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All it took was one small gesture to bring Assembly Hall to midseason form during the first contest of the regular season this past Monday night.

Facing Morehead State in front of what would normally be a tame -- sold out, but tame -- audience for a contest the Hoosiers were heavily favored in, the atmosphere inside the hallowed home of Indiana basketball was one that rivaled the likes of the heated conference matchups or the highly-anticipated non-conference heavyweight bouts that Indiana has become accustomed to in years past.

Sure, part of it can be credited to the turnaround in play. It's one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory for second-year head coach Mike Woodson's squad, so you could understand why everyone was so eager to get into the building for night one. A multitude of facets of Indiana's game shined on Monday night, from the bottleneck defense to the impressive young freshmen making their impact early. Simply stated, minus a few concerns, Hoosier fans had a lot to cheer about in the 35-point victory over the Eagles.

Yet, there was still some extra juice in the building on Monday night. It's no secret Assembly Hall has a knack for creating a few unlikely heroes and a few more likely villains, and there's few things that the fans inside the building love to do than latch themselves onto a singular player's performance.

Enter Jake Wolfe, who decided to shush the Indiana student section following a 3-point bucket. From that moment on, the night became one to remember for both Wolfe and the Indiana faithful. The reasoning, however, differs greatly.

Wolfe's gesture instantly caught the ire of the students on hand. Every time he touched the ball throughout the remainder of the game, it was met with vicious boos and jeers, the opposite only coming after a bad pass or a missed shot. Although there were a couple moments where Wolfe was able to get back at the crowd with a bucket or a defensive stop, his game was altered, whether he'd ever admit to it or not. It was evident to everyone in the building that the consequences were outweighing his actions.

Fans made their presence felt on night one, making a difference early and often in the victory. While talks have arose amongst the community of supporters that the layout of Assembly Hall's seating arrangement should be altered to create an even louder atmosphere by surrounding the court and lower areas with students, changes in that department would not be overnight and likely would be something that would require a transition period encapsulating multiple offseasons.

Opinion aside on how you regarding the matter though, it's refreshing to see a classic conflict between an opposing player or personality and the home crowd. It was mostly clean, although you can never expect it to be 100 percent PG, and it had a concluding, fun finish for the home crowd as Wolfe fouled out of the contest.

As he was serenaded with chants of "right, left, right, left" to match his footsteps before eventually hitting the bench, the fans that packed Assembly Hall to the brim had successfully done their job.

As Wolfe now has a story to tell his friends and family for years to come, he joins the likes of countless other opposing players, officials, and head coaches who have felt the wrath of what a fully tuned-in Assembly Hall crowd can do.

Having been to many games in the past and spending a good chunk of last year covering the team before moving to full-time coverage this season, I've seen my fair share of villains come through the friendly confines. Whenever one arises, whether it be for their outstanding performance, their theatrics and extracurriculars, or for whatever reason, Assembly Hall is always a special place to be.

While Wolfe was the first this season, he certainly won't be the last to draw a bit more grief than usual from the students and fans in attendance, and that's putting it lightly. The point remains, whether it's the Brad Davison's, Hunter Dickinson's, Bo Boroski's, Fran McCaffery's, or Jake Wolfe's of the college basketball world that are the main antagonist of the evening, the conflict Indiana's fans create is one of the strengths of their home court advantage.

Assembly Hall is always better with a villain.

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