Size works in its favour
A modest arena is louder than a large one at the same attendance, because the crowd is closer to the floor and to itself. Noise needs proximity to feel like pressure. This is a physical fact often overlooked when new venues are designed to be bigger.
A crowd with a job
Student sections operate as an organised group with shared chants and a sense of duty, which is quite different from an audience reacting to events. That turns the crowd into an input rather than a response, and visiting teams notice it in the moments where communication matters most.
Scarcity helps
With relatively few home dates, each one carries weight for the people attending. Scarcity concentrates attention. It is worth remembering when anyone proposes expanding schedules on the assumption that more games means more interest.