EAST LANSING, Mich. – Sometime during Sunday’s loss to Michigan State, I turned to fellow Daily Illini reporter Erin Foley and offered a suggestion:

“The Orange Krush chairs should come to every Big Ten road game,” I said. “They need to see other student sections.”

As the game went on, I came to believe that more and more.

Sunday’s game was an even match between two beaten and battered teams. Both seemed lost without the superstars who led them to the 2005 Final Four. Both are worn thin from a constant string of injuries. On Friday, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo compared his team’s season to a root canal, an analogy the Illini Nation can appreciate.

The difference in Sunday’s game came down to home court advantage.

“I thought both the students and the fans had this place like a championship game tonight,” Izzo said after the game. “That’s what Illinois brings out in Michigan State.”

The sad thing is, no team has brought that kind of atmosphere to Assembly Hall in quite some time. There have been moments throughout the past two seasons – usually after an Illinois run or when Luther Head appears on the video board – when there has been a nostalgic sense of excitement reminding me of beating Iowa in overtime in 2005 or stomping on Wake Forest’s No. 1 ranking in 2004. But those moments are few and far between.

What happened to Orange Krush creating an atmosphere no athlete wanted to step foot inside? What happened to Assembly Hall’s reputation as the most intimidating arena in the Big Ten?

Between bad groins and bum ankles, Illinois’ athletes are at a serious disadvantage this season. No more can we dream of Final Fours and Big Ten championships. Making the NCAA tournament is now a challenge that requires winning out at home and stealing several road games. Each conference contest is key to making the postseason.

On Sunday, Illinois could have easily taken the game. One thing – and one thing alone – gave the Spartans an edge.

“Our fans might have been as important today as our guards,” Izzo said. “I’ve always said it’s a community, a school that wins games. That was evident today.”

I agree.

The Izzone, Michigan State’s cheering section, never sat during the entire game – not once. When Michigan State fired its first shot, it sounded like a gun going off in the arena. They mocked Bruce Weber, taunted Rich McBride and even went crazy for the contests during TV timeouts.

I’m not saying everything they did was OK with me. For one, it’s completely classless for a bunch of college kids to taunt another college kid about a drunk driving arrest he has already paid for. For another, our photographer tells me he heard more four-letter words from the fans than would make for a family-friendly atmosphere.

But it was effective, and that’s the point. When the Spartans needed spirit, their student section was there screaming support. When Illinois made the score 59-56 with 52.3 seconds to play, The Izzone got all the fans on their feet, the band broke into the fight song and the whole place began to thunder with the rhythm of 10 thousand people clapping.

Illinois didn’t stand a chance.

Do you want to be part of March Madness? Do you want to see Illini highlights on SportsCenter, to silence Dick Vitale’s ACC-loving voice, to show the world that Illinois basketball did not die when Dee Brown graduated?

I’ve seen basketball practice, and it’s intense. The motion offense looks fluid, the guards hit their shots and there’s an energy level the team doesn’t roll out for many games these days.

Make them bring that intensity to Assembly Hall. If you want wins, ask for it. If you want excitement, create it yourselves.

It starts with Paint the Hall Orange this Saturday. And it starts with Orange Krush.