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Indiana Basketball: Top 5 wins all-time

By Dylan Broady

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Indiana Hoosiers players take the floor against the Montana State Bobcats in the second half of the game at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Indiana Hoosiers players take the floor against the Montana State Bobcats in the second half of the game at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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We will dive into Indiana Basketball’s Top 5 wins of all-time. Let us know what your Top 5 wins as a fan are.

The Indiana Basketball tradition is a long and storied one. We have so many great wins. We don’t want to offer you a top five based on our five National Championships alone. We want to dive into the five games that changed the course of our history. That helped shape who we are. What made the Indiana Hoosiers basketball royalty?

In this article we will dive into five wins that we think shaped our basketball lore. So get comfortable and reminisce with us on this Indiana Basketball journey.

5. Indiana vs Wabash 

The year was 1900 and Indiana Basketball was officially underway. The head coach was James H. Horne. We played at Old Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. Why is this win of importance? This was our very first win in Indiana Basketball history. Also, our only win of our inaugural season in 1900-01. This win started it all for the Indiana Hoosiers program. We should always look back at where our roots began.

4. Indiana vs Kansas 

We have already said we don’t want to give you a list of all five National Championships. We do however want to mention our very first on this list. I’m sure your grandparents told you stories of the very first Hoosier National Championship game from the 1939-40 season. Maybe they had some memorabilia from the game. This win is significant for the obvious reasons. We were National Champions for the very first time. Oh, the coach of this squad was none other than Branch McCracken.

3. Indiana vs Michigan 

I know what you’re thinking, I thought these wouldn’t all be championship games? You’re right they won’t all be championship wins. We all should know why I’m mentioning this one. The year was 1975-76, Head Coach Bob Knight was in his fifth season, we entered the big dance undefeated. Ring a bell? Since that historic season no other team has gone undefeated. This was not only a championship win for Indiana Basketball, but we accomplished something that no other college program has ever accomplished still to this day.

2. Indiana vs Purdue

It was February 29th, 2000. Head Coach Bob Knight unknowingly was coaching his last Indiana vs Purdue matchup. We went on to defeat our bitter rivals 79-65. This is significant because our program went through a massive change after this season. It’s a huge plus because it was against Purdue. The historic value of this game is that it was Bob Knights last win as the Head Coach of the Indiana Hoosiers.

1. Indiana vs Kentucky 

We all watched this game back in 2011. It was December 10th and we were hosting the No.1 Kentucky Wildcats. Oh, not to mention Kentucky came in undefeated. We all replay the last shot in our minds over and over. You might have been there storming the court with your friends. Christian Watford hit the game winning three pointer at the buzzer to knock off a program that we have a bitter, nasty, competitive rivalry against. This was the biggest win in the Tom Crean era and sent Kentucky home with their tail tucked between their legs. We haven’t played them in a home and home series since.

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