‘Night of Living Red’ features IU scrimmage

What better way to kick off Halloween festivities than ... basketball?

The IU men’s basketball team will conduct its second public scrimmage during a Halloween-themed “Night of the Living Red” on Friday at Assembly Hall.

The event is free to all fans, and doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with trick-or-treating and games in the concourse starting at 7 p.m. The scrimmage will be played at 8 p.m. with an autograph session scheduled for postgame.

“We like it because it means we are one day closer to the season starting,” junior guard Verdell Jones said. “It is always good to play in front of fans, and we have had a good time with everyone coming in costume as well.  I think people will like to see the progress we are making.”

All fans 18 and older will receive vouchers for two free balcony seats to one of the four games played during Thanksgiving or winter break. Student season ticket holders will receive their official student section T-shirt, and one student will be chosen for a chance to win $10,000 by making five out of 10 3-point shots in 25 seconds.

The event, which is similar to the team’s “Haunted Hall of Hoops” from the prior two seasons, is the last public tune-up before the team’s first exhibition on Nov. 3.

Players such as sophomore guard Maurice Creek might miss the scrimmage due to injury, but IU coach Tom Crean said he hopes to replicate a real-game situation as much as possible.

It’s a big night for recruiting as well, as high-profile recruits such as Washington, Ind.’s 2011 forward Cody Zeller are expected to be in attendance. After Hoosier Hysteria, recruits unanimously said they were blown away by the crowd, and Crean said he hopes for a similar turnout in attendance to help get his current players acclimated.

“Any time you go under the lights for the first time like that, it won’t be nearly as good as you want it to be because there’s a feeling-out process,” Crean said. “Guys will try to do things that they don’t need to do. But you got to learn out there that there is a crowd out there every night we play. So there’s some learning approach to that.”