BYU NewsNet - Fans Camp for Days to get Tickets

The wind is blowing and the temperature is dropping by the minute on a nippy February afternoon in Provo, and a group of BYU students are setting up a tent outside the ... Marriott Center?

Yep, life couldn't be better for these die-hard (some might say insane) Cougar fans who have sacrificed their warm apartments for the not-so-cozy confines of a sleeping bag. Some of the campers brought portable heaters. Some brought televisions. Some brought stereos. Some even brought X-Boxes and PlayStations to pass the time.

But all share the same justification for camping out during the winter on a giant slab of concrete: rivalry.

"This is Utah!" said Caleb Waugh, an electrical engineering student from Grand Junction, Colo. "If you want to get close so the teams can actually hear you yelling, then you need to be here. It's not just our players trying to win on the court, it's also the fans trying to win on the sideline."

These fans love to get into the game, and they feel it's impossible to do so from the upper bowl.

"We do this to get good seats because if we don't we get pushed up to the nose-bleed section and can't see the action," said Mike Murrow, a business student from Colorado Springs, Colo. "Last year we stood in line forever and didn't get good seats, so this year is going to be different."

Waugh are Murrow are just two of dozens of students who have set up a make-shift community outside the west entrance to the Marriott Center, all in hopes of cheering their team to victory come Saturday when the Cougars take on their rivals from up north.

"I think this helps us as fans get mentally prepared, and I also think it helps the players prepare," Waugh said. "When they see that the fans are out showing their support on Monday when the game doesn't even start until Saturday, that gets them really excited to play."

It's that simple? They do it to help the team?

While having a good time doing something regular people likely wouldn't consider doing also plays a large role, the rationale of supporting their team comes with some heavy statistical backing: BYU is 59-3 at home since Dave Rose took over as coach in 2005. Despite recent struggles, the Cougars have proven time and time again that playing on their home court really is an advantage.

And the fans are a huge part of that.

"Our fans are great, and we're always able to feed off their energy" BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette said. "You know it's a huge game if there are people camping out waiting for tickets. It's going to be a great crowd, and it puts a greater emphasis on this game, not only for the fans but for us as well."

Running a community of tents takes some planning, but these students seem to have it down to an art. To ensure the safety of their belongings, each tent or group of tents assigns someone to be there at all times. Students sign up for which shifts they want - usually between three-and-five hour blocks - then they pretty much hang out.

"We usually throw the ball around, barbecue, play games and music at night and stuff," said Eric Glem, an exercise science student from Vancouver, Wash. "It's pretty much a party all week. Some people get mad, though, if we're up playing music too late, so we try to keep it reasonably mellow."

And what about homework?

"It affects it, but it's worth it," Glem said. "I have my school stuff here, but the problem is you have an X-Box and stuff and there are always people here to hang out with, so it gets distracting."

This whole outfit may not be professor-approved, but come what may - suffering grades, lack of sleep or frostbite - you can bet the Marriott Center will be rocking Saturday thanks to a sea of white-clad Cougar fans in the stands.