BYU Basketball goes all-out. The Marriott Center, home to BYU Basketball, is a large venue. The current capacity of 18,987 seats is the largest in the Big 12. This is larger than some NBA arenas, even though the building itself is smaller. This creates an imitating atmosphere for visiting teams, and the Marriott Center is usually full.
The Marriott Center has a large student section, with the ROC usually going up to the rafters. The ROC's volume, mixed with their crazy free-throw distractions, makes it hard for opponents to focus and communicate. The ROC is good at what it does and brings the energy up in the Marriott Center.
BYU's Marriott Center is a beautiful building and really gives the feel of an NBA atmosphere. Regular sellouts cause it to be loud, and BYU fans aren't silenced easily. It just takes one dunk or three-pointer to energize the crowd.
BYU's Marriott Center has a very simple layout. The lower bowl and upper bowl. The lower bowl is soft chairs, while the upper bowl is either plastic chairs or bleachers. BYU fans are loud from the first row to the rafters, creating an electric atmosphere, and the players thrive off of it. BYU fans force errors and miscommunications that lead to easy Cougar baskets. While arena capacity has been reduced after renovations, the energy and passion are still there.
BYU play-by-play commentator Dave McCann has said that the Marriott Center's atmosphere is different during Big 12 play in a good way. BYU has not only brought improvement on the court since joining the Big 12, but they have also increased fan energy throughout the building. BYU fans everywhere are stepping up and making the Marriott Center a tough place to play.
BYU's Marriott Center is a great example of BYU's big-game mentality. Its size rivals a few NBA arenas, and it feels like an NBA game inside. BYU will continue to succeed if they can keep using the crowd noise to throw opponents off balance.