The smell of popcorn wafts through the air, fans dress in green or yellow, and the buzzer sounds while shoes squeak on the floor of Matthew Knight Arena.  Players dressed in dark blue or yellow return to their benches.  As they move to the sidelines, fans can clearly see the design of trees on the light and dark wood floor meant to resemble looking up through a forest of fir trees, an homage to the nickname of one of the first college basketball teams, “The Tall Firs.”

The University of Oregon Ducks may be more well known in recent history for track and football, but the conference opener of the men’s basketball season still garnered anticipation on campus.  First year student Thalia Morris was enthusiastic about attending the game against Coppin State.  Morris said, “I love sports and so coming here, it’s a big sports school and I just get so excited.” 

Hours before the buzzer sounds, the line of students stretched from the entrance of MacArthur Court down the block in the darkness.  They chatted under the streetlights while the murmur of anticipation was punctuated with cheers as someone ran by with a camera.  For Morris and her friends, Amy Vallejos and McKenna Faulkner, this is their first semester as students at the University of Oregon.  As fans, they are eager to discover what all the hype is about. “I’m really looking forward to it.  I feel like it’s going to be a big thing because it starts at nine and it’s late; I feel like they’re going to make something big out of it so I’m excited,” said Morris.