The Buckeye NutHouse Student Section is Running Strong Despite a Declining Basketball Program

Not long ago, student tickets to Ohio State basketball teams sold out within a minute of their online release and up to a hundred students in up to 35 tents camped for days to watch the BasketBucks host Duke, Kansas, Michigan and Indiana in top-ranked match-ups.

The Buckeyes were a regular national power in men's basketball, boasting Final Four appearances, four-straight Sweet 16 appearances, national player of the year candidates, All-Americans and Big Ten Championships.

Then it switched.

Ohio State hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game in three years, hasn't even made the tournament in two, saw its entire fifth-ranked 2015 recruiting class leave the program early, finished with a losing record in the Big Ten in 2017, and has seen both overall and student attendance plummet in recent years.

It's a dark time for Buckeye basketball — the darkest in the memory of most current students — and though students aren't coveting tickets or waiting in line for seats the way they used to, the Buckeye NutHouse student section is still alive and well.

The team may be bad, but if you ever look towards the sideline during an Ohio State Home Game, the NutHouse is always having a damn good time.

Despite the teams' rather poignant record the past two seasons, a group of students can still be found on the sideline for every Ohio State home game rocking their Zubaz, NutHouse shirts, body paint and occasional banana suits where they continue to heckle refs, torment opposing players, berate visiting coaches and perform as many jocular acts as possible to attract attention from television cameras.

The team may be bad, but if you ever look towards the sideline during an Ohio State home game, the NutHouse is always having a damn good time.

The student section is led by upcoming-junior James Prisco, who talked to Eleven Warriors about the difficulties of maintaining an exciting atmosphere even when the team is struggling.

"We try to create an environment focused around having a good time regardless," Prisco said. "Win or lose, college basketball creates one of the best environments in all of sports."

Prisco explained that basketball is unique in how close students are to the action, athletes, coaches and officials during games. This allows students to engage with, or at least yell at opposing players and coaches, knowing they can hear every word they're saying.

The opportunity to yell rude things at Tom Izzo, John Beilein or Tom Crean from just a few feet away is memorable regardless of the final score.

"Once you get people engaged in things like the opportunity of fun banter with players and coaches, the great seats, and being so close to the action it's easy to get people energetic and into the game, regardless of the outcome," Prisco said.

Prisco also realizes that while the team's poor play has certainly had a negative impact on the game day atmosphere, it's not completely a one-way street. A good home-court environment can rattle a visiting team, boost a home squad and is a huge plus for a recruit making his college decision.

Prisco wants to create an atmosphere that recruits love and opposing players dread.

"I have faith that at a school like Ohio State, the program will see success."– James Prisco

"There are certainly other programs that bring it game in and game out regardless of performance, and the atmosphere alone draws students, and hopefully recruits, to the games," Prisco said. "If a student comes and sees an electric crowd having a blast, they'll want to be a part of it, and if a recruit sees a crowd cheering for them every step of the way, I can't imagine that wouldn't draw them in."

The Buckeyes need all the help they can get in recruiting. It seems there are more recruiting losses than wins of late. Ohio State has lost a major recruiting battle as recently as last month with the decommitment of four-star small forward Darius Bazley, who spoke pretty candidly about the team after the announcement.

At this point, even if the Buckeyes do see more success on the recruiting trail, it will likely be a slow climb back to the top; Prisco wants to ensure the team has student support throughout that process.

Ohio State might not be good at basketball in 2017 or anytime in the near future, but the NutHouse isn't going away. Regardless of the team's record or the score, there will still be students standing courtside, rocking their Zubaz and heckling the visiting team until the Buckeyes return to dominance — and Prisco is confident they will.

"I have faith that at a school like Ohio State, the program will see success," Prisco said. "OSU fans are accustomed to winning, and for good reason. Things will turn around, and it's on us as students and fans to support even through the hard seasons and give the program the support it needs so that when the wins start adding up we can all enjoy it even more."

The Buckeyes won't be down forever, and when they're back, Prisco and the rest of the NutHouse will gladly welcome everybody back to the bandwagon they've been piloting for the past few seasons.