In the eyes of many, Saturday marked the beginning of a new chapter of Ball State University men's basketball.
But to some, the Cardinals' opening tip-off against Eastern Illinois University marked the beginning of an entirely new book altogether.
"It's my first [game]," freshman Bridget Edgeworth said. "I haven't been to The Nest yet, but I'm ready for some of those big games."
A crowd of 3,874 joined the Cardinals at the newly adorned Worthen Arena on Saturday in their season opener against the Panthers.
In the past week, a series of banners were draped throughout the arena.
"It looks nice, I think it's an improvement over what they had," 1960 alumnus Barry Volz said. "The more fans you get in here, and the more adults, the more it means to the kids."
With close correlation to the Ball State Bold campaign theme, the banners are a reminder of the positive direction the program is trying to take, Chris Ulm, assistant director of corporate sales, said.
"The university wanted to have a whole new look to Worthen, have fans come back to it," he said. "It's a fresh face but it's the same program that you've always loved."
Looking to rebound from a 6-24 record last season, Ball State had crowd support early, scoring the game's first six points.
"It's great to have the crowd come out," coach Billy Taylor said. "Having the band down providing that atmosphere was really tremendous. It gives us great energy, and I think that's the thing that sometimes gets lost is the energy that the team gets from the fans."
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