Like it or not, IU fans, but the “pendulum of popularity,” at least for now, has firmly shifted in the direction of West Lafayette in terms of gridiron bragging rights between the two bitter in-state rivals.

Not only is Joe Tiller and staff posting more wins than their Bloomington counterparts, it’s also translating into more victories in living rooms of top Hoosier prep talent. Hopefully, that will change as Indiana high school coaches and their players become more familiar with Gerry DiNardo and his coaching staff.

That, coupled with successful out-of-state recruiting, will, with any luck, shift the balance of power back to where it was from 1986-94 when the Bill Mallory-led Hoosiers played well enough to participate in six bowl games and IU was the ruler of the roost between the two.

As for roundball popularity, the ball has clearly been in the Hoosier court starting with the season prior to the arrival of Bob Knight. But there was a point in the late 1960’s when the Boilermakers threatened to do in basketball what they have currently accomplished in football.

The window of opportunity coincided with the arrival of Rick Mount, (the first prepster to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated) and a brief downturn in the fortunes of Indiana University basketball.

After finishing in a tie for the league title in 1967 with Michigan State, Indiana tumbled to seventh place in the conference standings in 1968. The downward spiral would continue over the next three years, as the Hoosiers went 26-46 overall and 11-31 in Big Ten play. Purdue, meanwhile, was residing in the penthouse suite. Their magic carpet ride included a Big Ten title in 1969 and a spot that same season in the NCAA championship game, where they lost to the Lew Alcindor-led UCLA Bruins.

The Mount era was played in the newly constructed and pristine Mackey Arena, which was a far more inviting venue for television cameras than the IU (now Gladstein) Fieldhouse. In hindsight, that makes sense, given the marquee value of Mount and his supporting cast when compared with Indiana’s most popular players at that time.

I don’t recall there being too many kids in my neighborhood pretending to be James “Bubbles” Harris or Joe Cooke whenever we got together to shoot hoops.

More often than not, the fight was over who was going to be Mount, Billy Keller or Herm Gilliam.

Here’s further evidence of Mount’s popularity. The Indiana Pacers, then members of the American Basketball Association, signed the “Rocket” to a professional contract three days after his final college game. Television stations throughout Indiana carried the signing live.

But that all changed with the arrival of George McGinnis and Steve Downing at IU. Not only did Indiana improve their lot in the Big Ten standings, but more importantly, their presence helped to create a renewed interest in the IU basketball program. IU surged ahead of Purdue in fan popularity, and that continues to this day.

Indiana also regained the upper hand in the minds of television programmers, and that also remains prevalent. Check the listings – IU basketball games always have a better time and television slot than their West Lafayette counterparts. Loyalty to the IU basketball program has developed into a phenomenon that people not familiar with it would find difficult to comprehend. Where else will you find someone willing to purchase season tickets year after year to watch games in a venue where less than 30 percent of the seating offers a truly enjoyable viewing experience?

I’ve witnessed games when scalpers are able to get top dollar for a main level seat on row 40, where the view includes being able to see only one scoreboard. (No scoreboards if the seat is in or behind the student section).

Why subject yourself to this? Because of the almost religious experience that goes along with attending a game in Assembly Hall. Few places are louder or more intimidating to opposing teams than when “The Hall” is rocking and rolling with rambunctious IU fans.

As for the geographical breakdown, outside of Lafayette, most of Fort Wayne and pockets in other parts of the state, the majority of Indiana counts itself as supporters of the men and women who choose to wear the Cream and Crimson in athletic competition.

That allegiance also transcends itself when it comes down to a male Indiana high school basketball player deciding which of the two schools to cast their lot. Outside of a handful (Mount, Billy Keller, Drake Morris, Glenn Robinson, Troy Lewis and Bob Ford) or back even earlier (Denny Brady, Dave Schellhouse and Terry Dischinger), the best Indiana prep basketball players are more likely to sign with Indiana rather than Purdue.

Upon their arrival in Bloomington, both in-state and out-of-state recruits are raised to almost mythical status and that idolization continues long after they leave.

Not even after a stretch in which Gene Keady’s teams captured three straight conference titles in the early to mid 1990’s could Purdue supplant IU in terms of popularity. Of course, having five NCAA Championship banners, plus another recognizing an NIT title to fall back on, doesn’t hurt when talk turns to which team has been more successful over the years.

The popularity of IU basketball extends far beyond what most people might realize.

Stop by a hospital or nursing home on game day and see how many television sets are tuned in to the cream and crimson – a whole lot of people put their own troubles on hold and let Coach Mike Davis carry the burden for awhile.

I’ve seen these people, some of them in the twilight of life, able to assess from memory the performance of the IU basketball team to that point in the season and not hesitate to vocally question a referee’s call or a coach’s decision from their bedside seat.

From personal experience I can tell you IU basketball is also a common bond one can share with a hospital or nursing home patient who is even a casual fan after you’ve exhausted every other topic and reached that point of uncomfortable silence.

Stop and think about the number of men and women raised as IU fans now serving in the military overseas who don’t always have the luxury of turning on the television or radio every time the Hoosiers play. My college roommate served in the Air Force following graduation and did part of his hitch in Spain and Greece. To listen to an IU game on a live or delayed basis usually required getting up between two and three o’clock in the morning to hear Don Fischer’s call on the Armed Forces Radio Network. His dad would tape the games on a VCR then ship them overseas where my old roommate would then be able to watch the game a week or so after the fact.

After his return stateside he said listening to Fischer or watching the game on tape went far beyond the final score – it was a reminder of the life he had before he started fulfilling his military obligation.

It also allowed him to forget for awhile the pain he felt from missing his family back home.

With that sort of diehard following, it’s easy to understand that IU’s 2-3 start isn’t necessarily sitting well with everyone.

It might be a good idea for all IU fans to ask Santa Claus to deliver the gift of patience this holiday season to calm the soul while the players grow accustomed to the roles Davis has in mind for each in order for the team to be successful.

Hopefully the killer December schedule will turn out to be a help and not a hindrance and we can all look back after the season and say that contributed to a successful conference season and a berth in the field of 65.

•••

In the spirit of always looking at the glass being half full rather than half empty...

The injury to George Leach will put the development of Patrick Ewing, Jr., and Jessan Gray-Ashley on the fast track. Hopefully, the in-game experience will turn out to be more valuable than what they could receive in practice or from observing from the bench.

Mike Davis’ decision to not redshirt Gray-Ashley looks pretty good now, as he was able to hit the court against Wake Forest after already experiencing the opening game jitters. Both Ewing and Gray-Ashley were something of an unknown quality coming out of high school. Both will now be part of the spotlight while Leach is on the mend.