INDIANAPOLIS – From “Fire Archie” shouts to feelings of unwavering support, the divergent views on Indiana’s current basketball program were represented by the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night.
For the third time this season, Indiana fell for Rutgers. Thursday’s edition was a 61-50 loss in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, definitively ending the Indiana season. The Hoosiers ended with an overall record of 12-15, coach Archie Miller’s worst record in Bloomington.
The story of the game is the same as that of the entire season. Indiana’s attack was embarrassing, hitting just one field goal in the final ten minutes of the game. They were putrid 6 out of 15 on the free throw line.
“We get our opportunities and we don’t profit from them,” said Miller. “Performance is important and our performance here this season has been inconsistent.”
After beating Minnesota in mid-February, Indiana had a sustainable path to the NCAA tournament, a place it hadn’t been able to reach since 2016. But then there was a total collapse. The defeat on Thursday made season six consecutive.
As the losing streak got worse, the questions became more about whether Miller would be fired after this season, rather than whether the Hoosiers were going to make the NCAA tournament. The frustration of four years of inconsistencies and the winding direction of the program reached its boiling point within the fan base. Many wanted him to leave. But a $ 10 million purchase and the uncertainty of a sensible replacement left some tired.
“I’m not going to go into any off-season wondering if I’m going to be back,” said Miller after the game. “These decisions are made above me. My job is to train the team. “
But Thursday brought a new wrinkle to the ordeal: fans were able to watch the Hoosiers play in person in Indiana for the first time this season. This meant that the opinions, both good and bad, that were bottled up on Twitter this season, would be displayed live and in person.
There are fans like Jay Kramer and his 13 year old son, Dame. They drove nearly three hours from their home in Newburgh, Indiana to Indianapolis for the game on Thursday night. Dame wore the iconic chocolate striped pants and a red button jacket.
Dame’s message before the game was short and optimistic: “I think we’re going to win,” he said.
Jay grew up in Indiana during the Bob Knight era. He passed the fandom on to Dame because “of course,” said Jay. Typically, they are season ticket holders at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. But Big Ten restrictions only allowed relatives and friends to make it to the games this season.
Like Indiana fans across the country, the family was trapped watching the games at home. They shouted “play better in defense” and “we have to play more discipline” towards TV. When a player was performing poorly, Dame raised her voice to request that he be removed from the game.
Then, last Friday, Jay received an email about purchasing tickets to the Big Ten tournament. He did not hesitate, although Indiana had lost five in a row. Dame’s friends were jealous that he was going.
“We want to be there,” said Jay. “We are true fans. We are true supporters. It has nothing to do with what is happening. “
There were also students like Sujay Voleit, Stephen Auw and Alex Caronis, all from the second year of the IU, who made the trip of more than an hour from campus to Lucas Oil Stadium for the game.
The trio would meet at a friend’s house to watch this season’s games. During the recent losing streak, they cried out in irritation and resorted to punching the couch to release their anger.
But they also had no doubt that they wanted to watch the game against Rutgers. They did not, however, have the same uncompromising level of optimism as Jay and Dame. They talked about how, if Miller gets fired, the new coach would inherit a promising group of four freshmen to build for the future. They plunged into a discussion about Miller’s decline in defensive efficiency this season.
“It’s a lot to expect something and then realize that they haven’t done it all year, so why do we expect anything?” Said Auw. “They show so many little flashes.”
Then there is the part of the fan base that is tired, discouraged, enraged: decidedly ready to leave Miller. Or all of the above.
During pre-game appearances, Miller was met with some mockery after his name was announced. In the second half, a shout of “Let’s do a set, Archie” came flying out of the stands. After Indiana lost six consecutive free throws in the second half, a chorus of boos increased.
When the game started to get out of Indiana’s reach, shouts of “Fire Archie” came quite often from various sections of Lucas Oil.
“I didn’t hear the fans saying anything,” said Miller after the game. “If they were shouting my name, that’s up to them, but during the game it’s not much for you to pay attention to.”
There were many times, however, that the crowd raised Indiana. There were cries of “defense”. When Armaan Franklin took charge in the second half, the crowd exploded in a roar that was not present throughout the season.
But even so, it was not enough to propel the Hoosiers to victory. As the players headed for the tunnel after the final bell, a fan shouted encouragingly: “Next season, next season”.
The question, however, is who will be the coach next season. It is now in the hands of Athletic Director Scott Dolson to make that decision.
And on Thursday, for the first time in the entire season, fans made their appeal personally. The divide over how the future of Indiana basketball should be treated was evident within the stadium.
But the disappointing season, the defeat, left everyone wondering the same thing.
What is the next?
Filed Under: Big Ten 2021 Tournament