Purdue guard Willie Deane may lead the Big Ten in scoring, but he’s no match for the Northwestern student section. Midway through the second half of Wednesday night’s Boilermakers-Wildcats matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Deane nailed a three-pointer and pointed into the NU stands as students heckled him from behind the hoop.
But a few possessions later, the NU students got their revenge.
Deane fired another shot from beyond the arc, which caught nothing but air. From that point on, the feisty Cats fans chanted, “Airball!” and “Willie sucks!” every time the 6-foot-1 junior touched the ball.
While the antics of NU’s student section – better known as the Welsh-Ryan Rowdies – didn’t stop Deane from pouring in 15 points, they did take away some of the earlier confidence Deane displayed when he was staring down Cats fans. And it ultimately helped lead to a 61-48 NU victory.
Moments like these reflect the better half of Evanston’s faithful. But despite the overwhelming show of support that the Cats (16-9, 7-6 Big Ten) received Wednesday night, the fans in purple, black and white haven’t always been known for sticking with their squad.
“There’s a lot of things working against us, not the least of which is the city of Chicago,” said Jeff Donoghue, leader of the Rowdies. “(Plus), the stadium’s a mile and a half from campus.”
Although NU is almost assured of a postseason berth this year, and attendance is up from last season, the Cats – percentage-wise – still have the second-worst average attendance in the Big Ten.
On average, NU fills up only about 56 percent (4,573) of its seats per game. At 52 percent, Penn State has the conference’s worst average.
Every other team in the league fills up more than 80 percent of its seats on average. Michigan State and Iowa lead the way, as both have sold out every home game this year.
NU’s only sell-out will come Saturday when No. 16 Illinois (19-7, 8-5) visits Evanston for a 1:30 p.m. game. With the student section sold out for this weekend’s matchup, Donoghue said he hopes students will gain a greater appreciation for the Cats’ basketball squad.
“This is the most emotional time that you’re going to have on a Wednesday night in the winter right now – cheering for a team and really having your heart into it,” said Donoghue, who has been to all but two NU home games during his four years in Evanston.
Even though the Cats are having one of their best seasons in recent history, NU’s marketing department must still exert extra effort to fill seats.
Chris Boyer, assistant athletic director for marketing, pointed to three problems that hamper attendance at NU basketball games: the quality of the team, lack of knowledge of games and inadequacies in the shuttle service.
Boyer said his department is charged with the task of informing people about the games. Steps that the marketing department have taken to get more people to the games include posting signs around campus and buying ads in The Daily Northwestern, starting a pen-pal program between the players and children in area schools and encouraging local groups such as the Boy Scouts to come to games.
“What we’re finding in this competitive market is that we have to go more grass roots,” Boyer said. “Really, we’re just trying to get people out to sample the product.
“It’s more awareness, to let them know that we’re playing some pretty good basketball.”
Although the marketing department’s efforts have led to greater student turnout, Boyer said that “purple seats” – those that belong primarily to alumni – are still empty. What’s frustrating, Boyer added, is that many of the tickets for these seats have been sold, but the ticket holders don’t show up.
“You can’t put it into words,” Boyer said. “My main business is (getting) people in the seats and the atmosphere they create. Those are some of the premium seats closest to the floor. It just kills me to not have people in them.”
And when NU fans don’t purchase tickets, it sometimes favors the opposition. Fans for opposing teams can buy any unsold tickets during a sale period for the general public.
But NU head coach Bill Carmody is doing his part to ensure that the bleachers at Welsh-Ryan Arena are filled with Cats fans.
Every student who attended last week’s game against Minnesota received a free slice of pizza, courtesy of the second-year head coach. Carmody also makes regular appearances at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Caf
