The great thing about getting blown out in the NCAA tournament is that the anxiety wears off quickly. Louisville was more athletic, more talented and better prepared in their 78-48 win over the Sooners on Sunday.

However, make no mistake: This has been a successful second-year campaign for Jeff Capel's ball club at OU. The question is: Will it be his last?

Speculation is running high that he'll take over as the new South Carolina head coach within the next two weeks. One report from a Tulsa television station indicated that coaches at the regional where OU played suggested they would be shocked if he didn't become the new Gamecocks' coach.

OK, I'll play along.

Why would Capel leave for South Carolina? If I'm playing devil's advocate, I could cite a better climate, better scenery, better locale in relation to his family and great golf, if he's into the links.

However, relative to the programs themselves, South Carolina is a step backward, folks. In the past decade, Oklahoma has been to the Sweet 16 three times, to the Elite 8 twice and to the Final Four once.

Where were Dave Odom's 'Cocks?

If Capel were to leave for South Carolina, it wouldn't be about being closer to home. He's on the record as saying that his overall family life is better in Oklahoma because his wife isn't working, which I suppose means the entire Capel crew can be together more often.

What a move would indicate, however, is the lack of fan support Oklahoma basketball gets. I'll be honest: I'm as guilty as the rest of you. Haven't been to a game in at least six years, and I live right here in Norman.

It's not about the level of play. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners were quite good, quite scrappy and quite worth the money. Billy Tubbs' reign at Oklahoma were the rock-n-roll days of Sooners hoops.

However, the Lloyd Noble Center itself is completely antithetical to what makes a great basketball venue. I can't justify dropping $25 for a seat at the top of a concert arena.

It's spread out. It's dark. It's relatively quiet. It's far too big for the product.

When soccer teams in the MLS got smart, they started building smaller soccer-only stadiums, including one in Frisco, Texas, that's actually one of the best in the country. Now, I'm not suggesting a basketball-only arena. It wouldn't be cost-effective.

What I am suggesting is a renovation of McCasland Fieldhouse.

Tear it down and rebuild it, right there on campus. Give it no more than 10,000 seats, and construct it in the image of what's there now. Make it cramped and noisy, something more along the lines of Gallagher-Iba.

Sure, if Oklahoma were consistently better, more fans would come out to see the men play. Yes, the women's team had the third-best attendance among NCAA Division I teams this season.

However, Capel's club was good this year. Why fan support isn't what it should be might have something to do with what we see on ESPN each week: The Cameron Crazies at Duke, the Allen Fieldhouse fans at Kansas and the stellar environment at Gallagher-Iba.

Basketball night on campus needs to be more of an event. We've got the overall support here at OU. We've got the money. But do we have the vision to do something this bold?