As far as Penn student traditions go, The Line is fairly new, dating back only 40 years or so. The Line is part pep rally, part slumber party, and part endurance test with the prize being the best student seats in The Palestra.

Each year, the date and location of The Line is kept secret until the week before the event. This year, the line formed at Ware College House in The Quad. More than 200 students arrived at the location on Wednesday evening, formed the line, and cemented their spots for the season in the lower level of the student section for men’s basketball games.

The second part of The Line tradition requires that the students meet at The Palestra Friday evening with sleeping bags in hand to camp out overnight. Inside arguably the nation’s most celebrated college basketball arena, they play dodgeball, watch movies, participate in games and meet members of the Penn basketball squads and their coaches. It’s a dusk-to-dawn hoopfest, fueled by students celebrating the beginning of the basketball season, Penn style.