The SMU men’s basketball team brought Moody to a whole new level on Valentine’s Day by beating the defending NCAA champs, the UConn Huskies, and bringing in a record breaking crowd of 7,395 fans.
The Mustangs, undoubtedly aided by the publicity from ESPN’s College GameDay broadcasts, managed to break the previous single-game attendance record that was set last March at 7,305 fans in a huge match-up against Louisville.
“Having College GameDay at SMU really legitimizes everything Larry Brown has been trying to do since he got here,” said Brett Solomon, SMU senior and former Mustang 11 Spirit Advisor. “The energy from the GameDay recording really carried over into he game so it wasn’t that surprising that we got a great result.”
With a packed Moody and incredibly loud Mob and student sections cheering them on, the Mustangs dominated the Huskies 73-55. SMU had four players score 10 or more points with 13 points a piece for Markus Kennedy, Yanick Moreira, and Sterling Brown and 10 for Nic Moore.
“It was probably the loudest that Moody has ever been and I couldn’t hear a thing,” Sterling Brown, SMU starting guard, said. “I would try to call for a screen but no one could hear me.”
Not only did the Moody crowd break the single-game attendance record, they also broke the single-season home attendance mark by over 3,000 fans. SMU has won 19 of the last 21 games and their success has directly translated into heaps of support from the SMU and surrounding Dallas community.
“We actually have some school spirit now. It’s been great to see the transformation during my four years from no crowd to a group of students that have become a force that can impact a game,” said Solomon.
One reason for the uprising in SMU spirit from students and non-students alike could be the dominant force that is head coach Larry Brown. Brown’s record is 63-32, which is third best in SMU history, and 39-10 in SMU home games making Moody an intimidating arena to play in for opponents.
“There have been a lot of positive things but today, today was the best. To see our students there early and to feel the school spirit, that’s something we all hoped would happen. I’m walking around campus and everybody’s wishing us luck, so having GameDay, I hope it’s something that becomes a regular thing,” SMU head coach Larry Brown said.
The Mustangs will return to Moody Coliseum on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. to hopefully more record breaking numbers when they face the Temple Owls in the second to last regular season home game.
