From a fan's perspective

I feel funny. \nSomething isn't right, and I haven't been able to figure out exactly what it is. This feeling started about three weeks ago, right around the end of spring break. And no, it wasn't alcohol poisoning.\nIt started about the time the NCAA tournament started, specifically when IU began playing. I was out in LA with my roommates enjoying the nice California sun, and Thursday night we headed out to watch all the Hoosier action at a local pub. \nMuch to my surprise, we were not the only IU contingents in the bar. Throughout the weekend and IU's berth in the Sweet 16, the cheers and camaraderie were evident.\n The next weekend, we were back in school, but the team was headed to Lexington for the daunting task of dethroning the defending national champion, Duke. Being my senior year, of course I had to be there, so I ordered some tickets with my friend and we were off to Lexington. \nStanding among the IU faithful, we watched as IU came back from 17 points down to tie, then defeat Duke. The fans around me, as well as myself, went crazy with every Hoosier basket, defensive stop and rebound. And when the clock read all zeroes, the pandemonium in the stands and on the streets around Rupp Arena matched the craziness of the players on the court. \nThe Kent State game was more of the same, with the crowd cheering and chanting Kent State and its fans right out of the building, and in case that wasn't enough, IU shot the lights out from behind the three-point line. All of the sudden, it was on to the Final Four.\nThat weekend in Lexington, was amazing, but I still needed my fix of IU basketball. So, after selling that pesky second kidney of mine, I bought a ticket for the Final Four and headed down to Atlanta. What I found there was more than I could have ever imagined. \nThe streets were full of Hoosier fans. Everywhere you looked, you saw red and white. IU was finally back where it belongs, and the students, alumni and fans were there to cheer them on. Whether it was around the Georgia Dome itself, or over at the ESPNZone and the other bars in Buckhead, a popular nightlife region of Atlanta, they were there. Long into the night Saturday and Sunday, you could hear chants of "Here we go Hoosiers" and "IU". \nAnd before the game Monday, the streets around the arena were filled up hours before the game, with happy Hoosiers finding it hard to believe they and their team were even there.\nThe Georgia Dome was electric during both the Oklahoma and Maryland games. Easily half of the thousands in attendance were there to cheer on the team no one thought would be there. Every Hoosier basket was met with cheers and you couldn't even hear the final buzzer after the game against the Sooners because of the roar from the crowd.\nTruly amazing. \nIt's true that the outcome of Monday's game wasn't what any IU fan would have wanted. This doesn't diminish the accomplishments of the team, though, as making it to the championship game was more than anyone could have hoped for at the beginning of the season. \nBasketball is back at IU in a big way, and the fans are ready for it, especially if these last few weekends are any indication. \nWait, I've got it. I know why I feel different. \nI'm proud.\nProud to be a Hoosier, and knowing that wherever I go after I graduate in May, I will not be far from a fellow Hoosier to root on our team.