When fourth-seeded Northwestern begins its campaign in the 2012 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday against fifth-seeded Akron, the Wildcats will have the benefit of doing so on its home court.
The benefit of playing once again at Welsh-Ryan Arena is an opportunity NU (18-13) rarely squanders. NU is 3-1 as the home team in the NIT, including a 70-61 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee last season.
“Every team is better at home, road wins are really hard to come by,” freshman guard Dave Sobolewski said. “The crowd is a big part of the home-court advantage.”
The Cats are 11-5 at Welsh-Ryan Arena this season, but that stat alone fails to fully encapsulate the NU’s success playing at home. The Cats have only two losses by more than two points at home this season, a 69-41 beat down at the hands of then-No. 7 Baylor and a 67-55 overtime loss to then-No. 13 Michigan.
Most of the home-court advantage NU has gained this season has been due to the increase in fan support. Fans filled Welsh-Ryan Arena to capacity five times during Big Ten play, the most in the Bill Carmody era. The average attendance at games has gone up in the last four years, something Carmody said he has noticed.
“This is the best year we’ve had as far as students,” Carmody said. “They’re really coming out and making noise and being a part of it. They’ve been instrumental in having a nice home court.”
Carmody and the men’s basketball program are rewarding NU students by picking up the tab for tickets to Tuesday’s contest against the Zips (22-11), the regular-season champions of the Mid-American Conference’s East Division. The coach made the same gesture for last year’s NIT home game, which helped lead to a fully attended student section.
The students have been a major asset in spurring the Cats onto victory, Carmody said. He said the students have latched onto this team and helped to motivate the Cats this season.
Senior forward John Shurna said the students have provided a great advantage for the Cats this season and given the team a lift.
“They’ve been great all year,” Shurna said. “It feels like the student section is always sold out. We’ve always had great attendance and great support, which has been huge for us.”
For NU’s four seniors, the game provides a second chance to leave Evanston as winners. After a last-second loss to Ohio State on senior night, Shurna said it would be nice for him to win his final home game, but it would be better for the people who have shown their support for the Cats all year.
“It would be great for our fans,” Shurna said. “They’ve shown us such great support, and we’ve lost some close ones and they keep showing up and keep supporting us.”
Akron presents a balanced offensive attack with six players averaging between 8.2 and 10.2 points per game this season. The Zips reached the championship game of the MAC Tournament but fell to Ohio, 64-63.
