If the third largest sports market in the country held a quadruple header on a cold Saturday afternoon and nobody showed, would the six fans in attendance make a noise?

Personally, I have no idea what a college football Saturday is like. In my four fall semesters in college, we didn’t have anything resembling a college football experience. From everything I’ve heard, it can be quite the to-do.

Conversely, I’ve enjoyed several college hoops tilts on Saturday afternoons for the better part of 42 years. Over the years I’ve attended Saturday matinees between schools I don’t particularly care for, but the experience was usually positive.

Throw in a non-conference, inner city rivalry between schools from opposite sides of the track. Chicago just doesn’t care and it’s not because our professional teams are any good.

For the first time in years (I have no idea how long it’s been), the four men’s programs playing in greater Chicago, are playing a mini-city series that nobody knows about. A few years removed from the NCAA tournament, Loyola, DePaul, Northwestern and UIC should be able to muster up some interest in a city the size of Chicago, but they can’t and don’t appear to want to.

Loyola has already faced UIC and DePaul, DePaul has split with Northwestern and Loyola and Northwestern concludes the circuit with a game against UIC on Tuesday. Had I not been looking for the results of the aforementioned quadruple-header, I wouldn’t have known about yesterday’s game between NU and DePaul.

Had I not had lunch with Steve Comma yesterday afternoon, I wouldn’t have known about yesterday’s Legends of Basketball Showcase at the United Center. After lunch, I was too busy sweating out a Big Five tilt on CBS Sports.

With the exception of a few games held on campuses, I can’t remember any outdoor, pregame activities (like tailgating) at any of the basketball games I’ve attended over the years. There is something about seeing the opposing school’s team buses parked in the already cramped lot. If it’s a truly local game, the visitors might bring their pep band as well as a cadre of cheerleaders and pom squads. There’s an inherent energy on and around campus leading up to the game.

Despite their best efforts to make the Horizon/All State Arena feel like home, DePaul students missed out by not playing the majority of their games on campus. I know the northwest side alums and Wanna-Be’s were not looking forward to moving to the south loop, Wintrust Arena.

Save for having to battle bad weather on occasion, viewing a college basketball game is a much better experience, in person on one of the campuses instead of a neutral site. In my four undergrad years I only remember one Big 5 game played at the Spectrum, but that was a doubleheader. Cousin Rich came to town for that one with his in-laws.

The intimacy of a 4,500-seat gymnasium, alumni hall, fieldhouse or center can’t be replicated nor can the Philadelphia style postgame pretzel.