. So it's pointless to move them and piss off the money. I'll take empty seats that donate big money over empty student seats. Now if the students pack out their section they might force cohens hand on the issue next year.

The problem is we are not winning consistently. Look at baseball in 2014 to 2015. Zero changes were made to the seating arrangement and the stands were packed for sec play.