In 49 other states it is just basketball… but this is Indiana.
I love that phrase. It perfectly sums up the passion for the game here. High school basketball has long been king here, but in the college game you have four major programs and some solid mid-majors. It is more shocking when a team from Indiana DOESN’T make the tournament than when one does. In 2014 the state suffered great shame when no teams made the NCAA tournament. That was the first time since 2005 that had happened, but before that you have to go back to 1973 when only 25 made the NCAAs and programs such as Valparaiso, IPFW, and IUPUI either weren’t playing at the Division I level or didn’t even exist.