As the clock struck midnight Thursday night, not a single seat in Wisdom Gym was empty as all Texan Nation was present to welcome basketball back to Tarleton. Enter Midnight Madness.
The night began with showstopping performances from the Texan Stars, Tarleton Cheer, Purple Pride Winter Guard, Foul Play, and DJ Quan.
For the first time in Midnight Madness history, Tarleton held a 3-on-3 tournament featuring the Corps of Cadets, Lambda Chi Alpha, Kappa Delta Rho, and the Plowboys. Each team was coached by a member of the Texan men's or women's basketball team. Ultimately, Lambda Chi Alpha were crowned champions of the inaugural Midnight Madness 3-on-3 tournament.
All eyes were now fixed on the scoreboard as the time crept closer and closer to zero, the countdown to midnight. The lights slowly dimmed, and the buzz of conversation was the only audible sound. Suddenly, light filled Wisdom Gym and the Tarleton Fight Song blared from the band as the men's and women's basketball teams emerged from the tunnel. Both teams ran around the court high-fiving and fist-bumping fans as the crowd erupted in cheers.
It was finally time to introduce the proud defenders of the purple and white for head coaches
Billy Gillispie and
Misty Wilson. From
Viktoria Ivanova flipping out of the tunnel to
Shamir Bogues wearing his favorite clown mask, each player put their own twist on being introduced to Texan Nation.
The women's team won a game of hot shot against the men with a buzzer-beater three-pointer, courtesy of
Tyler Jackson, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Following the excitement of the previous game, three players from the men's team competed in a dunk contest that wowed the fans with every attempt. Ultimately, it was
Javontae Hopkins' dunk over teammate
Freddy Hicks that sealed the dunk contest win.
The Texan men's team then separated into purple and white uniforms for one final scrimmage in front of fans.
To cap off Midnight Madness, both teams and fans joined in singing the color song. The event was over, but the excitement was not as students left Wisdom Gym. This was just the beginning. Basketball is right around the corner.
