Thousands of Iowa State students stream into Hilton Coliseum to cheer the Cyclone basketball team each week. But few fans are devoted enough to camp out in front of the ticket office for first crack at basketball tickets.

Two of those crazed fans are Brian Decker and Nate Roller.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like that,” Decker said.

Decker, sophomore in computer science, set up a tent next to the Jacobson Athletic Building ticket office at about 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in anticipation of the basketball ticket pick-up at 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

His roommate, Roller, junior in civil engineering, and Tom Plagge, freshman in computer science, joined him at about 1 a.m. Monday, and they spent the night shivering in 40 degree temperatures to be first in line for tickets the next morning.

“We thought that people were going to get there earlier than they did — earlier than we wanted to get up,” Decker said.

The students had the opportunity for first pick of tickets because of the new seat rotation system instituted by the Athletic Department this season. The policy now allows students to sit in the arena or parquet seating of Hilton Coliseum for three games during the season and the other nine games in the general admission seating of the balcony.

The pick-up system allowed students who bought both football and basketball season tickets to pick out their seats earlier than other students purchasing tickets.

Students received seating preferences and chose which games they wanted closer seating on a first-come, first-serve basis and could buy up to 10 tickets each.

The trio bought 28 tickets in all, including 25 for friends.

Because the students were first in line, they got the seating option they wanted, which included third-row seating for games against Kansas and Colorado. However, Decker said they “got shafted” because an exhibition game was included in the package.

Roller said one of their motivations for acquiring the floor tickets was to “show off for the cameras under the baskets.”

Last year, the pair and their friends cut apart basketballs, painted them and wore them as helmets. Roller wore a cape and dubbed himself “Captain Cyclone.” Some of them also were featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“We’re going to do that and much more,” Roller said.

Decker said the students love supporting their team and their favorite players (they are members of a “Paul Shirley Fan Club”) by coming to the games.

“I hope they look at us as the Wild Bill guy at the women’s games — just some crazy guys supporting the team,” Decker said.

Roller said it was “definitely” worth it to sleep out in the cold.

“It’s all about the love,” he said.