Tucson basketball fans and hungry college students convened on the McKale Center lawn Friday night preceding the UA men's basketball Red-Blue scrimmage.

More than 200 people gathered for the evening's festivities, called Midnight Without Madness, which began at 6 p.m.

The event included big wheel races, free Cluck-U-Chicken chicken wings, autographs from the UA women's basketball team, a paintball booth and broadcasts by radio station 92.1 KFMA.

"The event kicks off basketball season," said Brandi Beougher, finance and entrepreneurship senior and Sport's Marketing Association member.

Lute Olson, men's basketball coach, spoke to the crowd at 6:30 p.m. He first thanked the crowd for coming to the festivities.

"This is going to be an interesting night. There are going to be some interesting match-ups to watch," he said. "The team will be quick, and they'll be fun to watch. The players get along well. You won't see anyone hogging the ball."

Stacy Abrahamson, marketing senior and Sport's Marketing Association member, said the event is based around Lute Olson speaking to the crowd.

"It is kind of a tailgate party for the Red-Blue scrimmage," she said.

Before returning to McKale Center, Olson told the crowd his coaching contract at the University of Arizona has been extended five years. His announcement was met with cheers.

Olson was not the only person ready to be inside McKale Center.

"Let's go to the basketball game," Brook Mathesen, a five-year-old Tucson boy chanted while jumping up and down.

Brook's mother, Yvette Mathesen said her three boys originally thought they where going to a football game.

Showing off her three sons' red T-shirts, Yvette Mathesen said the last sporting event her family went to was a home football game. She said they sat in the top row of Arizona Stadium, and the boys wore T-shirts with "top seated fan" written on them.

Thersa Rhodes, a Tucson resident, said she brought her grandchildren out to see the team.

Amber Rhodes, Thersa Rhodes' granddaughter, said she was excited.

"Never came before," said Amber Rhodes before running off to catch her younger brother.

Sociology sophomore Adrianne Que was also about to see her first basketball game at the university.

"I've never been to a (UA) game," she said.

Munching on chicken wings, Kirsten Eichenauer, education junior, said she and Que were attending the event because it was free and the basketball student season ticket lottery winners were going to be announced.

Around 7 p.m., Cluck-U-Chicken ran out of its supply of 1,600 wings, disappointing a large number of people waiting for food. With about a half-hour remaining before tip-off and the food supply non-existent, the crowd shrunk considerably.

---

Daily Wildcat News Opinions Sports PoliceBeat Comics