What started as an ESPN college basketball gimmick became a seriously heated competition. It led to people spending way to much time ranking stadiums and clicking submit, and then led to the popular cry of “East Coast Bias.”

With little surprise, Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium won. But I’m not crying “East Coast Bias.” I would love to claim that Illinois’ Assembly Hall is the best atmosphere in college basketball, but I can’t. Assembly Hall finished second, and until things change, that is where it will stay.

I was at the Michigan State and Wisconsin games of 2004, and that same year I attended the Wake Forest game. I know that when encouraged, the Assembly Hall can host the most electric atmosphere, not only in college basketball but of any sport. But during Saturday’s 76-58 win against Purdue, I realized the difference between college basketball’s best and Assembly Hall. When Illinois plays teams that are out of the top-25, Illinois keeps its home-winning streak alive because the team is good, with little help from the venue.

I was watching the game Saturday and wondering why Illinois seemed to be lackadaisical at times. Obviously, it would be human nature for the team to assume victory and look forward to traveling to Wisconsin on Tuesday, but it was a type of lackadaisical that shouldn’t happen at home.

I root against Duke as much as the next person, but Cameron Indoor stadium treats Davidson the same way they treat Wake Forest, they treat Pennsylvania like they are North Carolina. No team gets an easy pass out of Duke, while Illinois’ crowd has the tendency to leave its team alone at home.

My attention was caught by two young writers from Purdue, the taller of the two leaned down and looked around the Orange Bowl and asked, “What’s the big deal?”

I was immediately infuriated because writing for a national powerhouse, and covering games in Assembly Hall is a source of pride for me. But when I looked around and saw all the fans sitting on their hands and listened to chants that never got going, I wondered if we had gotten spoiled and how Duke can get its fans up for every game, while our student sections look comatose.

This was a serious quandary for me, so I started to recall evidence to make sure I wasn’t overreacting to the disappointing atmosphere against Purdue – the last foe to take us down at home, I might add. So I started to remember Michigan State’s Chris Hill and Alan Anderson shaking at the podium during post-game interviews. Still seeing orange ghosts – they thanked the heavens they never had to come back to Assembly Hall. I remember now, Chris Paul, last year’s Preseason Player of the Year, talking about how he would never play somewhere that intense again; they played at Duke.

But at the same time, contrast Minnesota and Purdue, both saying that the environment had no impact on them. It’s not because its players don’t tell the truth, it’s because they didn’t see the same Assembly Hall as the others.

When the best seven Big Ten teams play on the road against a team also in the top seven, they are 1-25. So obviously the advantage is real. It doesn’t take a 30-year veteran analyst to notice the impact a home court can have on an opposing team. When Brian Randle jammed home the alley-oop from Dee Brown, the crowd turned its level up to where it should be. The next few Purdue possessions resulted in awkward shots, nervous movement and an Illini defense that wouldn’t let the Boilermakers breathe.

Why should Assembly Hall be waiting for a highlight to impact the game? By that point it’s already impacted. My sports-deprived ex-girlfriend from Indiana once said, ‘Why do crowds wait until after something good happens to start cheering? By then it doesn’t matter.’ Sometimes the clearest statements come from the outside.

The next home game is against Penn State, a perfect opportunity. I challenge the crowd to bring a big-game atmosphere that your team deserves. Be loud, have fun and watch the way the team reacts.

Ian Gold is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].