CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Walking over to the State Farm Center Tuesday morning, I can’t lie, I was feeling pretty tired. Between the nasty Champaign weather and the start of finals season, it was a foggy morning. 

However, when 10,000 screaming kids greeted me, it definitely jolted me awake. As someone who attended the men’s game against Texas Tech last week, Tuesday might have been louder, and most definitely higher-pitched.

The Field Trip Game is becoming somewhat of a staple for Shauna Green’s program. Once a year, schools from across Central Illinois descend onto Champaign to watch the women’s team, and time and time again, it has proved to be a massive success. 

The game saw the Illini take down Murray State 84-64. Through the ups and downs of the game, these kids just didn’t want to sit down. 

I was in attendance for last year’s field trip game, too, and this year’s was a lot more interactive. 

The Minecraft movie was shown before the game started, along with a wide variety of kid-favorite songs. The kids loved the nuggets chants whenever there was an opportunity for Murray State to miss back-to-back free throws. 

The real hit of the morning, though, came when SIX-foot-SEVEN, Lety Vasconcelos, checked into the game. The Illinois public address announcer made sure to acknowledge that fact, much to the students’ approval. 

For those at home who might not understand the six-seven joke, ask any kid in your life, and I’m sure they will get you up to speed. 

Later in the game, Destiny Jackson hit a three to put the Illini’s score to 67, which was met with similar approval by the crowd. 

“I didn’t know the three was going to be for six-seven,” Jackson said. “But we had been talking about it for a while.” 

At times, I’m not sure how both teams didn’t start laughing during the game. But from the Illini, it was essentially stone cold from tip-off to the final buzzer. 

The Illinois marketing interns are definitely going to need a raise after this game. I almost wanted to be a kid skipping school in the stands.

Amid all the jokes and laughter from the kids, thousands loved watching high-level basketball. Especially in the lower bowl, numerous girls’ basketball teams watched the Illini stars. For them, they will probably remember Berry Wallace and Destiny Jackson, not the stuff playing on the video board. 

“We can be a great example to them,” Wallace said.

Truly, there was an outlet for everyone at Tuesday’s game, and the noise level inside the State Farm Center reflected that. 

The game also had some special meaning to Coach Green. Her husband, Andy, is a fifth-grade teacher in the area and attended the game with their son, Matteo. 

The game wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. The Illini struggled shooting behind the arc, and at times struggled to pull away against the Racers. I think had there not been 14,000-plus people in the crowd, Illinois might have found itself in a much tighter game down the stretch. 

“They came out and used that energy to fuel us,” Green said.

After the final buzzer, Shauna Green spoke to the crowd and asked one very important question: “Are you guys going to ask your parents to come to more games?”

It feels like every year under Green, the State Farm Center continues to improve attendance for women’s basketball, and I expect this year to be nothing different. Now, as the team pivots towards Big Ten play, they will hope to ride some of the fan momentum from today.