Instead of quieting down, they continued their cheering and howling, which seems a bit odd considering that their noise died down when USC went to the charity stripe a few minutes later. For instance, I was playing as UCLA at Pauley Pavillion against USC, and while I'd pumped up the crowd, the Bruin fans were screaming their heads off as my point guard was sent to the foul line to shoot two shots. However, the energy of the crowd can sometimes come off at inappropriate times, which feels disjointed to the action on the court. It's a cool feature that makes the back-and-forth nature found within the college game feel very realistic. In fact, if they force turnovers or get some momentum of their own, they can completely negate the advantages of this feature. The opposing side isn't completely shut out during this energetic period.

This can be just enough to give your players a way to extend a lead or make a roaring comeback when it really counts.Д¬lick here to watch the video review. This boost makes shots easier to go in for your team, and can be extended with additional shots or strong defense. If you keep this performance up, you can turn the bar red for a couple of seconds, which equates to a momentum boost for your players (which can be seen underneath the players as a marker of their confidence on the court). As the home team makes plays, getting baskets and performing defensive stops or forcing turnovers, a meter along the bottom of the screen fills up with the crowd's excitement at the game. This is the 6th Man Advantage, and College Hoops 2K8 tries to recreate this in the midst of games in a dynamic way. The crowd can also buoy their squad, making them play much harder as they feed off the energy of the stands. Of course, every basketball fan knows that this atmosphere can be enough to completely disrupt the concentration of opponents, forcing poor shots and lapses in judgment that can benefit the home team. Last year, College Hoops 2K7 focused on the atmosphere surrounding a college game, which included the student sections screaming, fans jumping in their seats and tons of school chants. While the game features a large number of new features that really bolster the feel of the college experience, play on the court is still plagued by some old issues that really detract from the impressive job made by Visual Concepts. The secret weapon is the fans in the stands and the energy boost given to the home team, and it's one of the new adjustments made to College Hoops 2K8, the latest installment from 2K Sports. Nor is it sending cheerleaders in front of the visiting bench to distract players.

It's not paying off referees in a Donaghy-like scandal to make calls for one particular team. It's not a new offensive or defensive set that will confuse and hamper the plans of opposing coaches.

All across the country, in gyms and arenas, schools are prepping their basketball teams with secret weapons to be unleashed against rival squads.

College hoops 2k8 roster update