Porter Moser wants a crowd like the Thunder, but that means Oklahoma winning like that

Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Porter Moser wants Loud City to extend its borders.

Moser recently said he wants Lloyd Noble Center to mirror the atmosphere the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder have down the road at Paycom Center. However, no one from the Thunder organization ever pleaded for Oklahomans to come watch their team play basketball and get loud while doing so. That crowd was earned by winning.

The harsh truth behind Porter Moser’s desperate Thunder comparison

“We need your help. We need people’s help,” Moser said. “We have to fill Lloyd Noble. We have to get that atmosphere.

"We have no better example on the globe of high-level basketball, of what a fan base can do, than the Thunder. That atmosphere is the best in the sport of basketball. Hands down. I’ve played in every college venue. I’ve watched pro. I’ve been to games from my hometown Chicago when the Bulls were on their run. I've never seen an atmosphere like a Thunder game.

“It makes a difference. I don’t think there’s a sport that makes a difference more than basketball — and I’m biased — because it’s right on top of you. In this league (SEC), to be the best of the best and to go where we wanna go, we need your help to be whenever we’re going.”

There’s no comparing the product between the best NBA team in the world and even a great college basketball team. The Sooners went 20-14 last season and made the NCAA Tournament. But the Thunder won 68 games during the regular season before becoming NBA champions. The Sooners had a future lottery pick in Jeremiah Fears. But the Thunder had NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In reality, even if Sooner Nation did mimic the famous Thunder crowd, the nearby NBA franchise does more harm than good for OU’s attendance. Nearly everyone inside Paycom Center on game day also cheers for either the Sooners or Cowboys and spent their money on a different ticket.

But even like it did for the Thunder, winning would do the most wonders for Lloyd Noble Center. Before the Thunder turned a corner, their average attendance was 15,534 in 2023, which was last in the NBA. It’s neared 18,000 and been near the top of the NBA since. That was after getting back to the NBA Playoffs, though.

OU averaged 6,945 fans at home last season. That was down from the previous two seasons. But even since the Thunder have been in the state the Sooners have set the single-game attendance record in 2013 at 13,490. The average attendance in 2015 was 11,120, but Buddy Hield and the Sooners made the Final Four that season as a top team in college basketball.

The Thunder can take some blame for college basketball’s attendance in Oklahoma, but there are plenty of basketball fans to go around in the state if teams are good enough.

"I've been in (Lloyd Noble Center) when it's full. Even though it's older, even though it has its leaks, its drips, different problems - noise is noise,” Moser said. “Excitement is excitement. Fan bases are fan bases. And that's what we've got to create in that arena."

It’s not OU fans that that need to take notes from the Thunder, though. It’s Moser. If he produces a good show, then fans will come watch whether he asks or not.