Ben Bergman, sophomore in animal ecology and criminal justice, didn’t make any concrete plans for spring break — they were already made for him when both the men’s and women’s ISU basketball teams qualified for the NCAA tournament.

“I didn’t go anywhere over spring break,” Bergman said, “and since they both were close to home, I saw the opportunity to attend both games, so I went for it.”

Bergman wasn’t the only one going for it, as the two games the women’s team played on Friday and Sunday in Hilton Coliseum both drew record crowds, and the men’s game Saturday against Auburn in the Metrodome in Minneapolis drew what was estimated to be almost 20,000 Cyclone faithful.

“The games were nerve-wracking when the score was close, but the men always came through with a win,” said Evan Groepper, who traveled to the men’s games.

For Groepper, sophomore in biology, traveling to Minneapolis didn’t take much thought.

“I am a big basketball fan and went to all the regular season games. I have followed the Cyclones since I was little, so I decided to go with a friend and his father,” he said.

Groepper said attending the games makes him feel more involved in the Cyclones’ success.

“It was exciting to watch some good basketball in a different environment and be able to feel like a part of the game,” he said.

Phil Andersen, undeclared freshman, went to the men’s game Saturday with his father after they received tickets from his father’s boss.

“I had never been to a tournament game, and if they lost it, the season would be over for them, so this win meant that much more,” Andersen said.

Andersen said he was both happy and proud to see the dedication and loyalty of ISU fans.

“It was great having about 20,000 Iowa State fans there, which made it feel like a home game,” he said. “It seemed like I was in Hilton because of all the fans at the game.”

Bergman said he enjoyed the “home-court advantage” as well.

“I had a great time with all the Cyclone fans everywhere,” Bergman said. “With all the fans in Minneapolis, it was kind of like a Cyclone reunion. The Cyclones have the home-court advantage wherever they go because the fan support is awesome.”

Jerod Schaack, sophomore in industrial technology, went to the women’s games last weekend and is planning to head south to Kansas City to watch the women play in Memorial Auditorium, the same arena where they won the Big 12 conference tournament just two weeks ago.

“I watch the games live because television isn’t half as fun as being there in person,” Schaack said. “On TV, you don’t get to be as big a part of it all.”

Schaack said he cheered the women’s team on by wearing his usual attire — his “superfan” shirt. Schaack described the lucky shirt as “a ’60s-style bowling shirt custom made by my mom with all the signatures from the women’s basketball team on the back.”

Schaack won’t be the only one road tripping this weekend to support the ‘Clones. Dave Crum, athletic ticket manager, said the tickets for the men’s game in Auburn Hills, Mich., have already sold out, and women’s tickets were going fast but not yet sold out as of Tuesday afternoon.

The ISU Alumni Association also has a travel package available for fans who have tickets for the men’s game. For $795 per person, double occupancy, the trip includes a round-trip charter flight from Des Moines to Detroit, two nights stay in Embassy Suites, transportation to the game and a tournament souvenir.

The charter was almost completely sold out by Tuesday afternoon, said Jeff Johnson, executive director of ISU Alumni Association.

“There has been great response from people interested in traveling to Auburn Hills with us,” Johnson said. “People like the one-stop shopping we are offering, the full-service trip.”

Schaack predicted a big showing in Kansas City as well.

“I think there are going to be a lot of ISU fans down in Kansas City because the women have a great following,” he said. “I am confident the team can definitely go all the way.”

To order tickets for the women’s games, students can call the Athletic Ticket Office at 294-1816. To check on the travel package to Detroit, students can call 1-800-553-5527.