The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers play at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the Branch McCracken Court in Bloomington, Indiana, on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. Indiana has won five National Championships in men's basketball (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987) – two coming under Branch McCracken and three under Bob Knight. Indiana's 1976 team remains the last undefeated NCAA men's basketball champion.
The Hoosiers have 41 NCAA Tournament appearances and 68 victories, 8 Final Four appearances,Indiana Basketball Game Notes , retrieved 20 March 2012. and 22 Big Ten Conference Championship victories. A 2025 study listed Indiana as the third most valuable collegiate basketball program in the country. Indiana has ranked in the top 20 nationally in men's basketball attendance since 1972.
Indiana has two main rivalries including in-state, against the Purdue Boilermakers (see Indiana–Purdue rivalry), and out-of-state, against the Kentucky Wildcats (see Indiana–Kentucky rivalry). The Hoosiers also have a rivalry with the Illinois Fighting Illini (see Illinois–Indiana rivalry).
Traditions
Candy striped warm-up pants During warm-ups, Indiana players wear "candy striped" pants resembling the red and white stripes of a candy cane.
Simple game jerseys
The team is widely noted for its simple game jerseys. When coach Mike Davis succeeded Bob Knight, he suggested adding names to the jerseys. However, the Hoosiers' minimalist look had become such a part of the program's brand that the proposal was dropped after considerable backlash from fans. Despite the long tradition behind the jerseys, they have undergone some slight changes over the years. The school's colors are cream and crimson.
William Tell Overture The Indiana Big Red Basketball Band performs the William Tell Overture. Indiana Assistant Director for Facilities, Chuck Crabb, said the tradition began in 1979 or 1980. Sportscaster "Billy Packer [called it] the greatest college timeout in the country."
"Mop Lady" advertisement In 1971, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance became the sole sponsor of Indiana and Purdue games on WTTV. In 2009 new coach Tom Crean resurrected the tradition and had "Martha" appear at the "Midnight Madness" festivities to begin the season. Because Webster was unavailable, singer Sheila Stephen stepped in as the new Martha. Starting with the 2010–11 season, video of the original ad was shown at home games after the National Anthem and right before tip off.
History
Early years (1900–1924)
Indiana fielded its first men's basketball team in the 1900–01 season, posting a 1–4 ledger under coach James H. Horne. Their first game was in Indianapolis, where the Hoosiers lost to Butler 20–17. Indiana's first victory was a 26–17 win over Wabash College that same year.
The Indiana Hoosiers began playing in the Men's Gymnasium in 1917. Due to complaints from spectators seated behind the backboards about poor visibility, the arena installed glass backboards a few years later. These glass backboards may have been the first to be used in the United States.
Everett Dean era (1924–1938) In 1924, Indiana alumnus Everett Dean became head coach. The Hoosiers won their first Big Ten Conference title in 1926, defeating Wisconsin 35–20, and won again in 1928 and 1936.
Branch McCracken era (1938–1965) When Dean left for Stanford, the popular selection to succeed him was Branch McCracken. McCracken was another young alumnus and former player under Everett Dean.
McCracken's first IU team was led by All-American Ernie Andres, later a McCracken basketball assistant. In McCracken's first year, the team finished 17–3, splitting games with both Purdue and eventual NCAA runner-up Ohio State. The following year the 1939–40 NCAA title team, led by All-American Marvin Huffman, would take Indiana to unprecedented success: an NCAA title and a record (at the time) 20 wins. The 20–3 record by that team would not be bested for another 13 years until broken again by Indiana. At their home court at The Fieldhouse, Indiana saw six perfect seasons including a 24-game unbeaten home winning streak from 1938 to 1941. In 1960 the Indiana Hoosiers football program was hit with devastating NCAA sanctions that impacted every varsity sport at the school, including basketball. The violations only occurred within the football program. Nevertheless, McCracken did manage to successfully recruit twins Dick Van Arsdale and Tom Van Arsdale, both of whom would earn All-America honors in 1965.
McCracken ultimately coached IU for 23 years, amassing 364 wins and 210 Big Ten wins. His teams also won four regular season Big Ten titles and went to the NCAA tournament four times, winning two national titles. He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame and the court now at Assembly Hall is named in his honor.
Lou Watson era (1965–1971) Sandwiched between two iconic coaches in Branch McCracken and Bob Knight, McCracken's longtime assistant and former lead scorer Lou Watson coached Indiana from 1965 through 1971, with a leave of absence in 1970 where Jerry Oliver stepped in as acting head coach. The 1966–67 team, which won a Big Ten championship, was known as the "Cardiac Kids" because of their many heart-stopping finishes.
Bob Knight era (1971–2000)
In 1972–73, Bob Knight's second year as coach, Indiana won the Big Ten championship and reached the Final Four, but lost to UCLA. Indiana won the Big Ten championship again in the following season. In the two following seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, the Hoosiers were undefeated in the regular season and won 37-consecutive Big Ten games, including two more Big Ten championships. The 1974–75 Hoosiers swept the entire Big Ten by an average of 22.8 points per game. However, in an 83–82 win against Purdue they lost consensus All-American forward Scott May to a broken left arm. With May's injury keeping him to 7 minutes of play, the No. 1 Hoosiers lost to Kentucky 92–90 in the Mideast Regional. The Hoosiers were so dominant that four starters – Scott May, Steve Green, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner – would make the five-man All-Big Ten team. The following season, 1975–76, the Hoosiers went the entire season and 1976 NCAA tournament without a single loss, beating Michigan 86–68 in the title game. Indiana remains the last school to accomplish this feat.
The 1985–86 Hoosiers were profiled in a best-selling book A Season on the Brink. To write it Knight granted author John Feinstein almost unprecedented access to the Indiana basketball program, as well as insights into Knight's private life. The following season, in 1986–87, the Hoosiers were led by All-American Steve Alford and captured a share of the Big Ten title. The team won Indiana's fifth national championship against Syracuse in the 1987 NCAA tournament with a game-winning jump shot by Keith Smart with five seconds of play remaining in the championship game. In the 1988–1989 season the Hoosiers were led by All-American Jay Edwards and won a Big Ten championship.
Throughout the mid and late 1990s Knight and the Hoosiers continued to experience success with superior play from All-Americans Brian Evans and A. J. Guyton. The Hoosiers won a minimum of 19 games and played in the NCAA tournament each year. However, 1993 would be Knight's last conference championship and 1994 would be his last trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Moreover, his aggressive and combative actions and communication often brought as much controversy to the school as success. Allegations of abuse, along with his reputation and a strained relationship with then-University President Myles Brand, resulted in Knight's controversial dismissal in 2000.
Mike Davis era (2000–2006) Following Bob Knight's tumultuous exit from Indiana, assistant Mike Davis took over as interim head coach in the fall of 2000. In his first season, Davis led a team featuring All-Americans Kirk Haston and Jared Jeffries to a 21–13 record. The following year, in the 2001–02 season, Davis was named the permanent coach. That year the Hoosiers captured a share of the Big Ten championship and made an unexpected trip to the 2002 NCAA championship game. After the Hoosiers lost to Maryland in 2002 and failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2005 (for the first time since 1985), criticism of Davis grew. Following months of speculation, he announced his resignation in February 2006, saying the basketball program needed to move on with a new coach. He remained with the team for the rest of the 2006 season before leaving.
Kelvin Sampson era (2006–2008) On March 28, 2006, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson was named coach of the Hoosiers, despite a history of violating NCAA rules and sanctions imposed on him. Sampson fielded competitive teams and scored a major recruiting victory by persuading in-state star Eric Gordon to sign with Indiana. The Hoosiers, with Gordon and forward D.J. White, were considered one of the better teams during the 2007–2008 season. However, in October 2007 Sampson was found to have violated rules again, this time by engaging in a 3-way phone conversation with a recruit. Indiana punished Sampson by denying him a previously scheduled $500,000 raise, firing one of his assistant coaches, and taking away one of his scholarships for the 2008–2009 season.
In early February 2008 the NCAA informed Indiana that Sampson had "knowingly violated telephone recruiting restrictions and then lied about it." After launching another internal investigation, Indiana officials announced just 14 days later that Sampson accepted a $750,000 buyout of his contract and resigned as the men's basketball coach. Former player and assistant coach Dan Dakich was named interim coach for the remainder of the season. A number of college basketball pundits believed that Sampson's tenure at Indiana had effectively ended once the allegations broke. Sports Illustrated college basketball columnist Seth Davis noted that the NCAA had given Indiana 90 days to respond to the notice of allegations. Indiana officials said their internal investigation would only take a week, leading Davis to believe that they had already decided Sampson was guilty. ESPN's Mark Schlabach suggested that the only reason Indiana did not fire Sampson right away was because his contract did not allow the school to suspend him immediately. He believed Indiana was trying to find a way not to honor his contract and stay out of the courtroom. ESPN's Pat Forde said that Sampson's departure was "preordained" the moment the NCAA sent out its notice of allegations, and suggested that Sampson would never return to Division I.
In November 2008, the NCAA imposed a three-year probation on the basketball program and upheld the school's self-imposed sanctions stemming from the actions of Sampson and his staff. Earlier, IU president Michael McRobbie privately told the NCAA infractions committee that Sampson betrayed his trust as Indiana's coach, and demonstrated that his hiring had been "a risk that should not have been taken."McRobbie: Sampson hiring 'a risk that should not have been taken' . Associated Press via ESPN, 2008-06-30.
Tom Crean era (2008–2017) On April 1, 2008, Marquette head coach Tom Crean was hired as head coach and inherited a thoroughly depleted team. Between Crean's hiring and the start of the 2008–09 season, freshman Eric Gordon opted to leave early for the NBA and star forward DJ White graduated. Two other players transferred, one player was dismissed from the team and two others previously dismissed by Dakich were not allowed to return. As a result, Crean began with a roster consisting of two walk-ons who had scored a combined 36 points in their careers. Crean's first three seasons saw losing records of 6–25 (the worst in school history), 10–21, and 12–20.