Hoosier Hysteria, IU basketball’s season tipoff event, will take place Oct. 2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, IU Athletics announced Thursday. IU football plays Penn State on the same day, and neither event has a set time yet.
Last year, the event was held in an empty gym and broadcast over Facebook Live due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this Hoosier fans’ first opportunity to attend since 2019. The event is free to attend, but fans can donate canned food to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.
The event showcases both the men’s and women’s programs, which are coming off 12-15 and 21-6 records, respectively. In 2019, the event included player introductions, a three-point contest, a skills competition and a dunk contest.
IU women’s 2020-21 team had one of its best seasons in program history, knocking off No. 1 seed North Carolina State University on its way to an Elite Eight appearance. The team is returning all five starters from that team this season, including All-Big Ten performers senior guard Grace Berger, junior forward Mackenzie Holmes and seventh-year guard Ali Patberg.
"Not having the opportunity to see the wonderful Hoosier Nation fan base last season, we are all excited to introduce our 2021-22 squad at Hoosier Hysteria on October 2," IU women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren said in the release. "It will be a time to celebrate not only our program for the upcoming season, but a return of fans inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.”
IU men’s basketball didn’t share the success of the women’s team last season. The Hoosiers lost their last six games and were bounced in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament against Rutgers.
However, with new head coach Mike Woodson, who played at IU under Bob Knight from 1976 to 1980, a slew of freshman and transfer players will look to revitalize the program, which hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since the 2015-16 season.
IU is also returning a number of key players, including junior forward Jackson-Davis, who was an All-Big Ten selection in each of his first two years, and veterans Rob Phinisee and Race Thompson.
"I know our team and myself personally cannot wait to have the opportunity to be in front of the best fans in the country in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall," Woodson said. "I'm really looking forward to experiencing this."
