Indiana is in the midst of long-awaited revival
In a state known for its ‘hysteria,’ winning is back
INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Woodson grew up in Indiana watching the Hoosiers, Purdue and Notre Dame battle for bragging rights, television time and tournament bids.
Back then, Woodson and other Indiana prep stars were treated like royalty while coaches Bob Knight, Digger Phelps and Gene Keady introduced a new generation of players to basketball’s basic fundamentals.
The combination of a talent-rich basketball state and those revered coaches kept the three schools near the top of college basketball for decades. Now, after some ebbs and flows, a revival is taking place around the state.
Purdue climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 on Monday. Two weeks ago, No. 14 Indiana cracked the top 10 for the first time in five years. The Indiana and Notre Dame women’s teams are both ranked in the top five and the Purdue women and Notre Dame men could be ranked before season’s end.
“This is home for me, so anything that goes well in the state means a great deal to me,” Woodson said. “I followed all those schools my 34 years in the NBA. That’s just what you do as a guy growing up here in the state, playing basketball.
“I think it’s good for the state.”
The schedule can’t get much better than this weekend.
Shortly after the Hoosiers (8-2) play at No. 8 Kansas (9-1) on Saturday, the Boilermakers (10-0) face Davidson in downtown Indianapolis. Forty-five minutes later and 7 miles down the road, Butler (8-3) will try to hand No. 3 UConn its first loss of the season. On Sunday, coach Niele Ivey and the No. 5 Notre Dame women (8-1) visit No. 6 Virginia Tech and No. 4 Indiana (10-0) will again try to protect the highest ranking in school history against Morehead State.
It’s just another chapter in what’s already been a head-turning season.
Purdue swept West Virginia, No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Duke on Thanksgiving weekend. Indiana’s teams each routed ranked North Carolina foes on back-toback nights in front of raucous crowds.
“You could hear them,“Indiana’s women’s coach Teri Moren said, referring to the nearly 6,000 fans in attendance. ”This is a hard place to play when you feel this place, from the energy to the noise.”.
The Notre Dame men jumped in with an upset of then-No. 20 Michigan State and then the Notre Dame women topped perennial women’s power UConn, 7460.
The state’s rabid fans have been longing for the return of captivating, highstakes games, heated rivalries and must-see television that dominated the Indiana landscape.
And now, finally, it’s back.