By Lauren Stanley
Unigo Campus Rep at Indiana University
“We will fight for the cream and crimson, for the glory of old IU…”
And fight we will.
After over 13,000 fans piled into Assembly Hall to watch the Hoosiers win their second exhibition game, students seem excited for the upcoming season — despite predictions for a difficult year.
“We lost some great players last year so it’ll be interesting to see how the team does this season,” said Tom George, a sophomore majoring in business. “But I think Coach Crean and the fans will definitely help.”
And what great fans we have.
With costumes varying from farmers to animals, to fully painted bodies making appearances at last year’s games, students are hoping to see the same enthusiasm on Saturday when the team starts its season against Northwestern.
“I’m sure students are still going to be excited about basketball,” said Casey Seizys, a sophomore majoring in biology. “After all, this is IU.”
While students may be voicing their excitement for the upcoming season, they do not appear to be purchasing with it, as the ticket office has indefinitely extended its Oct. 6 deadline for student season tickets due to lack of sales.
“I didn’t get season tickets this year,” said George. “I didn’t want to spend the money on buying tickets for every game when I may not be able to make it to all of them. Plus who knows how the seasons going to turn out.”
Other students, such as Jackson Boyd, a sophomore majoring in sports marketing, believe that it is important for students to have patience and stick with the team even though they are not yet at their full potential.
“If you want to call yourself an IU basketball fan you have to be willing to pay the money, go to the games, and scream your lungs out,” said Boyd. “Eventually you’ll be there when the team gets better.”
With claim to 20 Big Ten championships, second only to rival Purdue University’s 21, and five NCAA championships, Indiana has long prided themselves on their basketball abilities, as represented by the “we’re a drinking town with a basketball problem” novelty t-shirts.
With the largest athletics endowment in the Big Ten Conference, IUB not only takes pride in itself when it comes to basketball, but in their winning records in soccer, tennis, and swimming and diving as well.
“It’s important that students support their school in whatever way that they can,” said Seizys, who rarely attends sporting events. “A lot of people tailgate and go to the games so campus tends to be pretty dead if you’re not there, but I’m sure you can find other things to do.”