This was prime time NCAA Division I men's basketball. This was the best of the Big Sky Conference (Portland State) against Montana, a surging team pushing for a home game in the upcoming league tournament.
Call it a preview of March Madness. Outside of the NFL and college football, there is no more popular sporting spectacle in the United States.
It's like trying to explain why the Earth is round.
“We've put out free T-shirts about four times, we've had food and full-page ads in the Kaimin,” Montana athletic director Jim O'Day said. “We've had challenges, done scholarships and dashes for cash. We put a lot of energy into all the different ways you try to get to the students today.
“I understand there are a lot of other things going on around Missoula. But if we want to get back to the way of The Zoo, we really need more of a commitment.”
That was the goal this season - enough student support to justify reserving a section on the lower level across from the visiting players' bench. The target was an average of 700 students per game, but it's been closer to 425.
“It wasn't what we expected, so we're really going to have to re-evaluate,” O'Day said. “We're looking at all kinds of options, anything that can draw the fans.
“A lot of it has to do with the style of play and winning games at home, which you've got to be able to do. You look at the (Lady Griz) and their crowd. Boy, they really get behind the team and stomp their feet and get up and yell and push the team on defense. Sometimes I think we have to educate everybody on when to get into the game.”
In fairness to Montana's student body, the Grizzly men have been disappointing. They finished 7-6 at home and were embarrassed by the Vikings Saturday, 108-56.
But it still doesn't explain the disturbing student apathy.
“It's extremely frustrating,” said junior Colin O'Keefe, who has made it his mission to stir up interest as publisher of Grizzoulian.com. “I'd like to hope we made a little bit of progress, but I don't know. Colorado State and Montana State were two of the better games I've ever been to, right up there with the Stanford game my freshman year.
“But I don't know what it is with Montana fans. They'll come in for free shirts. They won't come to watch a basketball game for 90 minutes but they'll come to watch a football game for four hours and stand the whole time.”
O'Keefe said The Zoo was at its best when most of Montana's football players attended the games. These days the football players avoid basketball games as if they were the ballet - particularly disturbing considering one of their own, Dan Beaudin, is making a ripple as a late-season addition at forward.
It's sad. Montana seniors Andrew Strait and Matt Martin made a plea in Saturday morning's Missoulian for the student body to come out and support them in their final home game, but it didn't help.
Maybe the Grizzlies need to focus on baby steps. Reserve a space where all the students are encouraged to sit.
“We've got (students) in the north end zone, in the south end zone, a few over here on the side,” O'Day noted. “It makes it hard for them to get in unison. In fairness to them, I don't know if we've done our best job either.”
O'Day says Montana's student body support is “probably as good or better than anyone” in the Big Sky. Maybe poor student support is the best any league team can expect unless it catches fire.
But that's doesn't say much for the Big Sky.
“You have to do it with wins and marketing,” O'Keefe said. “You've got to make it the ‘in' thing again.
“When you see an ad for something giving a lot of stuff away, it seems really amateur. You don't beg students to come. But it's tough to figure out what to do right now.”
One of O'Keefe's ideas is a beer garden with a controlled tailgate atmosphere. Add alcohol to any event and it's bound to make it popular among most college students.
It would be unfortunate if it came to that. But one way or another, Montana needs to revive The Zoo atmosphere for the sake of its players and for potential recruits who are impressed by electrified home crowds.
Columnist Bill Speltz can be reached at 523-5255 or bill.speltz@lee.net.
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