By Courtney Quinn

I have been attending SMU Men’s Basketball games since freshman year and I never thought I would find myself camping out for tickets my Senior year. Since gaining Larry Brown as our head coach last season, Brown has completely changed our basketball program; the team has done a full 180. Brown worked hard last year to recruit a great incoming class for the 2013-2014 season and he succeeded. This season the team caught everyone’s attention. SMU basketball games are now the hottest ticket in Dallas! This season we have had Mark Cuban, Tony Romo, Jason Garrett, Laura Bush, and President Bush grace our coliseum, as well as numerous recruits. We are even fighting contenders for March Madness!

Last Monday was the ticket pickup for the big Louisville game on March 5^th, which is another sold out game! I found myself on Sunday afternoon pitching a tent with my friends outside the ticket office in order to score a ticket to the best seat in the house; center court student section. There were over 20 tents lined up! It is really cool how dedicated and enthusiastic the student body has become about our team! Larry Brown and the team even came to the “campsite” that night right after they got off a place from being out of town for an away game. They wanted to show their appreciation that n, but we are the ones that are thankful. Also the next morning when we had to wake up bright and early at 5am, Mr. Brown was there with donuts for us! Larry Brown is without say an excellent coach with any amazing work ethic and we are very lucky to him as a Mustang! Our team is so exciting to watch and I can’t wait for the rest of the season! Pony up!

By Katelyn Hall

It’s a good time to be an SMU student and a Mustang basketball fan. Over the past few weeks, I have watched the Mustangs win every home game at our renovated Moody Coliseum.

It was so fun to cheer on the Mustangs with all the SMU students. I joined the MOB, the student fan group, so we sit at center court and cheer extra loudly. The ambiance at the games is incredible, with the student section packed and all of Moody sold out.

But one of my favorite parts about SMU basketball may surprise you: getting my tickets.  Every few games, SMU students line up extra early to pick up free tickets to the game. The ticket window opens at 7 a.m., so everyone lines up even earlier.

Last time, I woke up at 5 a.m. and headed down to Ford Stadium with my friends to wait in line with our fellow Mustang fans. We brought blankets and homework and chatted about our recent win over ranked team Cincinnati.

Right before the ticket office opened, Larry Brown and several basketball players came out to greet the waiting fans. The Hall of Fame coach even brought us donuts and coffee and shook everyone’s hands.

It’s so fun to see our campus united and proud to be Mustangs.

Pony Up!

By John Morrow

At 7AM this morning I found myself waiting in line outside in near freezing temperatures with hundreds of other students. I wasn’t there to pick up the latest Apple iPhone. No, I was there with numb feet and frozen hands that could barely text for SMU Men’s Basketball tickets. Crazy right? Not if you want to get into the game. Tickets sold out roughly three hours after the box office opened.

This past Saturday, the Mustangs faced their biggest test of the season. The Cincinnati Bearcats, ranked #7 in the nation in the AP Poll, came into Moody Coliseum for a chance to tame our Mustangs and put an end to our undefeated home record. The Mustangs, an unranked team prior to the game, took the court in front of a raucous, sellout crowd.  Moody was rocking for the full 40 minutes from tipoff to the final horn. When that horn sounded, the final score read 76-55 in favor of SMU. That’s a 21-point beat down over the #7 team in the nation. Students swarmed the court, lifting players on their shoulders and crowded around head coach Larry Brown to sing the alma mater.

Following the game, a close friend of mine said he bumped into an SMU alumni on the court who said he’d been waiting 30 years for a basketball team like this. With that win, SMU received enough votes today in the AP Poll to be ranked #23 in the nation. Needless to say, if the sports world hadn’t already heard of the Mustangs from SMU, they have now. Watch out, because the Mustangs are looking to shake things up come Tournament time in March. It might be a coincidence the Final Four games are going to be played in Dallas; but then again, maybe it’s not.

By Kathleen Batman

Men’s Basketball has never been a sport to draw a big crowd at SMU. However, within the last year the basketball games have become the place to be. With the renovation of our basketball arena, Moody Coliseum, and the hiring of Larry Brown as our head coach, basketball has become very popular. The atmosphere at Moody is absolutely incredible. I absolutely love going to games and supporting the team. SMU upset Memphis last weekend and the feeling in the student section was electric. It was amazing to see a ton of students in the crowd cheering loudly for the Mustangs! We have officially moved into the basketball era of SMU and I’m so glad to be a part of it! Pony Up!