I'm one who is leaning in on the positive after last nights USA game. What I really loved the most is the extreme adversity Auburn overcome and won the game. That is how you build a strong team early on. Bring on the next one!!
One thing this bunch is definitely going to have to realize? For a lot of teams, AU coming to town is their big moment. That was the biggest game South Alabama's played since they beat Alabama in the NCAA Tournament back in 1989 (FWIW, the Jags' only NCAA Tourney win ever). It was the biggest game in the history of the Mitchell Center. Had they won? Highlight reel footage for the next three decades. For AU, though? It was just a pesky mid-week OOC game which (win or lose) won't be remembered past next week. That's the critical difference and it honestly (IMO) showed in how the two teams treated the game and pretty much every possession.
How big was it for South?
I heard a guy coming out of the arena last night say he'd been coming to Jag games for 15 years and this was the first time he could remember having to worry about parking or traffic.
This team averages about 1600 people a game in a 10,000 capacity building. Last night every ticket was sold. People were sitting in seats last night that had been under a tarp for probably ten years or more.
I hope South can build on that. It's a good place to play basketball. They've got an excitable, enthusiastic and seemingly talented young coach. I laughed watching him shed his jacket and then take off his tie and chew a bite out of it at one point in the game. A lot of those people who came last night had never been to a college basketball game before -- you could tell. Maybe they'll come back.
If I had one complaint about the venue/fans? There were lots of people at the game, but I was disappointed in the number of students who showed. I really expected to see a larger, louder student representation.
It's been a minute since an Auburn basketball team coming in was a major crowd draw. I can't even say with any certainty that if this game had been two years ago that I would have known about it and if I had known, I'm not sure I would have gone. We're big time now. And we're going to get people's best. Just like last night.
I'm going to go back to South next Tuesday to watch them demolish SpringHill. Just out of curiosity. Seven white guys coming in to get dunked on by Ifeoloua Ajayi and Trhae Mitchell. I hope the students come back to see that.
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