After head coach Jeff Capel mentioned that he’s often been disappointed with the turnout at Lloyd Noble Center for men’s basketball games, the crowd on Wednesday night likely left little to be desired.
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MBBALL: OU vs. Nebraska
Men's Basketball: OU vs. Nebraska: The Sooners won 72-61.
The crowd was loud and nearly full as Capel walked out of the south tunnel about a minute prior to the match up against conference opponent Nebraska.
Capel had been had in the past — most notably during an interview on the Sports Animal with Al Eshbach — when he said the fan support wasn’t necessarily up to par and his team wasn’t receiving the respect he felt it earned after starting off 17-1, OU’s best start in 23 years.
There were scattered chunks of empty seats in Lloyd Noble Center at tip-off, but those gaps quickly filled as the minutes wound off the clock.
The student section was up and on its feet and was only silenced and seated during a tight first half by the occasional TV time out.
Every made shot and block was welcomed with roars of jubilation and nearly every controversial call by the referees was quickly followed by jeers of disgust. Capel had noted earlier in the season that the student section had been very active this season.
This is likely due in part to a new initiative started this season intended to garner more attendance for games. Students who bought season tickets for the men’s basketball team will be offered a full refund if the attend all of the basketball games this season.
Capel also recognized the crowd support his team received against Texas on Jan. 12. The game was sold out.
Following a three-pointer by freshman guard Willie Warren in the first half, everyone in the nearly packed arena was on his or her feet causing a raucous which led to the Cornhuskers taking a time out.
Even though Capel did not get the same reaction as OU football head coach Bob Stoops did after he called the fans prior to the week leading up to the Texas Tech game, he will likely have no complaints with the nearly sold out arena and the support they gave the Sooners.
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xXAssassinXx 3 years, 4 months ago
This article looks like a joke with all the typos and grammatical errors.
jimjames 3 years, 4 months ago
does anybody at OU know the difference between raucous and a ruckus?