ESPN Forde Minutes

[Desert_Eagle]

Pat Forde has his first 'Minutes' of the college basketball season out on espn.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3094969&sportCat=ncb

Some interesting things to note:

We've heard the hype from other places already, but it's always good to see nonetheless-

Five Must-See Nonconference Rivalry Games (21)
3. Marquette at Wisconsin (Dec. 8, ESPN2): Tom Crean and Bo Ryan are every bit as competitive with one another as the above two.

Five Must-See Conference Rivalry Games (22)
5. Louisville at Marquette (Feb. 4, ESPN): Blossoming rivalry has featured some incredible endings in recent years. Game in Milwaukee will be a rematch of thriller Cardinals won on a 3 at the buzzer by Jerry Smith last February.

Now, this one shocked me. Mind you, this is basketball we're talking about-

Five Best Student Sections (39)
1. Duke
2. Notre Dame
3. Indiana
4. Michigan State
5. Kansas

I know that ND is tough at home, but are you kidding me? I doubt most of the students even realized that they had a basketball team until they started to make noise in the big east/they're football team started tanking. Personally I think it's ridiculous, especially considering who you're putting them in front of. I've talked to friends at ND who are jealous of our student section. I'm pretty disappointed in Forde's judgement on this one.

[Harrison]

The ND student section is truly lame...far less than 1000 students and that is only for the big games

[muwarrior87]

plus they just do all their football crap in the section. Nothing specifically basketball.  That's the biggest load of bull I've heard in a while, ND having a top student section.

[Sir Lawrence]

I've been to five MU v ND games at the Joyce Center.  Their student section absolutely blows.  How he can place them #2 is curious.  I mean, has he never seen a game at Rupp?  As much as I hate to admit it, the "Grateful Red" at the Kohl Center makes the domers look like a grade school student section. 

[deerchaser]

When I read Forde's column I was shocked at the pick of ND as a top five student section.  From my limited (1) experiences of games at Joyce I can honestly say that this is ludicrous.  Last year's MU-ND game (this is at Joyce) was loaded with a ton of MU game crashers.  I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of gold in the stands.  In my opinion this would have fired up the student section, but there were many moments when the Marquette chants were ringing through the arena.  I think the moment that summed it all up for me was half time or a time out when the mascot got on the microphone and asked "Where did all the Marquette fans go?"  We quickly and loudly responded with a "We are Marquette" and there was no answer from the ND students.  I was utterly shocked at the silence that I heard coming back at us from the students.  I don't know how the ND students can be called some of the best when they simply allow an opposing team to take over their stands like that. 

[TallTitan34]

It's true.  Marquette students at the Joyce Center definately topped the Notre Dame student section last year.

Doesn't Notre Dame have a pretty good home record?  Maybe he went by that.  But even then as much as it sucks to admit Wisconsin would have to be there like Sir Lawrence said.

[Mayor McCheese]

love to see Crean in the least likely to follow the new coach box rules... I don't see that as a knock on Crean, shows his intensity for the game

[TallTitan34]

Did anyone see Forde's Eight to Boo.

The list includes Eric Devendorf of Syracuse who shushed the MU student section last year.

Looks cocky, plays cocky, occasionally fails to play smart and has the ball in his hands a lot. Gives fans a lot to react to.

It also includes former UWM coach Bruce Pearl.

[deerchaser]

It's true.  Marquette students at the Joyce Center definately topped the Notre Dame student section last year.

Doesn't Notre Dame have a pretty good home record?  Maybe he went by that.  But even then as much as it sucks to admit Wisconsin would have to be there like Sir Lawrence said.

Tall, that's what I thought at first, he was going by home records, but if that's the case than he needed to specify as top 5 hardest places to win, not top 5 student sections.  There is quite a difference.

[tomcrean4pres]

I was also at the Joyce center last year and i agree there section is nothing to write home about... after i got home i read the ESPN game recap and in the article the commented on how the MU fans could often times be heard over the ND fans... doesn't sound like a #2 Student section to me... I know if you come into the bradley center there is no way you will hear any opposing fans over the MU student section unless the opposing fan is sitting right next to you.... and FWIW i feel the MU student section is underrated... 

[🏀]

I'm actually positive the Cardinal Stritch fans were louder than us last year.


Our student section isn't underrated. We aren't top 20 in the nation, but somewhere receiving votes.

[Desert_Eagle]

I'm actually positive the Cardinal Stritch fans were louder than us last year.

Two words: exhibition game. Hence, no one at Marquette is going to take the game seriously (and just use it as an excuse to drink on a Sunday) and Stritch fans, who are only across town and can easily make it to the game, are going to treat it as their biggest of the year. Poor example.

And when did this become a MU student section-bashing session? Good Lord.

....And we do have an underrated student section.