Concordia players waited not-so-patiently just steps away from the court.

They came out of the tunnel to a rousing ovation from Concordia fans in attendance -- about eight sections worth in Memorial Coliseum -- and smiled and waved.

But then they stood there for about five minutes, some jumping up and down, some smiling, some with nervous looks on their faces.

Someone in the crowd even shouted, "C'mon!"

The official timing sheet said teams couldn't step on the court until 5:41 p.m.

As soon as the digital clock on the far end of the Coliseum clicked over and a horn sounded, Concordia raced onto the court, led by senior leading scorer Andrea Newbauer.

Fans waved "GO Cadets!" signs, and the student section roared.

No. 1 Rushville, Concordia's opponent, ran onto the court about one minute later.

In a weird side note, both teams have circus-style striped warm-up pants.

• When I chatted with Rushville players Kaleigh Andrews and Krista Beaman at the Fan Fest on Friday, they had just come from practicing in the Coliseum. They said they've never played in the venue before and mentioned how the shooting background is a bit different with seats behind the baskets.