I wanted to post something yesterday but was just too exhausted after a long flight home. But here are some thoughts from Saturday in Sacramento:
- There might have been slightly fewer fans on Saturday than Thursday, but it was close. I know that quite a few people went home after the first game, but quite a few new ones arrived -- including people like BTN's Dave Revsine and Gary Ross, the PA voice of the Cats. What's interesting to me is that they moved the NU section from Thursday to Saturday. On Thursday, it was behind the NU bench (and behind me), but on Saturday, it was on the other side of the court, facing the NU bench. The UCLA section was behind me. NU fans really took over in the second half. I'm telling you, I almost got a little emotional a couple times. After Nicholson's dunk pulled them to within four at 43-39, it was like Welsh-Ryan West in there. They got an echoing "Go U! NU!" chant going with two different sections. After Boo's driving layup tied it at 45, they let out a deafening roar. Where "U-C-L-A!" rang out just moments before, "Let's go Cats!" took over. It was glorious. It felt like NU was in the big time. Not only were the Cats going toe-to-toe with UCLA on the floor, but our fans were going toe-to-toe with Bruin fans in the stands.
- Morty Schapiro is a treasure. NU's former president was there for both games, and I saw him in the same spot at both games. On Thursday, I went through a tunnel next to the NU bench, and there was Morty, talking with NU media relations director Paul Kennedy. I said hi to them both. On Saturday, Morty was there again, in the same spot, alone this time. So I stopped to talk to him for a minute. That guy is as knowledgeable as any fan -- or journalist, for that matter -- about NU hoop. He said that they have to get Boo and Chase going, and that UCLA's defense was doing a good job of taking the ball out of their hands. His solution? "Feed the beast." Yeah, I said, I can't believe Nicholson has 10 points at the half. "Four dunks. They can't stop him on that slip screen." He'll still be around for major sports events, I'm sure -- he was in Ireland, too -- but we're going to miss Morty as president. There is no bigger Wildcat fan.
- I tweeted this at the end of the game. It was another moment that made the hair on your neck stand up, when the NU section rose as one to give the Cats one last standing ovation, as if to say thank you for the ride they gave us all. Look at the right side of the picture. You can see Robbie Beran, trying to choke back tears. Brooks Barnhizer, who was emotional in the handshake line, is getting a hug from UCLA's Kenneth Nwuba in a great display of sportsmanship. There were tears in the eyes of many players, but their backs are turned in the picture. I wrote in my story about how Chase Audige and Boo Buie looked in the press conference, just staring off in the distance. They left it all out there, man. Like Chris Collins always says, all you can ask of your players is that they fight. These guys fought with everything they had.
- There might have been slightly fewer fans on Saturday than Thursday, but it was close. I know that quite a few people went home after the first game, but quite a few new ones arrived -- including people like BTN's Dave Revsine and Gary Ross, the PA voice of the Cats. What's interesting to me is that they moved the NU section from Thursday to Saturday. On Thursday, it was behind the NU bench (and behind me), but on Saturday, it was on the other side of the court, facing the NU bench. The UCLA section was behind me. NU fans really took over in the second half. I'm telling you, I almost got a little emotional a couple times. After Nicholson's dunk pulled them to within four at 43-39, it was like Welsh-Ryan West in there. They got an echoing "Go U! NU!" chant going with two different sections. After Boo's driving layup tied it at 45, they let out a deafening roar. Where "U-C-L-A!" rang out just moments before, "Let's go Cats!" took over. It was glorious. It felt like NU was in the big time. Not only were the Cats going toe-to-toe with UCLA on the floor, but our fans were going toe-to-toe with Bruin fans in the stands.
- Morty Schapiro is a treasure. NU's former president was there for both games, and I saw him in the same spot at both games. On Thursday, I went through a tunnel next to the NU bench, and there was Morty, talking with NU media relations director Paul Kennedy. I said hi to them both. On Saturday, Morty was there again, in the same spot, alone this time. So I stopped to talk to him for a minute. That guy is as knowledgeable as any fan -- or journalist, for that matter -- about NU hoop. He said that they have to get Boo and Chase going, and that UCLA's defense was doing a good job of taking the ball out of their hands. His solution? "Feed the beast." Yeah, I said, I can't believe Nicholson has 10 points at the half. "Four dunks. They can't stop him on that slip screen." He'll still be around for major sports events, I'm sure -- he was in Ireland, too -- but we're going to miss Morty as president. There is no bigger Wildcat fan.
- I tweeted this at the end of the game. It was another moment that made the hair on your neck stand up, when the NU section rose as one to give the Cats one last standing ovation, as if to say thank you for the ride they gave us all. Look at the right side of the picture. You can see Robbie Beran, trying to choke back tears. Brooks Barnhizer, who was emotional in the handshake line, is getting a hug from UCLA's Kenneth Nwuba in a great display of sportsmanship. There were tears in the eyes of many players, but their backs are turned in the picture. I wrote in my story about how Chase Audige and Boo Buie looked in the press conference, just staring off in the distance. They left it all out there, man. Like Chris Collins always says, all you can ask of your players is that they fight. These guys fought with everything they had.
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