January 16, 2012

Virginia's 'Hoo Crew is among student sections from 79 schools nominated for the Naismith Student Section of the Year Award.

By visiting the I Love College Hoops Facebook page, fans can vote for the student section at any one of the 79 basketball schools that submitted a nomination.

"We are excited that so many Division-I basketball schools are touting their student section as the best in college basketball," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "Now it's time for students, alumni, and fans of these schools across the country to make their votes count to help their school win this award."

The student sections nominated for the award represent schools in 21 conferences. Eight Atlantic Coast Conference schools submitted nominations for the award.

The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award will be determined through two rounds of public votes, combined with a scoring of finalists by the Naismith Awards Board of Selectors, which will review criteria such as the student section's name and attendance, as well as photos, video, and a write‐up submitted by the nominating school. Complete details on the selection process can be found on the Facebook page.

"College basketball student sections love college hoops and bring the emotion, energy, and spirit that defines the home court advantage, and we want to celebrate that," added Tim Hawks, senior director of Brand & Retail Development for CLC. "We need fans to vote now and vote often to help ensure their school-and not their rival-gets recognized for the spirit they pour into supporting their team."

The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, which is presented through a partnership of The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a division of IMG College, and the Atlanta Tipoff Club, administrators of the Naismith Awards, is dedicated to celebrating fans that love college hoops and provide support to their college basketball team with devotion and passion.