Iowa State defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 74-56 on Saturday in Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones followed that up with a 70-67 win over the No. 2 Houston Cougars.
Hilton Coliseum has been known for its great home-court advantage, especially the energy the Iowa State student section, ‘Cyclone Alley,’ brings.
For many years now, the Iowa State students have been known for camping out before a big-time men’s basketball game and this year has been no different.
The energy inside Hilton starts long before and with avid students ready to pack the arena. Camping out has become a tradition for most of them.
This season, Iowa State University has changed the rules for camping out. Students are not allowed to begin lining up or putting up tents until 12:01 a.m. the day of the game. Five hours before tip-off, all tents must be taken down.
Regardless of the changes, the students didn’t stop heading to Hilton and waiting in line to run for a spot.
Many people may wonder why students camp out before a game. Beyond it being a great time to hang out with friends, it is also due to the student section capacity set by Iowa State athletics.
The max capacity for Cyclone Alley is 2,300 students, meaning that during a big-time game, many students may be turned away at the door.
For some, they were determined to get a bit of rest ahead of getting into Hilton, but the same couldn’t be said for others.
“Everyone is out here just having a good time. I don’t think anybody really expects to get super good sleep out here,” sophomore Jaron Watson said.
Watson was actually one of the first tents in line, and he attributed it to years of camping out.
“This isn’t my first time camping out and I even got student tickets from someone my senior year of high school, so I have been camping out for a few years now,” Watson said.
Watson feels like one reason students may not be showing up all the time is the fear of not getting inside Hilton and being turned away. He urges every student to come to the games and camp out.
“Students need to come to the games, especially to camp out too, it is a fun time and creates a lot of good memories with your friends,” Watson said.
Cyclone Alley, as a student section, faced some criticism from many on Social Media ahead of the Kansas game.
There was nothing but good vibes throughout the night of camping and leading up to the game.
Cyclone Alley, as a whole, shut down all the haters on the internet with great energy from start to finish.
Ahead of the Houston vs. Iowa State game, students would once again rush to Hilton in hopes of getting a seat inside for Big Monday.
Senior Jacob Sorenson and senior Daniel Dugosh arrived in line around 10:30 a.m. for the Houston game.
“We’ve never really camped out before, but we have been here in line early with our chairs,” Sorenson said.
The weather was much better for the students waiting for the Houston game than the mid-30-degree weather before the Kansas game.
“I mean, the weather is great, 60 degrees in February is pretty good,” Sorenson said.
For Dugosh, his favorite part of the whole waiting game wasn’t exactly being in line for hours on end.
“Getting into the arena for sure, I think my favorite part is when the line actually starts moving,” Dugosh said.
Iowa State seems to have this unwritten tradition of student camping and regardless of what anyone says, it truly makes a difference.
Many students view it as a fun time and a chance to get into a big-time game to cheer on the Cyclones. It’s not always perfect, but these dedicated students bring the passion to Iowa State basketball.
By the time students get let in, everyone is fired up. The spirit for the Cyclones runs deep in all of these students.
No matter the circumstances, the students who camp out before the games show what it means to be a Cyclone and are real proof that the energy inside Hilton starts long before tip-off.
