UAZip0510

I don't think it's fair to assess a bobblehead's effectiveness based on a Luis Proenza bobblehead... 5,403 attended LeBron James Bobblehead night last season (a Saturday matchup vs Buffalo) and 5,247 attended Keith Dambrot Bobblehead Night a few weeks later (another Saturday matchup, this time against BG). Also, 4,217 attended this year's matchup against Coastal Carolina on Replica Ring Giveaway Night, about 1,000 more people than tonight's attendance. Good giveaways that people want absolutely work.

1) Bobbleheads and other cool giveaways do work. The idea of course is if you get someone there that might not normally go because of the giveaway and put on a good show, they come back again without needing a giveaway. This is used successfully at every level - collegiate, minor leagues, professional. I'm pretty sure there were lines out the door for the Dambrot and LBJ bobbleheads, no? I'd love to see a Romeo/Dru combo, a Zeke...items along those lines of thought. The championship ring was an incredible giveaway. 2) With that said, there's two different debates that have morphed into one here. I don't think the crowds in general have been bad - I've actually been pleasantly surprised with most turnouts. The issue - and the reason for this thread - is low student turnout and impact on the game, not the crowd size in general. Two completely different topics IMO.

This is where I wish more than a small group of students would be there...but we'll save that topic for the other thread

I think the problem is you want students to want to sit in the student section. With GA bleachers on three sides, only an idiot would have issues not sitting where they want to sit.

Gut feeling - Akron loses Tuesday, beats Can't, OU drops another one, and we get the #4 seed.

I'm hoping the same. It's got to be a tough balance - you need them for the last two to get #4 but you don't want to rush it, have a setback, and lose them for the tournament.

This would be nice. Any idea when this may happen?

I agree it's more than just the seats, although I do think that's part of what's wrong. I'd love to string some good ideas together here that hopefully UA will see and use.

Toledo is the only team Akron has lost to at full strength at home in conference play. They're 5-2 overall in MAC home games so far. Sure, the wins haven't been pretty and the two losses were bad ones, but they haven't been awful at home or anything.

Isn't M available if the opposing team's fans were moved elsewhere? If so, simply shift people in A to M.

I don't have any evidence to support this, but I don't feel like Akron has ever had three key contributors (or even two) out at the same time over an extended period of time. Harney missed four games, McAdams is at five games missed and counting, Kretzer at three games and counting. To simplify, I'm not sure we can compare this team to past year's teams given the current situation.

With all due respect, this is a bit of a contradiction to me. Those seats behind the hoops are not good seats. Sure, you're close to the action, but most (if not all) seats in those sections have an obstructed view. For people who want to see the whole court throughout, they aren't appealing which is why most choose to sit GA. I think more students are showing up than we are noticing, but they are scattered throughout GA instead of seated together because nobody really want to sit down low. Give students section A (or - nice seats with the best game-viewing experience - and I think you'll see a good response. As zippy5 mentioned, doing so might entice them to keep seats similar to that (lower reserve) once they become alumni.

Good to hear. I know for awhile you had to register ahead of time to be in the student section...glad to hear that's gone, always thought it was stupid.

We are in a unique situation in which people from the University actually pay attention to this forum, whether or not they'd it admit it or not. I think anyone being honest with the situation will say that the student section isn't working right now. Aside from the Can't State game, attendance is low in the lower sections. One section isn't even used for students anymore and we can't seem to fill it. This team used to have a big home court advantage thanks to the students (who, in turn, energized the rest of the crowd) that really doesn't exist anymore. This isn't meant to finger-point - just to put together some ideas so we can get higher student turnout starting next year and start to get back that home court advantage. I'll start off with a few of my own: Refine "Roowards" - If you haven't seen it, Roowards is a system UA started a year or two ago to reward students, fans, and alumni for interacting with the team via Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, FourSquare) and attending games. It's actually a great idea, but there's two issues. 1) I don't think enough people know about it - it needs more promotion at games. 2) While the items you can win in drawings are great (One current drawing prize is a Keurig), the rewards you can simply redeem your points for are yawn-worthy. Flip-Flops, a pint glass, a tote bag, a blanket, and a sling backpack. That's it. Add some cooler stuff (maybe some of the team-issued Nike gear?) and promote it better and I think you'll see a much bigger impact from it. Reserve Section A or B (lower chair-backs, opposite visitor bench) for students - I know the arguments against this - the turnout might be low and you're losing money on higher priced seats. I guess it depends on if your goal is making money or getting the students together for a student section that can create an impact. The easy solution is this - move the UA folks from A or B over to section M, most of which is usually reserved for visiting team parents, family, etc. Certainly we can offer visiting family other seats or, heck, give them half of one of the lower ends. You're also giving students much better seats - let's be honest, the lower seats kind of suck to watch a game from unless you're on an extreme end. I hate OU with a passion, but they've got it nailed with the O-Zone: Discounted (or Free) Food/Drinks - Who doesn't like free and/or discounted stuff? Sitting in the student section? Free pizza before the game and everything else at the concession stand is $1. These are college kids we're talking about - free/discounted stuff matters. Free Student T-Shirts Every Game - Have you seen how ridiculous people get over the t-shirt toss? For whatever reason people (especially college kids) LOVE free t-shirts. Start working on sponsors for next year now - something Akron-related on the front, sponsor logo on the back. You could even mix up different designs. The sponsor also gets advertising during the game and can offer coupons to students sitting in seats. You could also do a special contest built around each sponsor (how many times can we do the layup/free throw/three pointer/half court shot game?). Eliminate Any Requirements to Participate Aside from Being a Student - No registration, no special shirts needed, no meetings to attend - none of that. Keep it simple - if you're a UA student, you are given a ticket to sit in that section by swiping your Zip Card. I'll start with those and see what everyone else has. I love this program and this university and want it to succeed in every facet of the game. I want that home court advantage is all games, not just Can't. We know they're looking - lets get the ball rolling on some ideas and hope they roll with some of them.

The AK-Rowdies are pretty much dead. Hoping they re-brand the student section for next season and figure out some ways to get more students in attendance and close to the action.

Not only did Akron lose to Miami, but Toledo just got dropped by NIU. Wacky MAC hoops night.

@NickHarney: I'm back!

Thanks DIG, I'm glad someone got it.

Please review what I said, especially the part in bold. Quincy isn't a true point guard. Not having a true point guard that can effectively run the offense is the Zips' #1 issue. If you look ONLY at basketball , this team would be much better, with Abreu than they are with Diggs. Please review what I said, especially the part in bold. I never said I wanted Diggs to hang up his jersey nor did I say I wanted him gone and/or Alex back. I simply noted that if you only looked at this from a basketball standpoint, Abreu would be better for this team than Diggs. Of course we can't separate basketball and off-court issues...I'm just trying to illustrate the impact of losing AA - a true, effective point guard - and how it has severely hurt a team whose biggest weakness this season is a lack of a true, effective point guard.

Quincy isn't a true point guard. Not having a true point guard that can effectively run the offense is the Zips' #1 issue. If you look ONLY at basketball , this team would be much better, with Abreu than they are with Diggs.

The ship has sailed on winning the regular season title. With Toledo and Western Michigan both holding tie-breakers against Akron, they'd need to BOTH lose three out of the last four AND Akron would have to win out. That's just not happening. With that said, a #3 or a #4 seed is certainly possible. Buffalo lost to both OU and BG the first time around with a close game at home against Akron. Ohio lost to BG at home earlier in the season and played close games against Miami, Buffalo, and Can't State. Akron won close matchups against BG and Miami and lost close ones to both Buffalo and Can't State. To say this race is wide open might be an understatement.

The impact Alex Abreu has had on this team has been a major one. According to plan, Betancourt should still be playing 10-15 minutes per night and taking over next year. Turnovers shouldn't be a major issue. Diggs should be the third scoring option. Looking back, we should have seen the struggles of this year coming. With that said, I still believe they can win the MAC Tournament if they at least get Harney and Kretzer back. The biggest thing now is to try to grab a top four seed. The difference between four and five in this tournament is gigantic.

Dambrot knows these guys. He's spent hours and hours of time with them on and off the court. He knows what buttons to push and when to push them. Is it risky? Absolutely. Do I think it's calculated? Definitely. Do I think it will work? Well, I sure hope so.

Nailed it.

No, that only happens when you troll.