Men’s Basketball: Zoo fills student section for GameDay

The result of Saturday’s Pitt men’s basketball game wasn’t what the roughly 1,200 members… The result of Saturday’s Pitt men’s basketball game wasn’t what the roughly 1,200 members of the Oakland Zoo wanted, but the student section still managed to create an electric atmosphere.

The Panthers entered the matchup with Louisville winless in the Big East and on a seven-game losing streak, and there seemed to be doubt about how many Pitt fans would show up for the activities associated with a visit from ESPN College GameDay.

That doubt quickly disappeared.

Game tickets for students in the Oakland Zoo sold out on Wednesday. Then, over 1,400 students and fans came to represent Pitt for Saturday morning’s two-hour-long nationally televised broadcast of College GameDay at the Petersen Events Center.

The College GameDay broadcast offers basketball analysis, news, features and predictions on upcoming games and is filmed in front of a college’s fan base.

Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps hosted GameDay this weekend while Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Erin Andrews handled the game broadcast.

The show featured an interview with Jamie Dixon and teammate trivia between guards Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs. Phelps, one of the show’s hosts, also performed a coordinated dance with the dance team, cheerleaders and the Oakland Zoo.

But in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,508 on Saturday night, the Panthers couldn’t turn the energy into a victory and lost to Louisville by a score of 73-62.

Despite the defeat, some of the Oakland Zoo’s leaders said the environment definitely made it a memorable evening.

“The atmosphere was great,” Zoo vice president J.D. Schroeder said. “It was comparable to the Syracuse game last year and the place was definitely pretty hyped.”

Zoo president Eric Haybarger said he believes the student section did all it could to help the team.

“We did our best to give the players the home-court advantage they needed,” he said. “Unfortunately, the game didn’t end the way we all wanted, but the team fought the whole way.”

Schroeder said that the pinnacle of the Zoo’s impact followed a sequence in the second half when Pitt center Dante Taylor grabbed a rebound and dunked it, then took a charge on defense and let out a yell.

“You could just feel the building rumble,” he said. “You love when the Oakland Zoo is part of the game and you can see the players getting energy from it.”

ESPN scheduled College GameDay’s visit to Pitt months ago after both the Panthers and Cardinals were ranked in the top 15 of both preseason national college basketball polls. Neither team is living up to those lofty preseason expectations.

Both the Panthers and the Cardinals entered the game in need of a win. Louisville had lost five out of its last seven games, including a 90-59 defeat at Providence and a 74-64 loss to Marquette.

Pitt is now on an eight-game losing streak and is struggling to salvage what it can from this season.

GameDay host Rece Davis said on Friday that despite both teams underachieving, he was still excited to be in Pittsburgh because of the Oakland Zoo’s enthusiasm.

“Whenever we were here a few years ago, it was a great atmosphere,” he said during a media session. “Every time there’s a game here, it’s always loud and intense. This would definitely be in the upper echelon of places we go.”

College GameDay analyst and former Duke basketball player Jay Bilas agreed with Davis.

“This is one of my favorite places to come,” Bilas said during Friday’s media session. “I love how the Oakland Zoo rings around.”

After his team became only the seventeenth visiting team to win in Petersen Events Center history, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino credited Pitt fans for their showing Saturday night.

“I was impressed very much,” he said in a postgame interview. “I think that speaks of the great tradition. They realize they had an injury and every team has an off year. That’s what great tradition is all about — when the fans come regardless of what happens.”

Following a fourth straight home defeat and eighth overall, Pitt fans will have two more opportunities this week to display their continuing support for the struggling Panthers.

Head coach Jamie Dixon’s team will try to earn its first conference victory when the Providence Friars come to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Then the Georgetown Hoyas will enter the Petersen Events Center this Saturday to take on Pitt.

The Oakland Zoo leaders believe Pitt students and fans will stay behind the team for better or worse. The Zoo originated in 2001 and has since become one of the most lauded student sections in the country.

This season, ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan and Dana O’Neil selected the Zoo as the nation’s No. 2 student section, second only to Duke’s Cameron Crazies.

“This is uncharted waters for us,” Haybarger said. “We as students will continue to support our team through this struggle and we can only imagine what the team and coaches are going through. The Zoo will continue to be loud throughout the remainder of the season.”

Schroeder said he hopes that there will be groups of fans that are dedicated enough to come to every game.

“I know losing four in a row at home is a confidence blow to the team and student section, but people have got to stick with it,” he said.