Picture a sea of orange-clad, jumping fans in an arena so packed that the screaming students can’t even hear themselves.

Now picture a near-empty Convocation Center for NIU’s basketball games.

Quite a contrast, but one NIU men’s basketball coach Rob Judson is all too familiar with.

Judson previously was an assistant coach at Illinois, where he helped elevate the “Orange Crush,” the Illini fan section.

NIU’s fan section just looks crushed. Let’s face it, attendance at men’s and women’s basketball games isn’t just bad, it’s deplorable.

In the midst of a 9-15 season, the men’s basketball team is facing the lowest home attendance average since the Convo opened in 2002.

So why can’t they draw a crowd? Maybe it’s because the team isn’t winning. Maybe the students are just lazy.

Or possibly, times are just changing.

“People are finding other things to do,” NIU men’s assistant coach Donald Whiteside said. “Kids are sitting at home playing video games.”

What a lethargic picture.

But where are these video games during football season? The football team had the top home attendance in conference this season.

Maybe the real reason for the low basketball attendance isn’t the team’s record. Maybe it isn’t even lazy kids playing video games.

NIU’s dismal attendance can’t be blamed on just these reasons. The marketing department needs to rethink its focus if attendance is to increase.

The team just can’t win

There’s no denying the truth to this statement. Over the last three years, the NIU men’s team has gotten progressively worse, and so has the attendance.

In 2002-03, the Huskies finished second in the MAC West with a 17-14 record. They also had an average of 3,479 fans cheering them on. The team also set the top two NIU home attendance marks – 8,041 against DePaul and 6,813 against Central Michigan.

The picture is a bit bleaker this season. The Convo averages 1,992 fans at each home game, by far the lowest attendance average in the MAC. And even that number is inflated by the number of season-ticket holders who aren’t at every game.

For those who say the team can’t draw a crowd because they aren’t winning, here’s the irony: The Huskies are currently enjoying their best home record since the Convo opened.

So maybe winning isn’t necessarily a key to attendance. The team is winning at home, but fans still aren’t showing up.

Students are lazy

This argument seems like a cop-out.

NIU’s football team led the MAC in home attendance this season. Yes, there were the students who left games early, and there were the lazy roommates who opted to stay home and play Mario Kart instead of going to the games, but NIU still averaged 27,052 fans at each game.

Not all of those fans suddenly become lazy when basketball season rolls around.

Perhaps a reason many students don’t go to games is because they don’t want to walk in the Midwestern winter winds, but also don’t want to pay the $5 parking fee by driving.

A solution would be to get rid of the fee for students with an NIU OneCard.

“We know there are over 10,000 students that live well within walking distance,” NIU Ticket Manager Mike Rockovich said. “We’re trying to do whatever it takes to get them over.”

Promotions and Marketing Director Todd Garzarelli could not be reached for comment.

Poor marketing

They’re trying, but they’re going about it the wrong way.

Perhaps in an attempt to conjure up a fan section similar to his former “Orange Crush,” Judson and the marketing department came up with the idea of giving out free “Convo Nation” T-shirts.

Any student wearing a Lance Armstrong-esque “Huskie Hooptime” band could receive the free shirt.

The Hooptime bands could be bought for $1 around campus, and went to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.

This was a good start – freebies always draw a crowd – but it wasn’t enough. Free shirts may get a student out to one game, but the objective should be to keep them coming back.

To keep them coming, basketball marketing needs to create an atmosphere of excitement in an otherwise dormant arena.

Such an atmosphere could be created by altering a marketing idea that became a reality this year for the Nov. 24 home matchup against Southwest Missouri State – a “Cram the Convo” night, where fans could enjoy tickets, sodas and hot dogs for $1 each.

Kudos to the marketing department on this idea, except the promotional night was scheduled for the night before Thanksgiving.

Most students were nowhere near DeKalb.

Normally, concessions at basketball games run for about what they would at a movie theater. If you want a Pepsi, you’ll have to pay $3. In other words, leave your thirst at home unless you’ve got cash to throw away.

The main goal should be to bring students to the games, not DeKalbians. The “Cram the Convo” drew 3,618 fans, the highest home attendance this year, even in blizzard-like conditions.

Imagine that attendance if a promotional night like this would draw when classes are in session.

A win on a promotional night would help student turnout immensely. If a student can enjoy $1 snacks, and see an exciting basketball game packed with Huskie fans, everyone wins.

NIU is second only to Toledo in its MAC home record. The Huskies hold a 5-1 conference mark at the Convo, and are on a four-game home win streak.

Why isn’t the marketing department shouting this from every corner of the university?

So take notes, Convo marketing directors: Promote the team’s winning record at home and push to “Cram the Convo” with students, not just DeKalb locals.

Maybe then, students will cast their Playstation controllers aside for a night and head out to watch a team that has shown it knows how to win at home.

-Jamie Lelle contributed to this story