Iowa should follow Michigan State’s example and move its student-section courtside
By Pat Harty
Michigan State in addition to having one of the Big Ten’s most successful men’s basketball programs also has arguably the best student section in the conference known as the Izzone.
And it’s probably not a coincidence.
Named after current head Tom Izzo, the Izzone was created in 1995 and is now considered one of the top student sections in the country for college basketball.
The Izzone is split into two sections, the upper bowl, and the lower bowl of the Breslin Center. The lower bowl is more desired by students because of its location closest to the basketball court.
Because the closer students are to the court, the bigger distraction they become for the visiting team as the Iowa players will experience on Thursday with part of the Izzone located right behind the Iowa bench, and with the students seated horizontally rather than vertically.
It is the ideal setup for helping to create a hostile environment for the visiting team, and for making the student feels as if they matter because they do matter.
If you’ve ever watched a Michigan State game on television, you quickly notice and learn to appreciate the energy that comes from the Izzone, which consists of nearly 5,000 members.
You notice it because the students are visible any time the television camera flashes to either bench because the lower bowl of the Izzone is so close to the action.
The Michigan State students know that they’re a big part of the game-day atmosphere at the Breslin Center and that makes them feel appreciated.
Students at Illinois should feel the same way because they’re also seated close to the action and are highly visible on television.
It certainly helps that Izzo has built Michigan State into a national power, but he’d probably be the first to say that the Izzone has been a key factor in doing so.
The challenge of winning at Michigan State is already a daunting task just based on the teams that Izzo has on a regular basis.
However, the impact from the Izzone just takes it to a different level, and makes you wonder why more schools, including the University of Iowa, don’t seat their students the same way.
Iowa seats its students vertically in two sections behind one of the baskets.
Those fortunate enough to be seated in the first few rows get to feel what it’s like to be close to the action.
But a large chunk of the students are seated way up high and away from the courtside, making it hard for them to be a distraction for the visiting team, and rarely are those students seen on television.
This has been an ongoing debate for years because the atmosphere inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena sometimes leaves much to be desired.
If Iowa is winning and facing a marquee opponent, then the atmosphere in the arena is usually pretty intense and a distraction for the visiting team.
But there are also games in which the atmosphere is stale and boring because the student-section is sometimes more than half empty.
The fear of upsetting the big donors is one reason why Iowa refuses to move the student-section to courtside.
In fact, it’s about the only reason.
And while it would cost some money to move the student section courtside, the amount wouldn’t seem too extreme for an athletic department that receives over $50 million annually in television revenue from the Big Ten Network.
So, it’s time to make the Iowa students a priority by moving their section to courtside.
Actually, it’s long overdue.