Fri Feb 10 2012
Spring break may keep the University of Illinois from its usual near-sellout crowd at Assembly Hall when Kent State visits Champaign for Monday night’s second-round NIT game.
The Fighting Illini should still enjoy a respectable home-court advantage.
As of noon Friday, the university had sold nearly 7,000 tickets.
“If we can end up anywhere between 7-to-10,000, that’s a pretty loyal fan base,” said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. “Hopefully we can repay them with a good performance.
Illinois has averaged 15,567 fans in 17 home games at 16,618-seat Assembly Hall this season.
Despite those big, enthusiastic crowds, the Illini haven’t played well in front their home fans and their “Orange Krush” student section in the last month. Illinois owns a 12-4 record at Assembly Hall, but that includes losses to Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the final three home games of regular season. The three consecutive home losses were part of a 2-6 late-season slide that led to Illinois’ snub by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
A scheduling conflict at Assembly Hall forced No. 1 seed Illinois to open NIT play at Stony Brook on Wednesday night. After flying back to Champaign following their 76-66 win, Weber reminded his players about their recent difficulties in defending their home court.
“That was the last thing we said when we sat down at 2:30 in the morning after we got back,” said Weber. “I didn’t keep them very long.”
Weber’s short message: “The last three (home) games haven’t been very good.”
“We played good teams — Ohio State, Wisconsin. Even Minnesota was a good team,” said Weber. “We didn’t come with any zip and energy. (Monday) is a chance to really pay back our fans for how supportive they’ve been.
“If we can get (10,000 fans), that would probably be one of the biggest crowds in the NIT this year.”
•••
AND THE SMALLEST CROWD? — That’s pretty much a lock.
Kent State announced a crowd of just 1,175 in paid attendance for Wednesday’s first-round NIT victory over Tulsa at the 6,327-seat M.A.C. Center.
It’s unlikely any host school will limbo under that bar in the next week.
At 18.6-percent full, however, the M.A.C. Center probably didn’t look quite as empty as Cincinnati’s 13,176-seat Fifth Third Arena (18.2-percent full for its first-round win over Weber State) or Seton Hall’s 18,500-seat Prudential Center (9-percent full for its first-round loss to Texas Tech). Seton Hall shares the off-campus arena in Newark, N.J. with the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.
The largest crowd in round one of the NIT was at the FedEx Forum, where Memphis fans watched their Tigers advance with a two-point win over St. John’s. Last week’s only NIT sellouts were played at North Carolina, where the Tar Heels moved their game with William & Mary from the 21,750-seat Dean Smith Center in favor of a nostalgic return to old 6,822-seat Carmichael Hall, and Stony Brook, where the Seawolves packed 4,423 fans into tiny University Arena for its game with Illinois.
•••
WHAT’S NEXT — If the fourth-seeded Golden Flashes can upset Illinois on Monday, they would bus directly to southeastern Ohio for an NIT quarterfinal game at either No. 3 Dayton or No. 4 Cincinnati on Wednesday night. ESPN2 would broadcast the battle for a spot in the March 30 NIT final four at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Monday’s 8 p.m. game at Illinois will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
•••
FOLLOWING GATES’ FOOTSTEPS? — Brandon Parks hopes to become the second Kent State athlete to make the transition from college basketball to professional football.
The Flashes’ 6-foot-10 center has workouts scheduled with a few NFL teams, including the Chicago Bears, once KSU’s NIT run ends.
Parks was recruited by several Division I football programs after leading his region in sacks as a senior at Maconaquah High School in Indiana.
NFL scouts project Parks as a possible tackle on the offensive line. He could also fit as a defensive end, especially in a 3-4 scheme. Louisville recruited Parks as a defensive end before he decided to play basketball at Kent State.
Parks has unusual athleticism for a 270-pound center. Last summer, he posted a team-best 33-inch standing vertical. Prior to his senior year of high school, he ran a 4.9 40-yard dash.
•••
POSITION CHANGES — Kent State always seems to try out a few old faces in new places during spring football practice.
When the Golden Flashes return to the practice field at Dix Stadium in two weeks, former Crestwood High School star Bryan Wagner will move from tight end to offensive tackle. Pat Reedy will make the opposite switch from the offensive line to tight end. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Wagner will be a sophomore at the start of the 2010 season. Reedy (6-4, 270) will be a senior.
•••
Contact David Carducci at dcarducci@recordpub.com
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