For the first time in his career, Michigan men's basketball coach Steve Fisher is desperately appealing to fans for support.
The team is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and will be presented with another tough opponent tonight, when Minnesota, the nation's second-ranked team, visits Crisler Arena. A berth in the NCAA tournament, which once seemed a certainty for the 24th-ranked Wolverines, may also be at stake.
Fisher issued a statement Monday exhorting fans to turn out in full force for tonight's game, an unusual measure, but one he said is warranted by the team's precarious situation.
"We need help," Fisher said. "We need our Michigan friends to jump on board and say ... 'They're our team, and we want to help them get a victory.'
"I've not asked that since I've been head coach. That's important to us right now. We need all the fans to say, 'We're behind our team.'"
In his statement, Fisher cited the crowd at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena as an example of the role he hopes Michigan fans might emulate.
When the team visited Iowa City last Thursday, the Hawkeyes had lost three games in a row, and the possibility of the team receiving a bid to the NCAA tournament seemed faint.
But with a raucous, capacity crowd of 15,500 behind the them, the Hawkeyes defeated Michigan, 80-75.
"The Hawkeyes were coming off three consecutive losses, and their fans would not allow them to lose," Fisher said in the statement. "They were on their feet for player introductions and never sat down and were a huge factor in Iowa's victory."
Unlike the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the 13,562-seat Crisler Arena does not have a reputation for being one of the tougher venues in the Big Ten, Michigan players said.
"Sometimes it's loud here, but it's not as much as the players would like it to be," said Travis Conlan, Michigan junior guard and co-captain. "Some of our games, the fans have been excellent, and in other games, they haven't been as excellent."
Sophomore Robert Traylor, the team's other co-captain, said Crisler Arena fans pull for their team a little differently than those at other Big Ten stadiums.
"The fans at Crisler are kind of laid-back," he said. "At the same time, they're rooting for their team, but they just root in a different way than fans at other arenas."
Fisher concurred with Traylor.
"Sometimes (the fans) sit, and they're quietly supportive," Fisher said. "But now we need them to be not quiet. We need them to be vocal."
Walter Harrison, vice president for University relations and a fixture at Michigan basketball games, cited the age of a majority of the crowd as a reason for the relatively subdued atmosphere.
"A lot of the crowd are old folks, and a lot of us older folks could stand to be a lot more animated," Harrison said.
"We could certainly use more vocal support (at Crisler Arena)," Harrison added. "We need to get off our fannies."
LSA sophomore and basketball fan Bintoo Desai said he thinks the crowd will be energetic tonight, regardless of Fisher's plea.
"I think it will help," Desai said. "But I don't think it'll make all that much difference."
Desai said the crowd realizes the importance of tonight's game and the support the team needs as it tries to pull off a victory.
"I think the fans understand how important this game is," he said. "It will definitely be loud in there."
Although tonight's game is a sellout, the number of student season-ticket applications has plummeted this season, down by more than 1,000 from last season and by more than 1,300 from a high during the 1993-94 campaign, according to the Athletic Ticket Department.
A factor that might work in Fisher's favor in getting fans more involved tonight is the game's status as the last home game in the student ticket package.
Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett has brought his team to Crisler only once in his two years as the Badgers' coach, but that one visit occurred on just such an occasion.
Bennett said the crowd played a large part in Michigan's 65-51 victory.
"The crowd did a good job," he said. "Any time your fans are intense from beginning to end, it helps."
Bennett also publicly called for increased fan support several years ago as coach at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.
He said the fan reaction to his request was outstanding, helping to motivate his team.
"The response was overwhelming," Bennett said. "I think the players appreciate that. There's no question that players love it."
He added that there is a time when a large, intense crowd can instead hurt the home team.
"Sometimes the worst thing that can happen - and I've experienced that - is when you have a big crowd at home, and you're not doing so well, and they get quiet," Bennett said.
"That actually puts more pressure on. Then the anxiety level just goes sky-high."
Since Crisler Arena seating was restructured six years ago, 3,100 season tickets have been made available each year in the student section. In the past, applications for season tickets have exceeded that number, forcing the Athletic Ticket Department to split season-ticket packages. These packages provided some students with tickets to all home games while others got tickets for only a certain number of games.
This season, however, the number of applications fell to 2,800, after topping 3,800 last season and reaching 4,100 at the high-water mark of the 1993-94 season.
SARA STILLMAN/Daily
Energetic fans show support for the Michigan men's basketball team. Players and supporters, however, say such crowd enthusiasm is a rare sight at Crisler Arena.