There’s nothing quite like losing on national television after having the announcers brag on your team the entire game.
There’s the sting of losing—especially when riding a university-high winning streak—but also the extra pain in knowing that millions of other casual observers are witnessing your sinking demise.
And that’s why Georgia State’s defeat to Troy in basketball last Saturday was so depressing. It wasn’t just the knowledge that we’d be losing our undefeated status in conference play – a claim very few can still make at this point in February. It was the fact that we were humiliated by a team for which no game is a “gimme” victory.
And, of course, the expectation that the begrudging attention Georgia State has earned from both national and local sports outlets since December would simply vanish without a novel win streak to pander over any longer.
But media attention aside, something special is happening at Georgia State this year.
You can see it in the signs up in the University Center marking the team’s record. You can see it in the classroom as people discuss our chances of making to the NCAA tournament and beyond. And you can see it in the body count of each game at the GSU Sports Arena.
In the last four home games, including those rescheduled because of the inclement weather (but not counting Monday’s makeup game), Georgia State has averaged nearly 2,100 in attendance per game.
That may not sound like a lot, but consider this: It’s been over a decade since the University has seen those kinds of regular attendance numbers. The last time we were averaging more than 1,700 for the season, legendary coach Lefty Driesell was at the helm of the program and we were playing in March.
There really is no better time to support the team. After all, we’re still the best squad in the Sun Belt, two of our starting players have the opportunity to score 1,000 career points this week, and the team will hopefully be playing with a chip on their shoulder to make up for the loss.
Plus, if we win Monday night, we’ll be the first to clinch the Sun Belt tournament and be one step closer in making a name for ourselves as a major conference contender year in and year out.
If Georgia State keeps it up, we could break even those home game attendance records, and the fact that so many people want to see this team play speaks to its historic nature. The atmosphere is positively electric.
This week, students will have three opportunities to experience it for themselves: Monday against Texas State at 7:30 p.m. (2/17); Thursday against UL-Monroe at 7 p.m. (2/20); and UL-Lafayette at 8:30 p.m. (2/22).
So with one conference loss, we’re not irrelevant. We’re just starting over with a fresh start – which is exactly the kind of attitude Coach Ron Hunter frequently says he expects of his players going into each and every game.
And that’s why now is an especially important time to support the team. By packing out the Sports Arena, we can help change the culture here at Georgia State and demonstrate we’re more than fairweather fans.
