MARC CHOQUETTE
Perspectives Editor
“Well, at least most of the fans stayed for the whole game.”
That was the most positive reaction I could get from any of my friends as we arrived home early enough to witness the last few painful minutes of Monday’s highly anticipated men’s basketball match-up between the hated Gonzaga Bulldogs and the host Waves on ESPN.
The title of the game thread on the Pepperdine scout.com forum, the unofficial message board for Waves basketball fans, said it all: “Complete and utter embarrassment…”
Being my fourth and final opportunity to witness the so-called rivalry between the Zags and Waves (we have yet to beat them since 2002), I was especially excited for us to finally make a statement — and why not? We had a great freshman class come in this year and the Bulldogs were unranked for the first time in a long time. Surely we could run with the big dogs and turn a few heads on national television.
Last year, we scored 57 points in one game against Gonzaga. This year we also scored 57. That’s the good news.
The bad news? Last year the Zags scored 82 points and this year they scored 92.
And when the opening tip-off is the loudest that Firestone gets all game and a rendition of “Soulja Boy” during a TV timeout is the only thing that gets students moving, it is usually a sign that things are ugly … And this game was uglier than Betty and American Idol auditions combined.
The 35-point loss in the most hyped home game of the year certainly left a bad taste in the mouths of students and fans alike. By game’s end, I couldn’t tell if students were more peeved at Gonzaga running away with the game, or at our own team’s seemingly lackluster effort in front of a national audience.
Speaking of a national audience, I’m sure last night’s smackdown put the veritable nail in the coffin for ESPN ever thinking about coming to Malibu again. I could just imagine thousands of TVs shutting off on the East Coast as the scoreboard became more and more lopsided. It’s especially bad that this mass turn-off probably occurred with 10 minutes left in the first half.
One fan on the message board hopes that, despite such a loss, fans will still come out that passionately and in such numbers for the homecoming game and the LMU game. Another was not so optimistic, saying, “I don’t know why TV or even a lot of fans would keep showing up for what we’re doing now.”
After seeing faces of disgust among most students, I would have to put my money on the latter.
One thing that needs to be commended is the student turnout. In four years of going to Pepperdine games, Monday’s crowd was easily the biggest and most enthusiastic student turnout I have ever seen at Pepperdine, despite all the empty seats on the opposite side of the Fieldhouse.
The buzz on campus earlier in the day (especially with the “Beat the Zags” T-shirts) was contagious and students were excited to the point where I almost felt like we were at a university with real passion for our school … almost.
This is why Zags/Waves games are the highlight of many students’ time here. And despite the lopsided loss, students behaved and didn’t get on our team’s case much, which is commendable.
Perhaps the best message to send to students and players is that, while it was painful to watch, it was only one game. We can only get better after the Big Monday massacre.
01-17-2008
