Mustangs lose, but fans win

Mott was hopping on Saturday night. By Owen main

“I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”

It was a soccer chant in the middle of a basketball game. It should have come while the Mustangs were on defense. As about a thousand students jumped and chanted in a trance-like state, Cal Poly freshman Taylor Sutlive took a three-pointer that could have brought the crowd into a huge frenzy and the UC Irvine lead to single-digits. I got chills as the shot went up, almost in slow-motion. It was a glimpse into the best timeline at what Cal Poly basketball has the potential to become — for everyone involved.

On this night, though, in what was basically a microcosm of the game, Sutlive’s shot rimmed out, Irvine scored consecutive baskets, and the game was effectively put-away.

Even though Cal Poly lost, fans who were able to get into a sold-out Mott Athletics Center were big winners on Saturday night. For at least the past two years, Cal Poly basketball fans have been ripe for some encouragement and organization. What better place to draw inspiration from than the Mustang Manglers, and their chant of faith?

This atmosphere is what every sports fan in San Luis Obispo should want. By Owen Main

Pregame

Fans showed-up early for this one. The 8:00 pm start helped, but the student section was over half-full by 7:15 and by 7:45, the bleachers across from the opponents’ bench — in the student section — were filled to the brim with black-clad Mustang supporters.

Instead of a typically late-showing student section, Saturday’s was early and excited, creating an energy in Mott Athletics Center that I don’t think I had ever felt.

Signs

Lots of fans brought signs for the nationally-televised game — some more appropriate than others. The heads of Joe Callero, David Nwaba, and Joel Awich were some of my favorites. In a twist on bringing in signs, one fan brought an umbrella and briefly opened it following each of Cal Poly’s eight three-pointers. You see, it was “raining threes” inside of Mott.

The Dunk

Chris Eversley’s first-half dunk on 7′ 6″ Mamadou Ndiaye was the highlight of the night. Actually, it was third in SportsCenter’s Top-10 countdown.

Here’s the Eversley dunk from another angle. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Irvine was not phased beyond Russell Turner’s technical foul that immediately ensued. By Owen Main

Eversley’s dunk was one of the last moments of pure elation for the Mustangs. Their second unit came in shortly thereafter and Irvine pounced, building a double-digit lead at halftime that they held tightly to throughout the second half.

Irvine is good

The Anteaters were the media’s pick in the preseason to win the Big West and might be even better in-person. Like last year’s Cal Poly team, it’s not always clear where the points will come from, but there are probably six or seven guys who can really score and gain a mismatch on offense on a given night.

Their zone defense was well-prepared and well-executed, too. Most zones give up a lot of offensive rebounds, but Irvine out-rebounded Cal Poly 20-12 overall in the first half and never looked back.

Keep it up

I heard at least five or six fans who are there a lot say some variation of, “We need this to be the way it is all the time.”

I agree. Cal Poly has always had the potential for an obnoxiously loud fan-base. The best part about the fans making noise was when it was student-led. In the second half, at least three students, who I would guess are part of the Mustang Manglers, were leading cheers and chants, keeping the student section riled up. A group of organized students and fans can make the game more enjoyable for other students and fans and continue to foster a great college basketball atmosphere.

It’s not like Mott has never been a madhouse before. If you want inspiration, look at this video from 1985-86.

The kind of environment any Cal Poly sports fan wants is right there in front of them. In soccer, fans will come out no matter how good or bad the team is. It’s become engrained in the culture of going to school at Cal Poly. In two weeks, when the Mustangs return home, I suppose we’ll find out whether students and fans from the community are really ready to fully commit to making that a reality in Mott Athletics Center as well.