When WSU hosts Gonzaga in Pullman next Wednesday, Beasley Coliseum will see its best turnout of the season.
Beasley tickets are almost sold out on the WSU Athletics website, with the only seats open being the most upper parts of the top section. This could bring in a good amount of money for athletics and help lead the Cougs to a win.
With a capacity of 12,058, the energy inside Beasley Coliseum could reach new heights as WSU looks to avenge its 88-75 loss to the Bulldogs in Spokane earlier this year. Normal home games for the Cougars have averaged about 3,500 people per game. A nearly full house would not only generate significant revenue for the athletics department, but could also provide the extra edge the Cougs need to pull off an upset.
This matchup marks the toughest remaining test for the Cougs at home this season, and fan support could play a crucial role in their fight for an upset. A packed house in Pullman would provide the home-court advantage WSU needs to challenge Gonzaga and defend their home court.
Home players feed off loud environments. Players like guards Nate Calmese and Isaiah Watts have shown they play at their best when the environment is electric, feeding off the intensity of the crowd.
After Saturday’s home win over Pepperdine, Watts praised the turnout of Cougar fans at the game.
“I want to shout out our Beasley crowd today,” Watts said. “The missed three big free throws down the stretch and for everybody to be that loud and active was really special for me because it felt like there was not as many people that were in there but it felt like that USC or UCLA type of energy and we need that.”
“So please come out to Beasley and please be loud. You guys did a great job today and I just want to thank you guys.”
If Cougar fans show up in full force, Gonzaga could be stepping into one of the tougher road environments they have faced all season. Gonzaga is in the upper-echelon of Division I, but even top programs struggle in hostile environments.
The Cougars are 9-2 at home and a huge home crowd during the game might be able to tip the scale against a top team. “ZZU CRU”, the student section, could be a huge factor against free throws with tons of noise.
“The more people there, the louder we can be for the opponent’s free throws, and the more pumped up our team will be for the game,” said WSU freshman Logan Nordberg.
If the Cougs want to stop the Bulldogs from making free throws the crowd will have to be on their feet, the entire game. The louder the audience is, the more likely Bulldogs will miss free throws and be thrown off. A deafening crowd could force much-needed misses, swinging momentum in WSU’s favor.
