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Game Day - it's the Izzone, baby! by Katie McRae
MSU Men’s Basketball head coach Tom Izzo demands a lot from his players. He also expects a lot from his fans. When ESPN announced they would be broadcasting their live, nationally televised program College GameDay from the Breslin Center on Saturday, February 24, Izzo made it clear that he wanted to break Kentucky’s record turnout of 3,500 people. When it comes to MSU, what Izzo wants, Izzo gets. Some 4,000 fans rolled out of bed early – early for college students on a Saturday morning, at least – and packed the Breslin. The ushers had to open up the roped off sections to accommodate all the people that showed up. Students, alumni, families and fans in general made Izzo’s wish come true. GameDay, essentially an analysis of the college basketball world, has gained a following since spinning-off three years ago from the older football version. The show broadcasts from the school that is hosting their featured 9:00 p.m. game. The crowd is there to provide energy and prove that they have more spirit than the school featured the previous week. MSU fans did not disappoint, keeping the energy high for over three hours. Izzone co-director Shaun Ramsey said that organizing the event was easy, due in no small part to the Spartan community’s support of the team. “GameDay has wanted to come here since the show started, but it never worked out until now. All we had to do was send out a couple of e-mails letting people know what was going on, and now the entire country can see the results,” said Ramsey. The crowd definitely showed their Spartan pride. They chanted the fight song. They brought clever (and not so clever) signs. They even gave gifts. During a commercial break, a student leader gave host Jay Bilas pudding, referencing a GameDay commercial where Bilas, a former Duke player, is denied pudding while filming the show on the campus of Duke’s arch-rival North Carolina. The fans’ favorite moment, though, was when Izzo walked over to the lone Michigan fan in attendance, stripped him of his yellow jersey, and replaced it with a fresh, white MSU jersey. The crowd loved it. The event also gave some people excitement about the future. Freshman Jae March sits in the upper bowl of the Izzone. She is eligible for lower bowl tickets next year, and GameDay gave her a chance to see just how crazy the lower bowl can be, even though it was not a real game. “We can watch the games from up top, but we never really feel like a part of it. Just seeing all the people freaking out, it’s really exciting. I definitely got a taste of the lower bowl today, and now I can’t wait for next year even more than before,” she said. After taping concluded, the fans were left with about seven hours until the doors opened for the Indiana game at 7:30 p.m. Some returned to their beds and napped, hoping to regain their energy for the game, while others headed to the bars. And some hardcore fans stayed right outside the Breslin doors, trying to ensure that they got prime seats for the last home game of the 2006/2007 season. Though GameDay’s main broadcast is at 11:00 in the morning, the ESPN cameras stay at the school for the entire day through the end of the host game. MSU went all out with the National Anthem, including a court-sized flag, fireworks and streamers. Then the main event began. Despite a slow first half, MSU staged a great comeback and pulled out the win. After the game, the players did a lap around the court, high-fiving and hugging the Izzone, thanking the fans for their passionate support while the fans thanked the players for their gutsy performances. It was the end of what Izzo called “one of the great weeks in Michigan State Basketball.” The team that all the experts doubted at the beginning of the season beat the number one team in the country, hosted a record-breaking crowd and made a great comeback on national television – all in less than a week. While Dick Vitale, legendary ESPN announcer and finalist for induction into the NCAA Hall of Fame this year, enthusiastically greeted fans, signed autographs and posed for pictures, he summed up what every MSU fan was thinking – in his classic Dick Vitale style, of course. Short, sweet, and simple: “I love MSU, baby!” |
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