IU to play Pitt in historic venue, appreciates opportunity on national stage

One of the youngest teams in the country will play Pittsburgh today in one of the oldest and most renowned arenas in America.

A trip to Madison Square Garden will present IU with its first game resembling a road contest, but the Hoosiers also said they plan on enjoying the opportunity to play where Knicks center Willis Reed stalked down from the rafters despite injury and where Michael Jordan scored 55 points in his 1995 comeback tour.  

IU coach Tom Crean said the history of Madison Square Garden played into his team’s choice to accept a bid to the Jimmy V Classic.

“To be able to go to New York City, to be able to play in that storied arena, to be able to play in that atmosphere – I think will be great for them,” Crean said.

Just a year ago, many of IU’s players were in front of high school crowds of only a few thousand.

Freshman guard Jordan Hulls played at nearby Bloomington High School South’s Purple Gym, though he has stepped on the floor in historical venues with his high school and AAU teams.  

Hulls played at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, where players like Oscar Robertson and Bobby Plump won Indiana high school state championships.

Still, he said he can’t imagine what it’ll be like to play in the massive New York arena.

“We had pretty good crowds at South, but I don’t think it’ll be anything compared to Madison Square Garden,” Hulls said. “It’s one of the best venues that’s around and I’m just very excited and grateful for the opportunity that we’re having, the great tournament we’re playing in for a great cause.”

The tournament brings four teams to play at Madison Square Gardern and donates the proceeds to cancer research. The late North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano and ESPN began the Jimmy V Foundation in 1993 and the Jimmy V Classic began in 1995, two years after Valvano died of cancer.

Freshman forward Christian Watford said he has played on every rim in every kind of gym. Friends of his who have played in Madison Square Garden told him the rims were hard to shoot on.

He shot back, “Kobe and Lebron don’t have any trouble.”

The Hoosiers have had some hiccups of their own in the building.  

IU is 11-8 in the arena, though it hasn’t been to Madison Square Garden since it played in the 2001 Preseason NIT. The Hoosiers also haven’t been featured in the Jimmy V Classic since 1999.  

They have had mixed results against Pittsburgh, a team that Crean said is one of “two programs outside of New York who can turn the Garden into a home game.” The other being Duke.

IU has seen Pittsburgh on seven occasions and come out with three wins. Their last bout with the Panthers ended in a 74-52 NCAA tournament loss in 2003.

As has been the case with many events this season, junior guard Jeremiah Rivers has already experienced Madison Square Garden.  

His Georgetown team played for two Big East tournament championships in the venue. Georgetown came out with a win in the 2006-07 season but lost a year later.

Rivers talked about how hostile the environment can be in New York. He said people don’t necessarily have to be a fan of the team you’re facing for them to hassle you.

“Different kind of fans out there than there is out here,” Rivers said. “They’re not always the nicest when they don’t like you.”

No break will be given on the court, either.

“They were definitely the most physical – it was a battle, it was a war every time we went up against them,” Rivers said of Pittsburgh. “I just remember how tough it was every possession and how important every possession was.”

Rivers said this game will be important to get IU experience, since the only contests they have had away from Assembly Hall this year so far came at a neutral site in Puerto Rico.  

But after all of the heckling and tough play, Rivers said he hopes his teammates take in the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden.  

“It’s one of the greatest venues in the world that you’re playing in,” Rivers said. “It’s special, and I just want the team to relish it and enjoy it.”