Gonzaga’s Kennel Club voted 5th best student section in the nation.

Gonzaga’s Kennel Club voted 5th best student section in the nation.

When a team comes to play the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane, opposition players and coaches know the impact the crowd—especially the students—has on the home-court advantage. Before the game began, around 1,200 Gonzaga students, many of them dressed in outrageous costumes and Bulldog clothing, sang and danced to “Zombie Nation” by Kernkraft 400. This gave both players and spectators shivers and increased their heart rates. For this reason, college basketball analyst Andy Katz placed Gonzaga’s student section—known as the Kennel Club—as the No. 5 student section in men’s basketball.

Every home game at the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center is sold out. It’s the most hostile atmosphere for rival teams in the country. With the fans and students on the Bulldogs’ side, GU has accumulated an astonishing home record of 223–15 (.937) since Feb. 6, 2020.

The four student sections that were ranked higher than Gonzaga were Duke, which was ranked No. 1, Purdue, which was ranked No. 2, Kansas, which was ranked No. 3, and Michigan State, which was ranked No. 4. On October 5, Gonzaga will host its annual scrimmage, Numerica Kraziness in the Kennel. The event will be free of charge, but tickets will be needed; Gonzaga students can pick up their tickets from September 27–30, and the public can pick them starting on October 2 at noon, with a maximum of two tickets per account. On both SWX and SWXLocalSports.com, tickets can be obtained.