Whenever the topic came up of how difficult it was playing this season, both head coach Archie Miller and the IU men’s basketball team would often talk about not being able to play with fans and what had been lost without them. They’d talk about how the team would feed off the energy provided by IU’s fans and how weird it was to have a highlight play followed by near silence.
With the Big Ten allowing 8,000 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium for the conference tournament, IU men’s basketball got its first opportunity to play in front of a real crowd in a 61-50 loss to Rutgers in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
“It honestly just felt really good to play in front of people again,” sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis said Thursday. “Being in Indianapolis and playing in front of your own fans, it gives you that extra spark, that extra energy.”
In the first half, the stadium was louder than most of the environments IU had played in this season, but it wasn’t quite the raucous experience some expected.
IU’s fans cheered with cautious optimism in the opening minutes of the game as the team got off to a fast start, opening on an 11-5 run. The Hoosiers would stretch the lead to 10 with just under nine minutes remaining in the half — its largest of the night. But after having plenty to cheer about in the opening minutes, the Hoosiers’ fans became quiet as the Scarlet Knights came charging back.
In the final 7:14 of the first half, Rutgers outscored IU 19-11 including a 6-0 run to end the half.
Both IU and Rutgers struggled to begin the second half, as the game teetered on the edge of boring with the two teams combining for just 8 points in the first five minutes of the half. Then suddenly, Lucas Oil Stadium roared to life with the loudness often found inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in a normal season.
With just over 14 minutes remaining in the game, freshman guard Trey Galloway drove through the lane before kicking it out to junior forward Jerome Hunter in the right corner. As quick as he received the pass, Hunter gave a delicate touch pass to a streaking Jackson-Davis who slammed it down with two-hands to the joy of the crowd.
On IU’s next possession, junior forward Race Thompson found junior guard Rob Phinisee as the defense collapsed on him, leading to an easy layup.
The noise level inside the stadium slowly rose.
On the ensuing Rutgers possession, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin stepped into the lane as junior Mathis Montez barreled into him. After a moment of silence, the crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium erupted in cheers as the referee motioned for a charge and Franklin punched the air in celebration.
One minute later, the noise in Lucas Oil Stadium reached its apex.
After Phinisee tipped a long rebound to himself, rushing up the court on a fast break, he dropped off the pass to Jackson-Davis who soared through the air for the two-hand slam, bringing the crowd to its feet as Rutgers was forced to call a timeout.
“I felt like I was more amped up than usual,” Jackson-Davis said.
Unfortunately for IU, that would be the last time it gave the crowd anything to cheer about. The Hoosiers would score just 4 points over nearly the next 10 minutes as the Scarlet Knights took over the game.
Soon IU was reminded what it was like to have fans while it struggled as the cheers quickly turned into boos filling the stadium. As the Hoosiers struggled to find any offense down the stretch, going over seven minutes without a point and missing their last 13 field goal attempts, the crowd’s attention turned to Miller.
The more IU struggled, the louder the chants of “Fire Archie” became as they rained down on the court. Miller said he didn’t hear the fans chanting his name during the game.
“I’m not entering any offseason wondering, you know, if I’m going to be back,” Miller said. “We had our opportunities, and like I told those guys, performance matters. And you know, questions about me and whatnot, that’s really not my concern.”
Miller’s buyout before the end of next season is $10,350,000.
As the final horn sounded on the Hoosiers season, the players walked off the court hanging their heads in disappointment to a serenade of boos from the crowd yelling at them.
“It’s sad that we disappointed them,” Jackson-Davis said. “It’s something we’re just going to have to live with.”
