Elite college basketball programs do not spring up overnight. Just like most other successful ventures that take time to develop, top programs need a skilled head coach with a clear vision, talented players who buy into the coach’s message and loyal fans willing to provide the home- court advantage necessary to win the toughest matchups.

Although Georgetown is ranked seventh in the country, after last Wednesday’s 72-64 loss to South Florida, it is clear Georgetown is still far from having an elite program.

No, the reason is not because of the Hoyas’ performance against the Bulls. Though Georgetown did not play well, particularly in the second half – and South Florida is better than we originally thought – it is unfair to indict an entire program based on one bad day.

Instead, Georgetown still does not have an elite program because of the lack of fan support it receives at many home games – as was seen against South Florida – indicative of a disturbing trend in which students do not consistently come out to cheer on the Hoyas at Verizon Center.

Sure, the student sections behind the baskets are full when Georgetown takes on the likes of rivals Syracuse and Villanova, as was evident from last Saturday’s turnout despite the blizzard. But this type of support has been the exception – not the norm. Students have been conspicuously absent from far too many games this season, including recent contests against Big East opponents Seton Hall and Rutgers.

While it is true players and coaches – not fans – determine the outcomes of games, last week’s three-game home stand demonstrates just how much the crowd’s size and intensity can sharpen our perception of the state of Georgetown basketball.

Take the game against then-No. 8 Duke, one of the most anticipated Georgetown home games in years. If this were the first Georgetown game you had ever attended – which, based on the student section size, may have been true for many – you would have thought Hoya basketball was the hottest ticket in town for both students and Washington sports fans.

Not only did the Hoyas put on an impressive display on the court, shooting 71.7 percent from the field in the 89-77 victory over the Blue Devils, the raucous, gray-clad Georgetown crowd provided enough noise and enthusiasm to make sold-out Verizon Center seem like a decisive home court. Throw in the presence of President Obama and Vice President Biden sitting courtside and you had yourself a frenzied – almost surreal – atmosphere uncommon to most Georgetown home games.

“The atmosphere was great . There is an energy that we get from our students that is real and tangible,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said after the game, noticing the feel of the crowd. “Our fans, our students, the city was terrific . [The president] always brings energy. It was good to have him here. It was good to play well when he was here.”

The win over Duke provided a glimpse of Georgetown basketball and the university community at its best – something that unquestionably will be mentioned on every Blue and Gray and GAAP weekend campus tour for years to come. You can hear it now as you walk around campus: “Sports are a big deal here at Georgetown. Our basketball games are nationally televised and everyone goes and is really passionate about the games. Did I tell you how great it was to beat Duke yet?”

If only that passion were there for every game, not just for marquee opponents.

Coming off the Duke game, it would have been unreasonable to expect the same amount of student support for the South Florida game. Weeknight crowds are always smaller – many students have evening classes and assignments due – and South Florida does not have the appeal of an academic rival or a top-10 opponent like Duke. A modest drop in attendance would not have been surprising, but the complete no-show from students was shocking.

Beyond the Hoya Blue members who feel ordained to sit in the front row for every game, students barely filled half of their allotted seats behind the baskets, once again making Verizon Center seem too big and too quiet to be considered anything more than a glorified neutral court for most contests. There was no juice in the arena, no indication Georgetown was a team flirting with a run at a national title and no indication the university, its students or the city cares how this team does. The game could have been played in New York or California and it probably wouldn’t have felt much different.

The announced crowd of 12,207 did not provide the type of support that could have given the Hoyas even the slightest advantage over the Bulls.

“I have no idea if they were enjoying Duke or looking ahead to Villanova, but we played really well,” South Florida Head Coach Stan Heath said after his Bulls pulled off the upset. Though Heath was discussing Georgetown’s players, no one would have questioned him if he had also directed those comments toward the fans.

Of course, students showed a lot of dedication by braving the elements to get to Saturday’s game against Villanova in blizzard conditions. The fans that filled the student sections and comprised the rest of the 10,387 in attendance did their best – and largely succeeded – in making Verizon Center rock.

But it must be asked – if last Saturday’s game had been against Providence or DePaul, would anyone have been there?

It is great that students come out for big games against Duke, Syracuse and Villanova, giving Georgetown at least a modest edge in these home contests. But what does it say when student attendance is based almost entirely on who the opponent is, not the record of the Hoyas? It seems the draw is not Georgetown basketball itself, but instead the excitement associated with these top matchups.

A young alumnus, observing how few students showed up five minutes before tip-off against South Florida, said to a friend, “I guess this debunks the myth that attendance has anything to do with team performance.”

If team performance and the hope of making a Final Four cannot attract students to attend home games, what will?

Nick Macri is a junior in the College. The Big Picture appears in every other Tuesday edition of Hoya Sports.”