Davis praises CMU students for support of men's hoops team
For the second time in eight days, and the third time in McGuirk Arena history, more than 4,000 fans packed together to watch a men’s basketball game.
For the 12th time in 12 tries this season, the Chippewas won at home.
“To be able to have the fan support that we’ve had and watch it grow, not just from previous years, but watch it grow this year is something that really drives us,” said Head Coach Keno Davis. “The students, the fans support from the community coming out today, that’s the difference between winning and losing in some programs in some years.”
CMU ranks 8th out of 12 Mid-American Conference member schools in average attendance per game with 2,325. This season, the Chippewas’ average attendance has been quickly rising.
In Davis’ first two years as head coach, only once has the home crowd topped 2,500 fans. In CMU’s last four home games, they’ve topped 2,500 three times.
This trend is something the CMU basketball upperclassmen have noticed.
“I think (the student crowd) is a huge part of our success at home,” junior forward John Simons said. “Not having lost a game at home yet, we hope they keep coming back. We feel like we’re going to go out and play as hard as we can in front of our home crowd and try to get them a win each and every time we step out there.”
McGuirk Arena seats a capacity of 5,300.
“I don’t know if we win tonight’s game without the fans,” Davis said. “That game would have been a coin-flip had we had a third of the crowd in there.”
The Chippewas have five home games remaining on the schedule.
The Chippewas host Bowling Green State University on Wednesday before Western Michigan University visits McGuirk Arena on Saturday.
The 17 home games this season is the most CMU has played since the Rose Center was built in 1973.
No CMU team has won more than 13 home games in a single season since the Rose Center was built.
The Chippewas were a perfect 13-0 at home in 1886-1987 and 13-1 in 2000-2001.
