Here's some interesting information from former ISU Sports Information Director Glenn Alford:
"ISU won 90 percent of its home games (verifiable information) with the court in the middle of the turf, between the hashes and between the 30s, and with all the lighting on. It was like playing in a well-lighted airplane hangar. I haven't checked lately, but the last time I did, we were at about 60 percent with the current seating and court configuration and overhead drop lighting."
Using that information, Coach O'Brien said on both the pre-game and post-game shows that he's trying the experiment with more lights to see if it creates a more difficult environment for visiting teams to shoot in. With some football lights on, the far reaches of Holt are visible behind the baskets, creating more "visual traffic" for opponents to deal with. If ISU practices in those conditions all the time, it can become a home-court advantage.
The pertinent question is: "If playing with more lights on helps the Bengals win even one or two more home games each year, wouldn't it be worth it?"