Trietley: Some of the best student sections go unnoticed

It’s tough to talk about Pitt’s 145-12 record at the Petersen Events Center without… It’s tough to talk about Pitt’s 145-12 record at the Petersen Events Center without mentioning the Oakland Zoo.

When sports magazines publish articles or player polls about the best student sections, the same few programs always show up — Pitt, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, blah blah blah.

But there are 346 Division-I schools in college basketball and hundreds more playing at the lower levels. Some of the best student sections lurk unnoticed, sometimes lacking the sheer size of larger programs but oozing with creativity and originality.

Let’s set aside the narcissism — and the off-tempo P-I-T-T chant — and look at some of the best student sections you haven’t heard about 10 times already.

Ohio

The Ohio Bobcats play in the Mid-American Conference. You might remember them from their upset win over No. 3 Georgetown in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Their student section goes by the “O Zone,” which gets a B- for the name but an A for what it does.

After certain Ohio baskets, the O Zone will freeze mid-celebration and stay like that for 30 seconds. A video on the Internet shows it against Bowling Green three years ago. It’s like that “Twilight Zone” episode with the stopwatch that halts time.

Utah State

The Aggie faithful have received the most publicity of any school mentioned here, but until they’re mentioned in the same breath as the Cameron Crazies — who aren’t that crazy in comparison — more praise is needed.

First, the student section holds 4,000 — and 4,000 students show up. Although the section doesn’t have a name, it performs the greatest rendition of “Winning Team/Losing Team” in the country.

If you don’t remember it from high school, one fan shouts out “Is that not a scoreboard?” and everyone shouts in reply, “Yes that is a scoreboard!” The incredulous questioner learns about each team’s score, and then the chant breaks down into a “WINNING TEAM, LOSING TEAM” heckle, complete with finger-pointing. Perfect synchronization — while yelling louder than the PA system — makes Utah State’s version the best.

Students also chant “I believe that we will win!” while jumping in sync. It can’t be beat, and neither can the Aggies — they’re 12-0 at home this year.

Mason (High School)

There’s something called the roller coaster cheer that’s all the rage at the high school level. Hopefully Utah State accepts one of these high school kids so we can see it at a college. Maybe Pitt can start this trend at home games to make the Zoo even more intimidating to opposing players.

The best version I’ve seen online comes from Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. The Comets’ student section — the “Black Hole” — sits down, stomps its feet on the ground and mimics holding onto a safety bar. With guidance from a leader, everybody shoots his or her arms up at once and rocks one way, then the other way, then whichever way the imaginary roller coaster takes them.

Boston College

Boston College students are good at razzing the opposition. My favorite jeer — overheard in the first half of a win over Providence in December — is simple. After every foul, and I mean every foul, a handful of hooligans in the Eagles’ student section shouts “Cheater! You’re a cheater!”

Hand-check an Eagle? You’re a cheater. Blocking foul? What a cheater. It’s as obnoxious as “yo mama” jokes — which means I love it.

Cincinnati

The Bearcats have the most infectious cheer in the country — the “Down the Drive” cheer. It nearly allays the pain of that 45-44 de facto Big East Championship loss two seasons ago that prevented the football team from advancing to a BCS bowl game.

It’s little more than a sing-song “ohh” three times and a “UC!” yell, but if you heard it when the Bearcats beat Pitt, then you know how cool it sounds.

John Brown (NAIA)

This ultra-small Arkansas school’s 2,000 students have the Toilet Paper Game, although other programs would call it a home-opener. When the Golden Eagles score their first basket of the year, everybody in the stands heaves rolls of toilet paper onto the court, causing a delay that has become a tradition. They’ve done it since the 1980s, and nobody in the NAIA really minds.