Hlas: "Iowa fans love the NIT"

The crowd is going to be different tonight and I bet more excited to be there. People that cannot afford or have the time to attend regular season games plus with the early start time with $5 kids tickets you will a lot more kids at this game.
 
I went to the Indiana and Illinois games and the crowds were great. The Indiana crowd was the best I've seen in 20 plus years of attending Iowa basketball games. Carver was absolutely nuts. I think tonight's crowd will make some noise...wish I could have made it work to attend.
 
Mike posed a really good question to me on Twitter, though.

"But why don't other fans love their NIT teams?"


I think there a lot of variables:
- Years and years of awful Iowa Basketball.
- Other NIT teams have pro teams in the area that they follow.
- Lower expectations for Iowa than say, Kentucky or Tennessee.

But the point remains, why do Iowa fans support their NIT team while others can't even fill their gym 1/3 of the way?
 
storminspank said:
Mike posed a really good question to me on Twitter, though.

"But why don't other fans love their NIT teams?"


I think there a lot of variables:
- Years and years of awful Iowa Basketball.
- Other NIT teams have pro teams in the area that they follow.
- Lower expectations for Iowa than say, Kentucky or Tennessee.

But the point remains, why do Iowa fans support their NIT team while others can't even fill their gym 1/3 of the way?
Click to expand...

Hawk fans are just superior to other college basketball fans.
 
Iowa is experiencing a renaissance in the bb program. It's new and refreshing.
Now should we happen to be in the NIT again next season you can bet it won't sellout.

NIT to Iowa fans, "Wow, you guys bought damned near 15,000 tickets. Way to go!"
Iowa fans, "Yeah, thanks for the 3 seed."
 
storminspank said:
Mike posed a really good question to me on Twitter, though.

"But why don't other fans love their NIT teams?"


I think there a lot of variables:
- Years and years of awful Iowa Basketball.
- Other NIT teams have pro teams in the area that they follow.
- Lower expectations for Iowa than say, Kentucky or Tennessee.

But the point remains, why do Iowa fans support their NIT team while others can't even fill their gym 1/3 of the way?
Click to expand...
I think you laid out the reasons quite well. If, say, Northwestern made the NIT, I would hazard a guess of half full because of the Bulls. But it would still be a decent crowd due to items one and three.

But all three of your reasons are spot on.

GO HAWKS!!!
 
IIRC, it hasnt always been this way and as another poster said, I wouldnt expect it to be this way if the Hawks are in the NIT again next year.

This is still an extremely young team, just like last year, that plays exciting basketball. Hawk fans are going to come out to watch that after what we have seen from Lickliter teams.
 
To me it is about expectations. We all know this team is miles ahead of the team 2, 3 or 4 years ago but was the expectation top 25 or NCAA tournament certainty? No. Most expected this team to have more depth than last year but struggle with the addition of 5 freshman. Most expected this team right where they are, the NIT.

It isn't that Iowa fans just line up in hopes of the NIT, it is that last year was a positive step forward and this year expectations were met so there is no real let down.

Next year is a whole different animal. Expextations will be high, the NIT for 3 straight years will not satisfy the fan base.

Alford fell from grace in many ways but mostly it was way too many NIT births and not enough NCAA at large. I think next year is year one of Fran's new level of expectations from Hawkeye fans. Next year is year one of the ecpectations of NCAA or bust. I think most fans believe in his direction and that goes a long way as to why our arena will be packed tonight.
 
I think we've proven in other seasons that Iowa fans don't love the NIT. Alford's teams played a few NIT games in front of sparse crowds. I think it's more that Iowa fans love Fran and this team. When you have a young team where the improvement is obvious from year to year, one that plays hard and competes every night, it's fun to watch them grow. Combine that with the fact that we were so bad for so long and you have a hungry fan base that enjoys watching the program progress.
 
It's a testament to the product that Fran has built in a relatively short time. Iowa basketball is enjoyable to watch again plain and simple. Throw in the fact that we have a long stretch of time between the last basketball game and the first football game. Cheap tickets, and as ssckelley mentioned it is great to get more kids involved in going to basketball games. It only helps add to future excitement about Hawkeye hoops.
 
It's certainly a combo of all those reasons. When there is even a ray of hope with this team Iowa fans will support the kids and show up in droves. The reason why that is varies. Iowa fans love their team and know they help win games. I think the direct yet indirect way of how fans know they can influence their team to play harder and help win resonates with Iowa fans that want a winner so badly. When Licklighter bottomed out the hope you saw the drastic dip in attendance figures. That forced him out almost as much as the record he put up.
 
It is all about expectations on whether or not fans show up for NIT games, in 1998 we all felt Iowa should have been in the NCAA tournament and when they got left out few people showed up for the game and neither did the players.
 
Iowans respect people (players, teams) that go all out at no matter what is placed in front of them - whether you're a ditch digger or a neurosurgeon, get after it to the best of your abilities and Iowans will respect you. Whether you're playing in the Missoula Chamber of Commerce Montana Bowl (brought to you by Doritos) or the Rose Bowl, go all out. Whether you're in the NIT, or in the NCAA, go all out.
 
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