To welcome the oncoming men and women basketball seasons, fans filled the stands of Breslin Center on Friday night for Midnight Madness.
Men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo and Spartan players were dressed in all leather, face paint, and bulky boots to be the rock band KISS for the evening.
“Rock & Roll All Nite” was performed, while cheerleaders and current basketball players acted as the mosh pit in front of the main stage.
“It’s kind of an incredible year for us — we have a bunch of new guys. If they play like they worked this summer, then this (season) we are going to have a heck of a team,” Izzo said. “We’ve gone too long without a national championship.”
Izzo made a joke during his speech that normal rock bands get off the tour bus with girls surrounding them, but he had his former players.
This annual event began with the MSU fight song, led by the Spartan Marching Band and cheerleading team to kick off Midnight Madness.
The performance by the band and cheerleaders was 10-year-old Josh Boyan’s favorite part. He attended the game with his father, Joe, and two siblings.
“I went to law school out here and we came out and I wanted to bring my three boys (Josh, Garret and Ryan) out to Michigan State,” New Jersey resident Joe Boyan, the father of the three boys, said.
The free, annual event pumps up those who support the women’s and men’s basketball teams for their upcoming seasons. The crowd was entertained by players, along with the cheer team, the marching band drumline, and fans themselves.
Basketball musical chairs was played by a group of students for the chance to win a new Verizon Wireless phone. Contestants walked around the chairs in the middle of the basketball court until Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” stopped. To continue to the next round, they had to shoot a basket and return to the seats — and the last one standing was eliminated.
Before the women’s basketball team made their grand entrance, T-shirt cannons were used to launch bookstore items to fans while the cheerleaders and band performed.
Women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant dressed up as Beyoncé, while the team and cheerleaders were her background dancers.
“We just wanted to put it out there for you and all our fans because we so appreciate you and what you’re all about and how you support our team,” Merchant said.
The women’s team is coming off a Big Ten championship win, and they intend to do that again, according to Merchant.
Midnight Madness continued with a Spartan shootout, where alumni and fans had the chance to win a basketball signed by Izzo. Wrapping up the night, the men’s and women’s basketball teams scrimmaged.
“I just wanted to come and support the teams and see the new basketball teams. I heard they were going to do some cool stunts so I just wanted to see what they were going to do,” human biology senior Emma Guschewski said. “It turned out really cool.”
