More than 400 multi-colored tents speckled Munn field Saturday night as devoted students sporting hats, coats and gloves waited to receive their coveted basketball tickets in the windy, bitter cold.

"I'm wearing a fleece, a hoodie, my winter jacket, a long-sleeve T-shirt and a short-sleeve T-shirt," said finance junior Michelle Lee as she shivered.

"It's freezing."

Students arrived at the field by 8 a.m. Saturday and were expected to stay until noon Sunday. Many students had to stand in line in the pouring rain Saturday morning and temperatures reached the low 40s that night.

"During the day from morning until 1 (p.m.), everybody was inside their tents because it was so cold and so wet outside," said Greg Barry, a premedicine sophomore wearing a winter hat and a fleece blanket draped around his shoulders to keep warm.

Coach Tom Izzo and men's basketball team members appeared on the field Saturday night to support the students.

Izzo camped out along with the students, and he encouraged them to say hello.

"It's pretty cool that he's camping out, too," nursing junior Amanda Walker said. "He gave us a good speech and said, 'You may not like what you're doing now, but you'll look back on this as a good memory,'" she said.

Students had to provide food for themselves throughout the day. While some ordered pizzas or had friends bring food, some were true to the camping experience.

"We cooked out," accounting senior Justin Campbell said as he motioned to a grill. "We cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Students played cards, sat around fires, studied, met their neighbors, watched TV on a giant screen and played games of football and soccer to pass the time.

Although most brought tents to protect themselves from the weather, a few only brought a blanket or two for the entire night.

Many students waiting for tickets said they were supportive of the new Izzone section seating, which now comprises the entire student section.

"I think it's good for the school and for the team," economics junior Loren Croskey said.

"It'll add to the atmosphere to have Izzone around the court to help out with games."

David Herc, a political science and prelaw senior, said that being part of the Izzone isn't what all students want.

"It's beneficial because it gave more people a chance to get in the lower bowl," he said. "But for people who don't want to be in the Izzone, it puts them in a bad position. You have to camp out and we just didn't want that responsibility.

"It's a big responsibility to be involved in all the cheers and all the activities during the game instead of just focusing on the game."

Other students were upset to be camping out and said they wished the Izzone seating hadn't changed.

Justin Ceresnie, a supply chain management junior, said the policy is only being changed so it can be said MSU has the biggest student section in the country.

"It was fine how it was before, and they should just sell tickets like a normal organization instead of trying to make it all complicated and confusing," he said. "I just want to watch some basketball."

Despite the bitter cold, students said they were happy to support the team by camping out.

"We've got hot chocolate, 300 blankets and our girlfriends to keep us warm," social work senior Kyle Anderson said.