Srikar Rao’s as big of a Penn State men’s basketball fan as they come.

Rao’s the president of Legion of Blue, Penn State’s basketball student section for its men’s and women’s teams. He’s been going to games at the Bryce Jordan Center since 2021, walking to the arena 90 minutes before each game starts with his own pregame playlist. He said he’s never missed a game.

Rao’s seen some tough times in his years of coming to Penn State games, especially in the 2023-24 season. Penn State fans have walked out of the Bryce Jordan Center early as their team lost to Northwestern and Bucknell. But on Tuesday night, Rao and several hundred fans stood on the arena’s court, celebrating a massive upset of No. 11 Wisconsin.

“Three minutes before the buzzer, I screamed for my best friends to come a row down and stand with me and embrace this moment,” Rao said in the early hours of Wednesday morning after Tuesday’s win. “My friends aren’t all diehard basketball fans like me, but every game they come extra early so they can sit and enjoy the game with me. Words cannot describe this feeling that I have currently, and it will take a week for me to fully take in this game, but I am so happy for Penn State.”

In the middle of the mosh pit on the court stood Penn State’s players, jumping along with the rest of the crowd. Tuesday’s court storm was the first time most of the Nittany Lions had experienced one, including the game’s two stars: Ace Baldwin Jr. and Kanye Clary.

“That’s exactly why I came here — just for that experience, and it was a great experience,” Baldwin said postgame. “I’d never been in a situation like that. It was like a great feeling. I love that feeling.”

For the team, Tuesday’s game showed Penn State can care about its basketball teams. The school has long been lauded for its football, wrestling, and volleyball programs. Basketball’s always been the afterthought of the fanbase and student body.

But the win and fan support could start to change that, Clary said. As the men’s basketball program continues to fight for attention on campus, a court storming could seriously help that movement.

“Penn State’s been historically a football [school]. So coach Rhoades, he always says we’re going to be bold, different, aggressive. He preached that a lot,” Clary said. “And I think going forward that this is going to help us because we showed a lot of people we’re capable of. We just have to do our part.”

Getting students to games has been a priority for head coach Mike Rhoades since he came to the school after the 2022-23 season. It’s no wonder why, Penn State is infamous for its poor attendance at basketball games in the Bryce Jordan Center. At Tuesday’s game, the Nittany Lions drew a crowd of 8,462 in an arena that holds 15,261. Their best crowd of the year was reported at just over 10,000, and the team hasn’t opened its upper deck this season.

Rhoades worked hard to get attendance numbers up. He promised to give $1,000 to whichever student group had the best attendance at the Northwestern game. Ahead of the Wisconsin game, student tickets were made free to encourage attendance. It seemed to work, as the student section was full to the brim against the Badgers and created the energy Rhoades wanted from his team’s fans.

“This is what college sports should be all about. And really, our students were awesome,” Rhoades said. “I want our students and our fans to sweat with us, be involved with us, and make it bigger than basketball. Tonight, it was that. It was really cool, and I’m glad I was a part of it.”

The year is still young for the Nittany Lions. The win over Wisconsin could spark a hot streak in Big Ten play, attendance and fan support could increase, and Rhoades’ efforts to get attention for his team could get a lot easier.

Rao seemed to think so. He sees how Rhoades interacts with the community, encourages people to come to games, and coaches his team. Penn State basketball has had an uphill climb to find success over Rao’s four years, but the senior thinks the program is ready to leap forward.

“I went to coach Rhoades’ introductory press conference and, just as any sports fan would, I believed immediately that he would change the program. What I didn’t realize was how quickly he would change the program,” Rao said. “I think coach Rhoades is going to pave a new journey of consistency and excitement for Penn State. Big Ten opponents be warned, Penn State just woke up.”