BLOOMINGTON, Ind -- Over the last few years, there's been a new tradition at Indiana basketball games before the opening tip. Hoosier legend Isiah Thomas appears on the jumbo-tron as they show clips from his Hoosier Hysteria speech from 2021. In the video, layered with highlights and background audio, Thomas says:
"There is no fan base in the history of college basketball better than Hoosier Nation. So you have a responsibility to stand up, show up, show out, be here, every, single, day. Let it be known, Hoosier Nation is in the house."
And on Tuesday night, we were reminded once again how true those words really are.
It's been a disappointing season, to say the least, for the Indiana Hoosiers this year. Even if your expectations weren't high for this group, you probably still expected more than this. The Hoosiers are currently ranked #102 in the nation in KenPom, and rank 13th out of 14 in most key stats in a weak conference. Even with the win on Tuesday night, it was just the second Quad-One victory of the season in 10 tries. Indiana is also 0-6 this year against the likes of Rutgers, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Penn State.
Add all of that together, and you would completely understand if the entire fan base checked out and the atmosphere changed inside Assembly Hall.
But Hoosier nation has continued to show up and show out, every single day.
Kel'el Ware played like a man among boys in Tuesday's win over Wisconsin. He may have been the star, but the Indiana crowd was the co-star. The Hoosiers came in having lost four of their last five games in Bloomington, and their NCAA Tournament hopes have become a pipe dream. But you wouldn't have known it by the energy that was in the building. Hoosier nation was loud and stayed engaged the entire night. And after wild circumstances forced the entire building to get evacuated due to a fire alarm in the 2nd Half, they filed back into the building and brought even more energy when their team needed it the most.
"I want to thank our fan base, the crowd for going through what we all went through and still came back into the game and gave us the support we needed to get over the hump and win the game," said IU Head Coach Mike Woodson. "I truly thank the fans. It's the first time I've ever been a part of something like that as a player and coach."
Fans often worry about landing recruits when the product on the court is lacking. At times, it can definitely hurt. Other times, recruits believe they can make the team better and often care more about the other factors anyway (fan base, overall fit, future roster, etc.) Hoosier nation's support on Tuesday night has got to be attractive to future recruits, as they see the unwavering support in the midst of a really disappointing season.
And now, the attention turns to the final three games of the regular season. One win over a struggling Wisconsin team doesn't make up for much. It was nice to see the team "getting over the hump" and snapping their losing streak. The reality is, that victory or any victory the rest of the way will mean little in the big scheme of things. Will there be big changes at the conclusion of this season? Will there be major roster turnover one way or another?
A lot can happen in the next few months, and this thing could look drastically different in a short amount of time. But one thing we know for sure: This fan base deserves the best product possible, because Hoosier nation will always show out. Every. Single. Day.
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