North by Northwestern

Despite having the best seats for students to watch Big Ten basketball, home court advantage is not a strength in Welsh-Ryan Arena; the stands are always dotted with a mix of purple and whatever color scheme the opponent wears, oftentimes leaving an individual spectator unsure about whether the crowd is cheering for the Wildcats or the visitors. But the students’ ability to distract the opponent during free throw situations has always been an advantage for Northwestern, regardless of attendance concerns. Right?

In a 2005 Slate.com article, Daniel Engber, who holds a master’s degree in neuroscience, posited that the “thundersticks” and other gratis paraphernalia distributed to fans to distract opposing players were ineffective because the resulting cacophony was so random that the players’ brains simply ignored the incomprehensible visuals of motion. What Engber suggested was to create a coordinated distraction that would create a concrete visual and resulting distraction that would effectively make the free throw routine far more difficult. A three-game stint with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks had varied results, but Northwestern can claim that they have something of effect.

During a free throw situation at Welsh Ryan Arena, Northwestern students will wave their arms in a single direction prior to the shot’s release, and then quickly move their hands in one or two different directions to create a cohesive visual just before the player shoots. While this method might seem useful, and some can cite some memorable games to this effect (both 2009 and 2010 home games vs. Illinois produced favorable free throw results), the statistics beg to differ (see table).

Taking the past two seasons into consideration reveals that in nine out of 16 games in the past two seasons, the opponent shot better than their season average at the line. The rough statistics suggest that the home court advantage of Welsh-Ryan Arena is nonexistent in regards to free throw distractions or, at the very least, inappreciable.

If it can be concluded that the current method is ineffective, what other alternatives are out there? One might suggest using more noticeable objects to coordinate together instead of arms and hands, like placards that can be combined to create a concrete image that can be manipulated. The key is to find a pattern that the brain can understand and to alter said image in a manner that the brain is compelled to notice, if only for a split second, and distract the opponent from his routine at the charity stripe. But if we can’t think of any, then we can always call upon the fatties and hot bods of our Northwestern brethren.