Princeton fans fulfill sixth man role despite Jayhawks' dominance

It was a sea of orange at Jadwin Gym last night as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks, came in to play Princeton on national television.

Over 6,800 Princeton faithful jammed into the gym, most clad in orange, and screamed, chanted, and prodded the Tigers on to a victory.

On what was probably Princeton's only national television appearance of the season, the student body did not let the team down. The student section was filled by 7:15, 45 minutes before gametime.

During the game, while the pitch did not quite reach Cameron Crazy level, the fans made sure that the Jayhawks felt their presence. Kansas coach Roy Williams recognized the crowd's energy. That is quite a compliment considering Williams has coached in front of some of the loudest fans in college basketball.

"We did not expect it to be easy here," Williams said. "They had a great run that really got the crowd into it."

As Kansas All-American Drew Gooden pointed out, Kansas was unable to execute at the end of the first half, when the crowds volume was at its highest.

The Princeton faithful played an important role in last night's game, a role that the basketball team wishes the fans would play more often. That role was that of sixth man.

"I wish the fans would show up every game," sophomore guard Ed Persia said. "People should know how much fan support helps us during games."

The Princeton faithful supplied energy to the team and were the driving force behind a 17-4 run by Princeton to close the first half. With 7:40 left in the first half, Kansas senior guard Jeff Boschee hit a long jumper that put the Jayhawks up, 31-12, and seemingly on their way to a blowout win. However, the crowd refused to give up on the Tigers or give up harrassing Boschee — their main target on the evening. Many in the crowd gave the well-tanned Kansas guard credit for keeping them in the game, even when Kansas went on their runs.

With the fans behind them, the Tigers clawed their way back. With each possession, the crowd became louder, and the team played better. Freshman guard Will Venable began the run with a steal and a three-point play.

With the crowd on its feat, chanting "De-fense" for every Kansas possession, the Tigers were able to stifle Kansas' fast-paced offense for the only time the entire game. The Tigers got three steals and picked up the defensive intensity.

"The reason we had a chance in this game was because the crowd was behind us," Persia said.

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All of Princeton can feel proud about the spirit that it showed the rest of the nation. The fans showed why Roy Williams thought it was worth it to travel halfway across the country.