Alamodome sweet home for A&M

[Jimcs50]

Alamodome sweet home for A&M

Playing in nearby Alamodome gives Aggies decided edge


04:19 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By RACHEL COHEN / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Frank Haith doesn't like saying it, but he won't deny that Texas had an advantage when it played in a regional in its home state. Haith, now the head coach at Miami, was an assistant on the 2003 Longhorns squad that won Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in San Antonio to advance to the Final Four.

Just as most of the 30,000-plus fans in the Alamodome four years ago were rooting for UT, a similar scene is expected when third-seeded Texas A&M faces second-seeded Memphis on Thursday in the regional semifinals

"It was an unbelievable sight, an unbelievable feeling," Haith said Monday. "It definitely energized our guys."

Playing in the regional was in some ways better than the Final Four, said Chris Ogden, a senior reserve on the 2003 team.

"It was the loudest environment I played in, by far," said Ogden, who's now the program's video coordinator.

The Longhorns were a No. 1 seed in 2003, but Ogden said there's no doubt the crowd helped, creating a comfort level for the players.

UT beat fifth-seeded Connecticut, 82-78, in the Sweet 16 and seventh-seeded Michigan State, 85-76, in the Elite Eight in two closely contested games.

The crowd was raucous in the Sweet 16 and even more deafening in the Elite Eight, Haith and Ogden said, as fans of the two teams eliminated in the regional semis sold off their tickets.

Having something similar to a home-court advantage can be particularly valuable in the NCAA Tournament, where most games are played in true neutral site situations.

"Lots of times, the arenas are dead, especially the big domes," Ogden said.

The size of the Aggie fan base in and around San Antonio was demonstrated in September, when 64,583 people – most of them wearing maroon – showed up at the Alamodome for the football team's game against Army.

"I'm not going to say it's not going to be an advantage for us, because it could possibly be," A&M coach Billy Gillispie said. "But playing in San Antonio does not ensure success, and who better to have learned a good lesson last weekend about that than us?"


ERICH SCHLEGEL / DMN
If the football season was any indication, Texas A&M can expect a lot of fans in San Antonio on Thursday. On Saturday, sixth-seeded Louisville was about 80 miles from home in its second-round matchup with the Aggies, and Rupp Arena was packed with Cardinals fans. A&M won in spite of the hostile environment.

Haith said he has no doubt that many of the people cheering for the Longhorns in the Alamodome in 2003 had never attended a UT basketball game. That was fine with him, because it presented an invaluable opportunity to expand the fan base.

"We were at a program trying to build basketball as Texas A&M is doing right now in such a predominantly football state," Haith said. "To have that kind of energy and focus on basketball, trying to go win a national championship, creates a buzz about basketball."


HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The NCAA regional games are played on neutral sites, but for some teams, the sites are slightly less neutral. The distance between the campuses and sites.
Schools Miles
EAST (E. RUTHERFORD, NJ)
North Carolina 508
Southern Cal 2,828
Vanderbilt 886
Georgetown 226
SOUTH (SAN ANTONIO)
Ohio State 1,347
Tennessee 1,127
Texas A&M 196
Memphis 726
MIDWEST (ST. LOUIS, MO.)
Florida 888
Butler 242
Oregon 2,204
UNLV 1,596
WEST (SAN JOSE, CALIF.)
Kansas 1,858
Southern Illinois 2,229
Pittsburgh 2,619
UCLA 340

[THE ONE AND ONLY]

I dont know I always thought the homecourt advantage was getting to sleep in your own bed before the game and going through your routine in a familiar place.
Playing in SA would allow more Aggie fans to attend to count down the shot clock. Other than that its the championship tournament and anything can happen anywhere.
Besides i already have A&M beating Ohio State and going to the final 4 and beyond.