There are over 29,000 students on this campus, and judging by the student turnout at Saturday's basketball game, only 1,400 of them care that they go here.
It was True Blue and the athletic department's attempt to break the student attendance record once again. There was never a better time, riding a seven-game winning streak, on a Saturday at 6 p.m.
Yet only 1,400 students paid the price of admission – zero dollars – to attend a Division 1 basketball game, support the most recognizable entity of their school, and even get a free T-shirt.
In my four years here I've seen a lot of empty seats in Alumni Arena, and at this point I'm just fed up, and quite frankly, embarrassed.
Don't get me wrong – the students that came out and stayed to the end made Alumni Arena louder than I've ever heard it, as Western Michigan sophomore forward Matt Stainbrook shot potential game-winning free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining. He missed them with the help of the screaming students behind the basket.
I got chills during that sequence as Dave Barnett's video prompting the crowd for noise played over the video-board, and the building erupted. You could feel the floor shaking beneath your feet, and it was an incredible feeling.
It just makes me imagine what the Arena could – and should – be like every night.
As everyone should at least know by now, the team is really good this year. The eight straight wins speak for themselves.
It's just mind-blowing how few students support the team. If the season ended today, the Bulls would get the two seed in the conference tournament, and would be just two games away from berth in the NCAA Tournament, a first for the school. C'mon, people.
Reality Check: The Sabres are awful, and they still play in the league that gets near no attention in the U.S. The Bills haven't been a relevant team (save for the five weeks that they suck fans back in every year) this whole decade. The Buffalo men's basketball team is the city's best chance to make headlines this year, and I'm not sure if the student body recognizes that.
It's 6 p.m. on a Saturday and less than 6 percent of the student body makes it out for what is the best thing this campus has going for it?
There are more students who religiously follow that "UB Memes" Facebook page. It's a collection of cartoons with stupid captions, and more people would rather sit on their laptops than come support their hometown Bulls?
How about the "flash raves" in the library every year? Those never have attendance issues.
It's sad, and I honestly feel bad for the people who work for True Blue and the athletics department, because they're busting their asses for an apathetic, clueless population.
It was Greek night at the game, and the Greeks were noticeably missing, along with almost every other club and organization on campus, my question is why?
I fully understand the number one reason on everyone's list for attending Buffalo was not its sports teams, but once again on the national scale no one cares about the engineering department, or the med school, or whatever else you're taking here.
I couldn't tell you what majors Alabama offers, or anything else about the school for that matter. But I can tell you it has a damn good football team. People around Western New York should be saying that about this basketball team.
I just wish you cared.
Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com
