\u00ad<\/p>\n
As the Brock Badgers men\u2019s basketball team stood in a hallway waiting to go out onto the court at Ryerson University\u2019s Mattamy Athletic Centre Wednesday night, one of the players excitedly said to his teammates, \u201cit\u2019s like an NCAA gym out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t even on the court yet, but peering out through a glass door into the gym the whole team could feel it. Everyone in the building could feel it.<\/p>\n
Brock is claiming to have the best university basketball fans in the country and amid the banging of drums, the screaming fans and the sea of red and white Wednesday, it would be hard to make an argument against that claim.<\/p>\n
Three school buses full of Badgers fans made the trip to downtown Toronto as the Badgers men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams took on the highly ranked Ryerson Rams.<\/p>\n
Both the Brock men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams came up short in their games \u2013 the women losing 74-67 and the men 104-79 – but the road trip was more proof of Brock\u2019s dominance when it comes to fan support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable. Brock is a community and these guys that come out to our games are part of our program,\u201d said Badgers forward Matt Marshall. \u201cWe didn\u2019t give them what they wanted to see, but we hope they continue to come out. We appreciate every single one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the men\u2019s game wrapped up, the team walked over to the side of the Ryerson gym where Brock\u2019s 150 supporters had amassed and clapped their hands out of gratitude.<\/p>\n
Among the fans was Brock Vice-President, Administration Brian Hutchings, who said he was impressed with the turnout.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic. Half of going to university is the academics and half is the experience and we had 150 students coming out here having a great time tonight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hutchings said the Badgers hype continues to build.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s building and building and building and now we\u2019re getting pressure to expand the gym because we can\u2019t get enough people in there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t