Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall has been home to a litany of IU upset wins in its time as the home of Hoosier men’s basketball.
With national title contender Duke in town for a Wednesday night game, IU will have a chance to add another notch on its belt of wins over top teams. First-year IU Coach Archie Miller doesn’t have to look far into the past to find other instances of the Hoosiers and their fans ratcheting up the intensity for marquee home matchups.
In honor of Wednesday’s game between IU and Duke, here’s a look at the past five top-10 opponents IU has played inside Assembly Hall.
IU – No. 3 North Carolina, Nov. 30, 2016
Nearly one year ago, the eventual 2017 national champions came to Bloomington for the same ACC/Big Ten Challenge pitting IU and Duke against each other this year. North Carolina was a preseason favorite for the national title and entered the late-November showdown with a perfect 7-0 record.
But IU had already had a win over then-No. 3 Kansas just several weeks prior, and despite a recent letdown loss at Fort Wayne, the Hoosiers showed up ready for the Tar Heels. IU jumped out to a 26-9 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes.
Despite North Carolina pulling within five points late in the game, the home team held on and never trailed. OG Anunoby led the way for IU with 16 points, while James Blackmon Jr. added 14 points on three made three-pointers.
The game marked arguably the highest point in what was otherwise a disappointing season that finished with a National Invitation Tournament appearance for IU.
Final score: IU wins, 76-67
IU – No. 4 Iowa, Feb. 11, 2016
The Hawkeyes visited Assembly Hall at the top of the Big Ten Conference standings, with the Hoosiers sitting just one game behind.
IU got off to another quick start and led by 16 points late in the first half, but the senior-heavy Iowa squad led by Jared Uthoff — who finished with 24 points — battled back to take a lead in the second half.
IU’s bench outscored Iowa’s bench 28-0 in the game, however, and senior leader Yogi Ferrell made all eight of his free throw attempts to help the Hoosiers pull away late. IU moved into a tie for first in the Big Ten with the victory and went on to win the conference’s regular season title.
A familiar face also played a role for IU in the game, as then-junior forward Collin Hartman started and scored seven points to go along with seven rebounds. Now a fifth-year senior, Hartman started this year battling injury but played sparingly in IU’s last game against Eastern Michigan.
If he’s gotten healthier in the past few days, expect his playing time and production to increase against Duke.
Final score: IU wins, 85-78
IU – No. 10 Michigan, Feb. 2, 2014
Michigan came into this mid-winter contest in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. The Wolverines used three players currently on NBA rosters, while the Hoosiers were struggling through an inconsistent season just one year removed from being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Ferrell, then just a sophomore, lit up the scoreboard with 27 points on seven made 3-pointers. He also drew the assignment of guarding the eventual Big Ten Player of the Year, Nik Stauskas, despite being six inches shorter than Stauskas.
IU took control in the second half as Stauskas was held to just six points in the game. Michigan went on to win the regular season Big Ten title in 2014 while IU missed the NCAA Tournament completely, but the Hoosiers used Assembly Hall’s atmosphere to outlast the Wolverines for at least one afternoon.
Final score: IU wins, 63-52
IU – No. 3 Wisconsin, Jan. 14, 2014
The Hoosiers had a losing Big Ten record in the early going of the conference schedule when they played the Badgers. Wisconsin had the lead for most of this one before IU went on a 12-0 run in the middle of the second half.
The rest of the game was tightly contested but IU never trailed again. It was Ferrell once again who paced his team with 25 points while freshman Stanford Robinson added 13 points off the bench.
Wisconsin’s loss pushed them into a rough stretch where the Badgers lost five of six games. But they wound up reaching the 2014 Final Four with a core group that would take them to the national title game the following season. Since this upset win, IU is just 1-5 against Wisconsin.
Final score: IU wins, 75-72
IU – No. 4 Michigan State, Jan. 4, 2014
Just 10 days before beating Wisconsin, IU suffered what is still its most recent home loss to a top-10 opponent. Former Indiana Mr. Basketball Gary Harris returned to his home state and poured 26 points in against the Hoosiers while battling through injury.
IU trailed by double digits for most of the second half in a game against another one of the Big Ten’s strong teams from the 2013-14 season. Ferrell, as he did all season, essentially put on a one-man offensive show as he scored 17 points.
The Spartans hit a skid after beating the Hoosiers and wound up with six Big Ten losses on the season, but Michigan State still reached the Elite Eight.
Final score: Michigan State wins, 73-56
