OMAHA, NE---Over the years you've heard me talk on the radio about my opinion that there aren't that many real college basketball fans in the deep South.  The SEC has Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and, to an extent, Florida....when they're playing well.

Western Kentucky claims to be a basketball school, but they can't sell out Diddle Arena anymore, and that arena seats less than 8000.

And fans continue to talk about the "good ole days" at Blackham Coliseum when thousands crowded in night after night to see Bo and the top ten ranked Cajuns.

Um...that was nearly 40 years ago.  Fact of the matter is, post probation, it hasn't been the same.  In the 25 years in the CAJUNDOME, Louisiana has averaged 6000 fans exactly twice.  They still have yet to sell out the arena for a single game, although they've come close a couple of times.

But tonight, the Cajuns are in basketball country, where people have a passion for College Hoops.

Welcome to the Missouri Valley Conference.

The QWEST Center is located near downtown Omaha.  Right across the street is the TD Ameritrade Stadium (don't you dare call it the new Rosenblatt) where the College World Series will be held for the first time this June (quite a piece of architecture, I must say.)

And tonight, the QWEST will be rockin'.

So many times excuses are made for poor attendance in off-campus arenas.  But the QWEST, with its 34 luxury suites and 17,280 seats will be filled to 85-90 percent capacity as the Cajuns take on the Creighton Bluejays.  Creighton has been in the top 15 in the country in attendance the last few seasons.  They take their basketball seriously here.  You don't hear folks complaining that they won't go because the upper deck seats are too high (and trust me, they're pretty high.)  They flock (pun intended) to see the 'birds play.  Creighton, of course, has had great success over the years, but they were only 18-16 a year ago.  This year they're picked fourth in the MVC.  But that won't stop these fans from being there.  Neither will the threat of snow tonight or temps expected to reach the low 20's.

This isn't the ACC...or the Big East.  This is a conference that doesn't get on television a lot.  It doesn't sponsor football.  It doesn't depend on BCS dollars.

It's just a league that loves it's basketball.  And, while Creighton draws better than anyone else in the league, some of the others aren't half bad, either.  Bradley, Missouri State and Wichita State have all drawn 7000 or better at home already this year, and not all of that has been against stellar competiton.

No, they love their hoops here in the Valley.  And it will be interesting to see how the Cajuns respond tonight.

 

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