The sight was sweet, sitting inside Crisler Arena on Tuesday night watching my Spartans lay a walloping on our rival, the Michigan Wolverines.

Not only did our team turn in an almost picture-perfect performance, the crowd support from fellow Sparty fans was amazing. Some 6,000 MSU fans packed the upper and lower deck of Crisler Arena to cheer on our squad. The cheers rang out from the minute we hit the court.

“Let’s go state,” “Go green, go white,” and the “Michigan State Fight Song” were among the many cheers and chants that echoed off the rafters - much to the dismay of the home crowd.

Who am I kidding? MSU fans were the home crowd Tuesday night, not the fair-weather U-M fans. There was no song the U-M band could play to drone us out or no cheer the nerdy Maize Rage could start to shut us up. It was our night and our house. Sitting next to my father, who played basketball for U-M, was a hell of a sight. To see him witness his son’s visiting team take over the arena in every way was incredible.

LaVell Blanchard threw up an airball early in the first half and the “airball” chants rang out so loud, you should have seen the look on the face of Blanchard’s father.

I have never heard visiting fans do anything like that. But perhaps the most awesome sound of the night came late in the second half, with about nine minutes to play and the game already won by MSU. Our fight song filled both sides of the arena in such a defining fashion I was so overcome with joy and happiness that a tear ran down my face.

I encourage everyone to attend the rematch March 3 at Breslin Student Events Center and be a part of something beautiful - MSU beating our nerdy neighbor. This game may not match last year’s triumphant drubbing of the little wolves back in March 2000, but that sure was a sight and a sound this fan will never forget.

Nathan Dill
advertising senior