Allen Fieldhouse, Dean E. Smith Center, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Assembly Hall, Carrier Dome, Mizzou Arena all have one thing in common: Loud. Why not the Chaifetz?

The St. Louis University Billikens haven’t had a team like the 2012 squad since the Charlie Spoonhour days, when they were packing the old St. Louis Arena, and later, the Savvis Center with 17,000+ and blowing the lids off those venues with a frenzies following.

The Biliken Needs to wake up (Image via Wikipedia)

Not so today.

The fans sit politely and quietly, inviting the visiting teams to make late-game surges to overtake a talented Billiken team.  The cozy Chaifetz Arena should be a great advantage for the Billikens, who brandish a hard-working, tenacious defense under Coach Rick Majerus.  It’s the kind of defense that can rattle opponents and would inspire any other home crowd to its feet with a deafening roar.

Not these Billiken fans.  They sit quietly.

In last Saturday’s game vs. A-10 rival Dayton, Chaifetz was sold out.  The crowd was spirited, at least in attire, conforming to notices for a “Blue Out.”  What a great opportunity to put the Flyers in a hostile setting, or at least one where they wouldn’t feel quite like the home team. 

If it weren’t for the technical foul taken by young Dayton Head Coach Archie Miller late in the game, Dayton might have slipped away with a win while the Billiken crowd was napping.  What’s going on with these fans?  I wonder how many of them went home Saturday evening and watched the Missouri-Kansas game, where the fans never sat down.  Bills-Flyers isn’t exactly Mizzou-KU, but come on.

Until the SLU Billiken fans get off the Benadryl, this very good and deserving basketball team simply has no home court advantage.

Jimmy Jack